Showing posts with label Something About Us. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Something About Us. Show all posts

Saturday, March 05, 2011

Clay Aiken, Tried & True Troupe Wow Waukegan


Expandable photo by toni7babe from the Waukegan T&T Concert.

Audience Scores Creativity Points

Clay & Co. Wow Waukegan Crowd

Clay Aiken & Co. wowed the Waukegan audience at the Genesse Theatre Friday night, and the audience returned the favor with its creativity during the "Who's Sorry Now" genre suggestions.

From early reports, there were many highlights, one of which was drummer Felix Pollard and his wife dancing on stage while Clay serenaded them with their wedding song, "Something About Us."

By necessity, this has been a progressive blog because I had a date with Best Buy the minute the store opened. In this part of the country, tonight marks the ultimate in Tobacco Road basketball rivalries, and my TV heaved its final breath in the middle of a movie Friday night.

TV Death Ushers in Techno 2000's

Apparently, the picture tube of my dinosaur-aged set gave up the fight and, in a last gasp, the screen shrank to 1/3 its original size. In Carolina country, the Tar Heel-Blue Devil match-up is a must-see game, plus I was way overdue to enter the new century.

My good friend Chris, who accompanied me to Best Buy, remarked that with my new iPhone and now an LED TV, I have finally fallen off the fence onto the techno side and am no longer teetering on the 1900/2000 edge. LOL, bring on the Carolina-Duke game AND the Minneapolis Concert!

But back to the Waukegan story. Below are expandable photos from Friday's concert by toni7babe from the concert. The final two are a preview of the pole dancing in the burlesque version of "Who's Sorry Now."





Jazzy Medley Features Aiken Hits

Videos by Scarlett help rewind the Waukegan Concert. In the first, Clay & Co. perform a jazzy arrangement of some of his earlier hits: "The Way," "This Is the Night," "Measure of a Man," "Invisible" from the Measure Of A Man album; "On My Way Here" from On My Way Here; and "A Thousand Days" from the A Thousand Different Ways CD.


Jazzy medley is a hit with audience.
View video by Scarlett full screen at YouTube.

One of the special moments of the Waukegan Concert was the singer's intro and performance of "Something About Us."

Drummer Felix Pollard and his wife celebrated their second anniversary on Feb. 28. Serenaded by Clay, they reenacted their wedding's first dance on stage Friday night.


Clay serenades Pollards with 'Something About Us.'

According to Clay, Waukegan concert goers were the most creative yet, suggesting four new styles for "Who's Sorry Now": burlesque, Disney, New Age, and Russian folk. Below is the burlesque version, complete with pole dancing by Clay and Quiana.

All uploaded videos by Scarlett can be viewed at the Wowzers4Clay YouTube Channel and downloaded at the Waukegan doc. Check both sites for new additions throughout the day.


'Who's Sorry Now' burlesque style.

Having sung "Unchained Melody" since his teen years, Clay is most pleased to have his signature version, arranged for the Tried & True album by his keyboardist Ben Cohn. The Waukegan performance was incredible.

Yaknelle's recap at the Clayversity message board covered several aspects of the Waukegan concert. With her permission, here are excerpts that touch on Clay's humor, his friendship and duet with Quiana, and the singer's amazing rendition of "Unchained Melody."
The man is funny and, of course, he knows it and controls it. He throws barbs out to the audience, but it's his facial antics that makes it funny. He rolls his eyes. He drops his head. He pauses and zing, bang boom he connects. The audience roars. Quiana is the perfect foil and she gives him the grief we wish we could. She is his accomplice.

Clay adores Quiana, and no place does it show as much as when they sing "Crying." The wailing of their voices mingle and the sound is other-worldly. This is their masterpiece together.

The sensuality of "Unchained Melody" overwhelms me. He sings it with his entire body. He forces the notes, the lyrics, and the emotions through his body and soul and out of his lips.

I don't think I listen to this song as much as my total being is en wrapped by it. I feel it like a waves hitting the shore. Over and over the sound hits me until I finally soar out of my body with that amazing note. A tour d' force or is it a force of nature?

The songs and antics fly by, and I find my self wanting to slow the man down. Talk a little longer, sing another song. ...and another. Please don't stop.

But he does...

"In my life I love you more."

...and then I breathe.


An amazing 'Unchained Melody' performance.

Have an awesome weekend, Clay Nation! Don't forget the Minneapolis Concert -- 8 pm CT at the State Theatre. See you after that ...

Caro

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Clay Aiken Tried & True Concert a Showcase of Talent


Clay Aiken takes Tried & True Tour to Towson, MD.
Expandable photo by farouche.

Concert Varied, Up Close, Personal

Aiken More Than Amazing Voice

I enjoyed Clay Aiken's Tried & True Concert in Baltimore by way of a very clear cellcert Tuesday night, and there is nothing I could add to the fabulous review posted by Gloria Dietz of The Examiner.

Finally, a reviewer gets what CA fans have known for eight years. The headline -- Clay Aiken concert review: he is more than an amazing voice -- is just the beginning. Below are the opening graphs, but link to the entire article:
Clay Aiken knows how to entertain a crowd. He performed without an intermission for close to 2 hours at Goucher College in Towson. The venue was small and the seats were elevated with plenty of leg room, so there wasn’t a bad seat in the house.

This concert was as up close and personal as you can get. Clay commands the stage and this was like we were all one big happy family. He doesn’t just stand there and sing – he puts on a show that has lots of variety.

One thing in particular that is a real eye opener is that Clay lets his back-up singer and band members shine by putting the spotlight on them throughout the show. His bass player was able to tell a joke, he showcases their talent with their instruments and he banters with them as well as the audience.

The songs from his latest CD may have been from the 50’s and 60’s, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this was a boring or formal concert; his fans ranged from age 13 to 94.

Clay manages to outdo himself with every show he puts on. This concert was very casual with lots of humor and surprise acts along the way. His camaraderie with the audience is priceless, but his voice is astounding.

I first viewed these photos on my new iPhone in a doctor's waiting room this morning. They are much better full size. Link to The Baltimore Sun for the show.


Clay Aiken sings 'Something About Us' in Baltimore.
Link to YouTube to view video by Scarlett full screen.


Clay chats with two birthday "girls" in Baltimore.
View video by Scarlett full screen at YouTube.


Dim lighting perfect for Clay's rendition of 'Misty.'
View Scarlett's video full screen at YouTube.

Download these and other concert videos by Scarlett at her Baltimore link. More will be added, so remember to check back later.

Baltimore Set List

Where Do I Begin: Love Story Theme

Mack The Knife

There's A Kind Of Hush

Moon River
It's Impossible
Jazzy Medley (The Way, This Is the Night, On My Way Here, Measure of a Man, A Thousand Days, Open Arms, Invisible)
Something About Us
Foggy Town In London Town (Quiana)

Auto Tune (I Got A Feelin')
Suspicious Minds

Build Me Up Buttercup

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Misty
Who's Sorry Now (Motown, Acoustic, A Capella, Ragtime)
It's Only Make Believe

Can't Take My Eyes Off
You
Cry Me A River (Quiana)
Crying

Unchained Melody
Both Sides Now

In My Life

Below are five expandable Towson concert photos by farouche.









The Tried & True Tour continues in Charlotte, NC, at 7:30 pm tonight. Clay appeared on Charlotte Today this morning. See you after the show!

Have a great time, all!


Caro

Friday, January 14, 2011

Clay Aiken Montages Serenade Tour Countdown


DWTS Season 11 - Viennese Waltz
'Unchained Melody' Vocals by Clay Aiken
.
View montage by LovesClaysVoice full screen at YouTube.

Clock Ticks Toward Miami Concert

Montages Celebrate Aiken Vocals

With the Feb. 10 Miami opener for Clay Aiken's Tried & True Tour less than a month away, fans are completing travel plans while taking intermittent "rest stops" at YouTube to view the latest videos and montages from previous performances.

The opening montage by LovesClaysVoice partners the Viennese Waltz routines of Dancing with the Stars 11 contestants accompanied by Clay's Tried & True "Unchained Melody." Dancers include Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough, Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke, Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. You can download the montage with this Sendspace file.

Fortunately, the CA fandom is filled with fans who share their talent for creating, capturing, and rendering montages and videos from the singer's performances.
The same can be said for the handsome graphics visual artists create with photos from previous events.

Below are blends by AmazingCA that expand to wallpaper size with a double-click. The first two feature photos by PermaSwooned while the third incorporates photos by toni7babe.





CA Fans Keep YouTube Buzzing

While there is nothing like seeing Clay Aiken perform live, it's for sure aficionados help keep YouTube in business. Based in San Bruno, CA, the video-sharing website was created in February 2005 by three early employees of Pay Pal -- Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim, design and computer science majors.

Six months before YouTube made its official debut, the public was given a sneak preview of the site in May 2005. Due to its immediate popularity, the angel-funded enterprise quickly grew from an "office in a garage" to a multi-million dollar company.

YouTube was purchased by Google in November 2006. To learn more, read History of YouTube at Wikipedia.

Montages are often created from special tracks by Clay. An excellent example is "Something About Us," a video blending music and art from the recent engagement announcement of Prince William and Kate Middleton. To save, download with this Sendspace file.


Prince William and Kate - Something About Us
'On My Way Here' Vocals by Clay Aiken
View montage by LCV full screen at YouTube.

For the Clay Nation, there are never enough reruns of the singer's tours. Below is a widget loaded with 27 videos recorded by Scarlett at last summer's Los Angeles Timeless Tour Concert. You can watch the entire concert in the widgetbox or open the links on YouTube.

The show's all there! The scroll on the right will take you from the "Flying Without Wings/This Is the Night" opening number by Clay and Ruben Studdard through the various decades and hilarious banter between the two good friends right on into the "Time of My Life" finale.


Widgetbox Features Complete LA Concert
Timeless Tour videos by Scarlett

Calendar Deadline This Weekend


An order deadline of Jan. 15 has been set by Rosaratana, who annually produces a Clay Aiken calendar as a fundraiser for the Inclusion Project.

The 2011 wall and desk calendars, feature photos by toni7babe from the summer's popular Timeless Tour, have been well-received by CA fans.


Clickable Cover

All proceeds after costs will be donated to the foundation in February. Cost of the calendars, which are printed on premium glossy card stock are $12 for the desk size (8.27" x 3.74") and $25 for the wall model (11" x 8.5").

Currently, a total of 143 calendars (86 wall, 57 desk)
have been sold. The remaining six desk and five wall calendars will be donated for Spring Fan Fest fundraising if not ordered this weekend.

To place an order, Paypal or email Rosa at rosash@comcast.net by Saturday, Jan. 15. Checks are accepted, and she will email you her address. For additional information and photos, see the Nov. 2 Carolina entry: Clay Aiken Fans Go to Bat for Inclusion Project.

Christmas Clock Insures Grins

Snow and ice have held Triad school calendars hostage most of the week. Mother Nature also put a "fermata" (hold) on music lessons; but warmer temps are on tap and makeup sessions are in the works.

My students were very generous with holiday remembrances for their teacher, everything from gift cards to sweets that are being carefully rationed. As a Carolina basketball fan, who knew Buckeyes could be so enticing?!?

Putting a reverse spin on a Clay Aiken favorite, "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day," however, is a clock that plays a phrase of a seasonal song at the top of each hour.

I have had more fun watching unsuspecting students (even the pianist who gave it to me!) stop and grin when they suddenly hear the music box-like hourly greeting in the middle of a lesson. Among the 12 songs heralding new hours are "Jingle Bells," "Adeste Fidelis," "O Tannenbaum," "The 12 Days of Christmas," and "Joy to the World."

Soon the two batteries that instigate the holiday songs will be removed; but for now, we are getting a real good jump on "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day."

Use the sidebar widgets to continue voting for the National Inclusion Project's Pepsi alliances and partners. Have a wonderful weekend, Clay Nation!

Caro