Billboard's Mobile Beat Gives The Greek Concert a Fantastic Review

It is rare that a review of a Clay concert can be found that has nothing but positive things to say about that concert. But I believe that Billboard's Mobile Beat Review by David Chung is just that review!! The review is quite long and there are so many awesome things said about Clay, his songs, his banter, Angela and Quiana, and the orchestra, that just summerizing it just wouldn't do it justice.

Cutting to the chase, here is a snippet of his review (bolding is mine). Don't forget to head over to the Billboard blog to read the entire thing ... Read it slowly and savor it. This is one to be reread and remembered!

Clay Aiken, The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, August 4th, 2007
by Dave Chung

Part concert, part comedy show, Clay Aiken and a live orchestra performed in front of a few thousand of his most dedicated fans on Saturday night. Before the show, I had spoken with fans of the American Idol runner up, or Claymaniacs, who told me that an Aiken concert is as much about his interaction with the audience as it is about his trademark big vocals. I was a little skeptical about how this would turn out because I appreciate rapid fire performances in live concerts. However, many an Aiken concert veteran assured me that I was in for a great night on this stop of The Soft Rock & A Hard Place Tour. Thankfully, Aiken delivered. In an entertaining two hour set, Aiken and his background vocalists Angela Fisher and Quiana Parler put together an upbeat night (somehow, in a set filled with ballads) that was just as filled with laughter (legitimate “LOL,” “LMAO,” “ROFL” laughter) from the audience as it was with strong performances coming from the performers on stage.

The second I walked into the venue, I knew this was going to be a concert unlike any other. After hanging out with teenage girls (again, holler!) last week at Carrie Underwood’s show, I expected a similar crowd for another American Idol alumnus. Instead, it was a much older crowd than I expected (median age 45?), skewed about 90% female. The stage was set up for a full orchestra, something I wasn’t expecting, but was pleasantly surprised to find. As one of the few non-balding males in attendance (not that there’s anything wrong with balding), I was an anomaly at the show. I found two girls with a “Clay took our concert virginity” poster, which was more of what I was expecting from the night’s audience. Seeing them and their sign made me feel more at ease because I was a Clay concert-virgin that night and they seemed pretty happy with their first experience. I suppose it says something when people come back for more after that first intimate experience…instead of not returning your text messages… nor calling back… perhaps blocking on IM…maybe even Google chat… Wait, what are we talking about?

...

In what was probably the most relaxing concert I’ve ever attended with the most respectful crowd I’ve ever been a part of (I am positive not a single expletive was spoken all night), Clay Aiken put on a great show vocally and in terms of entertainment for the audience in attendance. Not only is Aiken a powerful vocalist who has developed his own identity and following that has gone well past him being a “guy from American Idol,” but he puts on a hilarious show that is filled with more laughs that you’d ever expect from a ballad-filled evening. While I wish that Aiken performed some more songs from his first CD, few Aiken fans would ever leave his show unsatisfied, as the singer manages to make everyone feel like they’re just hanging out with Clay and his band for the night. With strong vocals throughout the night and random banter that surprisingly did not annoy me between songs (almost an impossible task), Aiken became more than just a singer to me tonight, but lived up to his reputation as a strong entertainer as well.