Clay's 2004 Solo Tour - Great Review by Connecticut Newspaper

Today is Day 3 in our series of articles/reviews from Clay's Summer of 2004 Solo Tour. This review, from "The Day" - A New London Connecticut newspaper, is full to overflowing with great comments and compliments for Clay.

Clay Aiken Shows Stage Maturity Beyond His Years

By BETHE DUFRESNE
General Assignment Reporter/Columnist
Published on 7/31/2004

A colleague of my generation, more attuned to the spectacular rise of
pop star Clay Aiken than I, assured me as I headed with my niece to
the Fox Theater for Aiken's Thursday night concert that the young
man "has pipes."

I may not be the best one to make predictions, but it looks to me
like he has legs, too.

The gangly "American Idol" runner up, with spiked hair, sonorous
voice and soothing style attracted a mostly female audience at
Foxwoods. They ranged from toddlers and school girls to the
ubiquitous "Claymates," a burgeoning sorority of women clad in Clay t-
shirts, name tags and — I'll bet — sooner or later the red thong Clay
underwear that was selling briskly in the lobby.

One woman, age 55 and accompanied by her equally star-struck 28-year-
old daughter, told me after the show that she had tickets for his
next four concerts, occurring within the week. I wish I'd had time to
ask if this was her first trip as a groupie.

With his signature "Measure of A Man," "Invisible," "Run to
Me," "Perfect Day," "I Survived You," and my personal favorite, "I
Will Carry You," Aiken earned every deafening shriek of approval from
the capacity crowd.

What struck me most, besides the beautiful voice, was the boyish
Aiken's relaxed assurance as a performer. His is such a young career,
yet he manages the stage like someone long past trying to prove
himself, and he does it without any hint of arrogance.

If Thursday's audience tended to the older side, it might be because
of the casino venue and the ticket prices, $85-$110. But it was a
real advantage to be in the relatively small Fox Theater.

"This is one of the most intimate crowds we've had," said Aiken, and
he used the space to his advantage, especially during a James Taylor
medley with his superb back-up singers that had me singing along.

As he is wont to do, Aiken connected directly with fans, dancing with
a 9-year-old and popping into the audience to pull a 14-year-old on
stage for a — blessedly — brief duet.

He also performed a wonderful full-length duet with Cherie, his
opening act. If these two don't make it as longtime pop stars, they
certainly have a career waiting in the wings on Broadway.

Can a guy this nice, who wears a "W.W.J.D." wristband, raises money
for disabled kids and dedicated one of his numbers to Jesus, endure
as a pop idol in America? It's far too soon to say. At least he'll
always have something to fall back on.

He can sing.

This is the opinion of Bethe Dufresne.