Reliving Jukebox 2005: Toronto, Canada, Molson Amphitheatre

Many thanks to FilleDeJanvier, etihwons and galrow for photos in this post.

Ahh.... my first and only Clay Aiken concert- the Toronto JBT concert. What a night it was! After all, it was Clay's first solo concert in Toronto. His last appearance in Toronto, during the American Idol 2 tour drew huge crowds to Toronto's Air Canada Centre, home of the Toronto Raptors and Maple Leafs. This time, however, the venue was the BEAUTIFUL 16,000 seater Molson Amphitheater nestled on the edge of Toronto's waterfront. Clay's timing couldn't have been more perfect. Across the street, the largest festival in Canada - the Canadian National Exhibition was taking place. Outside the venue was Ontario Place, a waterpark/theme park that's a family favourite. And the Claynadian fans? Well, let's just say they're one of a kind.

The Performances

• This was the first time I heard Clay live and let me tell you - there is nothing like hearing Mr. Aiken live. The vox is SO much better when experienced in a live atmosphere.
• MOAM Set- the Claynadians were the only ones left out of IT, NAT and JNT, so hearing Clay sing songs off MOAM was a highlight for me. The amphitheater rocked with over 5,000 fans singing along to every word.
• BOTW, ICMYLM, Solitaire - if you're not dead by the end of this triple hitter, you must be a cat with 9 lives. Clay got huge standing ovations for each of these songs. FANTASTIC!
• Tears Run Dry- Clay debuted this song for the first time in Toronto. It was awkward because it was he only part of the concert where no one made a sound. I've heard other versions of TRD, but the Toronto version was by far the best- perfect announciation & breathtaking vocals (as usual :)).

Stump The Band
Clay choose to do a Stump The Band for this concert, perhaps as compensation for the 2 Clayless-Claynadians years.

Clay began by teasing Felix on his Canadian knowlege asking him: "Do know what the capital of Canada is?". Felix said 'No' and got a big booooooo. Clay then used his geographic talents to see how far Claymates travelled to see him. Amazingly, there were fans who flew in from as far as Vancouver!

What happened next was the most memorable part of the concert for me. In the days leading up to the concert, all the boards initiated a co-ordinated "sing touch" campaign in an attempt to compel Clay to sing the 'controversial' MOAM track. Well, guess what? It didn't work, but it sure did leave an impression on Clay. When Clay asked the audience for a song to sing, hundreds of signs reading "TOUCH" in big bold letter rose up. Naturally, Clay tried to ignore them for a few moments before saying: "Rarely have I choosen a song on a sign... actually, you know what? I've never done it before." The audience was in hysterical laughter, most of it coming from the die-hard Claymates gathered in the 100-level pit. As Clay went on explaining Stump the Band to the audience, while at the same time trying desparately not to laugh or loose control, he said it more bluntly: "any song other than Touch. I don't want you to hurt your arms. I'm not doing it."

The first song requested was "Sweet Child of Mine" done by Guns'n'Roses back in the 80's. Clay said he didn't know the lyrics so Quiana la-la'ed her way through most of the song.

The second song Clay picked was "Crying". He said he knew a small bit oof the song, and agreed to sing one line: "cryyahhhahhhahhinnnngggg".

With Claynadians hollering "Oooooooooooooo Caaaaaaaaannnnnaaaaaaaaadddaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!", Clay picked O Canada as his final Stump the Band number. Nothing like some Claynadian pride to top off a sizzling Claynadian Clay Aiken concert. His experience singing at hockey games in Raleigh really paid off. Clay sang the anthem beautifully, not missing even one word. Everyone in the audience stood up and quietly sang along to Clay. To give a truely patriotic feeling, the lighting director quickly switched to red & white lights only, giving the stage a very uniquely Canadian like appeal.

The Fans
Being a multicultural capital of the world, the crowd in Toronto was very diverse. And given the fact this was Clay's first concert in Canada, Claynadians decended on the Molson Amphitheater from all corners of the country. As I waited in line before the concert, a lady from Montreal was talking about how she wouldn't have made it had it not been for her Clay fan group who bought her family train tickets to Toronto. Awwwwww....

Classic Clay Moments

• During the Motown banter, someone from the first few rows gave Clay a sign reading: "Clay, you're an honourary Claynadian". Clay immediately spotted the 'extra' U. "You spelled honorary wrong. At least that's not how we spell it down in the States."
• Clay always knows how to stun an audience. Before the debuting Tears Run Dry, he found a lady from Victoria, BC who took 3 flights to Toronto. At the end, Clay surprised everyone announcing the JNT2006 tour would kick off in Vancouver.
• Throughout the show, Clay played with Ottawa and Hamilton fans. Each time Clay mentioned Hamilton, the amphiteater would shake with roars of approval. Clay said that Hamilton fans were louder because the city is situated closer to the US. He kept praising the Ottawa fans for being "quiet". LOL.
• During the 70's banter, Clay asked the audience for some major Canadian events which took place in the 70's. When one lady said: "Canada beat Russia in hockey", Clay jokingly said: "aack... Russians."
• As Clay introduced Tears Run Dry, fireworks began shooting off (from the CNE which was taking place just across the street). Clay said: "you guys shot off fireworks for me?"
• Clay had fun with the Canadian provinces. He had fun asking if there were fans from X province.

Links

• CDD Archives: Jukebox Tour Toronto

Technorati tags: Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, American Idol, Invisible