Another Walk Down Memory Lane - Reviews and News Articles From Clay's 2004 Solo Tour

With Clay's summer tour starting in less than a month in my home state of Texas (oh yeah!!), I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the reviews and articles written during Clay's first solo tour back in 2004. So I dug through my computer files and found several I thought I'd share with you.

This article is from July 11, 2004. I'm not sure which newspaper published it unfortunately, although I do have the name of the reporter.

These articles should bring back great memories and help get you even more excited for what's still to come...another awesome solo tour by Clay Aiken!

Posted on Sun, Jul. 11, 2004

IF YOU GO

Not just an idol anymore
Popular runner-up wants to go beyond the show

By Walter Tunis
CONTRIBUTING MUSIC CRITIC

On the eve of a national tour that brings him to Lexington for a Monday concert at Rupp Arena, singer Clay Aiken is poised for life beyond American Idol. First comes the acknowledgement that singing on an arena stage differs a bit from performing before a trio of TV judges and roomful of hysterical fans with cell phones.

"There are plenty of differences," Aiken said by phone last week. "One of them, of course, is no one is there insulting you when you sing on tour. You don't have (American Idol judge) Simon Cowell in front of your face every night.

"The odd thing, though, is that people think the American Idol studio held thousands of people. It looks so big on camera. But it actually holds only 200 people or so. So when you sing in front of a concert audience of 6,000 or 7,000, you're going to feel the energy more. It's much bigger. You feed off the crowd all the time. The bigger, the more excited and the more hyper the crowd is, the more you give a performance."

But Aiken's tour is more than an excuse to build his already secure fan base. A runner-up in last year's competition on the wildly popular TV talent show, Aiken is ready to shake the notion that he is just a manufactured celebrity.

"Do you call American Idol an introduction? Or is it still the form by which people remember me? That's become a difficult complication for (American Idol winners) Kelly (Clarkson), Ruben (Studdard) and myself. How much do we still want to be connected to the show? I know I never would have made it here if it weren't for that show. But am I truly American Idol? I don't think so. But I guarantee you won't be able to write your article without using those two words.

"American Idol was a great entertainment boot camp. It's where I got my education, not just in how to perform live, but in how to deal with cameras and how to deal with interviews. But I'm not defined by the show, nor is that show defined by me."

Aiken's debut album, Measure of a Man, however, was undeniably created with the popularity of the show in mind. In fact, such prestigious music industry executives as Clive Davis, the producer mastermind behind Whitney Houston's stardom and Santana's commercial rebirth, among many other triumphs, and Steve Ferrera had the 12 songs chosen for the album before Aiken concluded last year's American Idol competition. The album was in stores within five months of the program's season finale.

"It was definitely put together quickly," Aiken said. "But I liked the songs. They come from amazing writers and were produced well. But I don't know if the product necessarily defined me. A lot of the songs are about heartbreak. And, let's face it, some are downers. I don't consider myself too much of a downer. While I love to sing the ballads, I'd like to have a little more happiness on the next one."

A follow-up recording, though, is down the line. For now, Aiken's hit version of Neil Sedaka's Solitaire and an upcoming Christmas album serve as his primary recorded output outside of Measure of a Man. Still, the album will make up the bulk of the repertoire at the Rupp show. "That's the one we want people to buy," he said.
Aiken is also promising a tribute to "one of the singers I've always admired" during the Rupp performance, but "you'll have to wait ... to find out who that is."

Most of all, Aiken hopes his tour will complement his American Idol star status and establish a sense of independence from the program.

"I am my own person," he said. "Instead of 'American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken' or 'American Idol alumnus Clay Aiken,' I'd just like to be introduced once or twice in a newspaper story just as singer Clay Aiken."