Clay Aiken Hits Anthem Out of the Park in DAP Festivities

STAR-SPANGLED: Clay Aiken sings the national anthem at the Second Annual Return to the DAP Monday night. Graphic by Fountaindawg expands to wallpaper size.

Vintage Evening in Durham

Clay Aiken Nails Anthem at DAP

DURHAM, NC - Clay Aiken hit a home run as the Triangle's own pop singer performed the National Anthem to the accompaniment of a ballpark flyover by vintage World War II bi-planes, opening the second annual "Back to the DAP" game Monday night.

Bill Evers, all-time winningest manager of the Bulls, tossed the ceremonial first pitch at the historic Durham Athletic Park, home of the Durham Bulls from 1938 - 1994.

Both teams, the Durham Bulls and the Indianapolis Indians, wore vintage uniforms from the 1960s. Sadly (from a North Carolinian's point of view), the visitors won 7-5; but that didn't dampen the spirits of the SRO crowd of 2,638.

And that's not counting the multitude of Clay Aiken fans who tuned into the radio stream and board cellcerts to hear the singer knock the anthem out of the park.

If you missed it, here is a video of Clay's performance posted by NBC17. Cindilu2 capped the radio stream and provided this audio download of the Star Spangled Banner.

Clay Aiken performs during opening festivities of the Durham Bulls' second annual 'Back to the DAP' game.

Monday's game marked the second straight season the Bulls have played in the remodeled park, the team's home from 1938 - 1994. Bull Durham, iconic baseball film, was shot at the DAP.

Below are clickables of photos posted on the NBC17 Facebook wall and by the News & Observer. The final two images are wallpapers by Fountaindawg, the last a wide screen version of the opening graphic.

Cellserts Connect Fans to Game

In addition to cellcerts along the Claycyberspace network, Twitter was a treasure trove of information and reactions during the pre-game festivities:

IndyweekSports Triangle Offense (Potter) Local hero Clay Aiken does the National Anthem and we're ready for first pitch, folks.

Listening to Clay Aiken sing the national anthem on 620 The Buzz @DurhamBulls

Clay Aiken, the "international pop sensation" opened the Bulls game. He's really gone far!

Ooh, Clay Aiken on the mic with a WWII biplane fly over. Not bad not bad.

My favorite remark occurred during the Clayversity cellcert provided by claygalsal and her son Will. Mom handled a video camera while her son transmitted the anthem via cellphone.

Those tuning in heard Will's astonishment as his mother asked some of the baseball players to please move over so she could get a better shot. "Did y'all hear my mom?" an incredulous Will asked the stream.

CA fans are fearless when it comes to securing clack!

See Durham bulls fall in return game to historic DAP for the sports recap.

Have a winning week, Clay Nation!

Caro

Clay Aiken's PBS Show, TNT Soar

Clay Aiken - Photo by Cotton
Enhanced by Claystruck

PBS Taping To Be Special

'Tried and True' Pre-Sales Soar

Since I wrote this blog, there have been several updates, including WRAL-TV and NBC17 video interviews (with Sendspace), Lynda Loveland's radio interview (with Sendspace), and the March 12 Mark Ehlers interview in the News and Observer.

The Meet&Greeters who observed Thursday's three-hour dress rehearsal and talked with Clay shared these notes: David Novik from Decca was at the rehearsal and the Q&A ... A man with hand-held camera followed Clay around constantly ... The show's production and orchestrations are out of sight ... On stage were an orchestra and a rock band .... Faye Parker, Clay's mother, greeted the fans ... and, most of all, BE PREPARED TO BE BLOWN AWAY at the concert!!!

March 9 quickly turned into an kind of day as Clay Aiken released extra tickets for his March 12 PBS Special in Raleigh and pre-orders for his much-anticipated Tried and True album blasted off to a rip-roaring success at Amazon.

With a June 1 release date, Tried and True has steadily climbed Amazon's Music Bestsellers list. When I first checked the listing, TNT was at #52. Within a couple of hours, the CD/DVD Deluxe Edition was at #19. TNT is #5 now and still climbing!

No album cover or track list yet, but the TNT [Deluxe Edition] is priced at $12.99 and is eligible for free shipping at Amazon.

For two days, TNT was #1 on Amazon's Movers & Shakers in Music list, hopefully foretelling future chart-climbing adventures!

Stage Set-up Allows Extra Seating

When news of additional March 12 PBS Special tickets hit Triangle entertainment sites Tuesday, CA fans followed the Ticketmaster trail for the best possible seating at the Friday concert taping in Raleigh's Memorial Auditorium.

Another good site for last-minute seating is Ticket Liquidator. According to the Progress Energy Center diagram, there are some excellent possibilities. The tickets are listed by price from the least to the most expensive.

Clay talks with Raleigh press about concert.

Lynda Loveland chatted via phone with Clay about the concert and album on Friday's Mix 101.5 Morning Show. The interview is available at the show's link and can be dowloaded with this Sendspace mp3 file. You can follow Lynda on Twitter here: lloveland.

The singer spoke with NBC17's Erica Bustamante about his new CD, Friday's PBS Special, and the educational scene in Raleigh. The video can be viewed in the player below or at My NC Blogs; it can be downloaded with this Sendspace link.

Clay also discussed the Raleigh concert and TNT album with WRAL-TV Thursday night.

NBC17 interview with Clay.

PBS Concert in N&O Headlines

Friday's News and Observer article by Matt Ehlers, Classic Move, provides additional information about the PBS concert taping. To read the complete article, click on the N&O link:

RALEIGH -- When Clay Aiken hits the stage tonight at Memorial Auditorium, he will be performing for the couple of thousand people in the crowd, as well a future audience that could be much, much larger.

The concert, which will feature the first live performance of his coming album, "Tried and True," will be taped for a PBS special that will air this summer. It's a one-time-only deal, and Aiken, the Raleigh native and "American Idol" runner-up, will sing each song from the new album.

"Tried and True," scheduled for a late May release, is Aiken's first album for Decca Records. It's also the first in which he didn't feel record-company pressure to go in a pop-friendly direction. Working with Decca, he and longtime manager Simon Renshaw charted a different course for Aiken's career.

"Our idea was always to head toward a Johnny Mathis-y kind of thing," Aiken said recently during an interview in a downtown Raleigh coffee shop.

So the songs on "Tried and True" are lushly arranged classics. Aiken's hard-core fans will hear some familiar tunes, standards that he performed on "Idol." The new album includes "Unchained Melody" and "Mack the Knife."

International Media has added information about Clay's March taping to its new blog. Read the entire piece at the above link. Here is the beginning:

Clay Aiken will hit the stage for a special one-night-only concert at the Memorial Auditorium in his hometown of Raleigh, NC on Friday, March 12.

The singer is promising fans an exciting 2010 with this show being just the beginning! The performer extraordinaire is gearing up for the release of his new album, "Clay Aiken: Tried and True."

The event, which will be taped for a television special produced by International Media, is the world premiere live performance of Aiken’s forthcoming album being released on Decca this Spring.

TWWMAD Funnels Donated Tickets

The Way We Make a Difference has worked closely with several agencies in the Triangle to provide concert tickets for those who otherwise would not be able to attend the taping.

Fostering inclusion, a cause close to Clay Aiken's heart, TWWMAD accepted tickets through noon Thursday. Approximately 136 donated tickets will be used for the PBS Special by the following organizations: ARC of Chapel Hill, ARC of Wake County, ARC of Durham, Ronald McDonald House of Durham, YMCA Finley, and the Alexander Family YMCA.

In the future, to donate extra tickets, contact TWWMAD with this email address: ticketdonation@thewaywemakeadifference.org. (Ticketfast only)

Between pre-ordering TNT, dancing the "Ticketmaster Tango" again, and packing for the Raleigh trip -- this has definitely been a headline day for CA fans.

Have an week, Clay Nation. Be sure to pack an umbrella for this weekend's trip to North Carolina!

Caro