Erie Times News, Sunbury Daily Item Preview Concerts

Two new Christmas concert preview articles were published today.

The first one is from The Erie Times News. Clay performs at the Eric Civic Complex in Erie, PA on Sunday:

Letters from the heart
Who'd have thought reading fan letters during his Christmas concerts would be a 4,000-letter success? Clay Aiken has only himself to blame.

BY DAVE RICHARDS

For his fourth holiday tour, somebody in Clay Aiken's camp had the bright idea of asking fans to write about their memorable Christmases. Aiken would personally read every submission, then choose four fans in each city to read their letters on stage during his concert.

After more than four thousand letters poured in, Aiken's eyes are aching. Better believe the person who dreamed this up is feeling his wrath.

"I've kicked myself a few times for having this idea," said Aiken, with a laugh, during a phone interview. "But trust me, I'm a control freak. I wouldn't have let someone else do it."

Actually, he said, the letters thrust plenty of heart into his "Christmas in the Heartland" tour, which arrives Sunday at Tullio Arena.

So far, Aiken said, the onstage readings have moved him as much as fans.

For Sunday's show, in addition to the Erie Philharmonic, he'll be joined by vocalists Quiana Parlor and Angela Fisher. Aiken will draw heavily from his 2004 smash, "Merry Christmas with Love," performing "Mary, Did You Know," "Winter Wonderland, "O Holy Night," and "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing."

The Christmas show, he said, is more comfortable than any other tour.

"It's like slipping on an old shoe, so I do it quite a bit," Aiken said. "I'm able to relax."

The Sunbury Daily Item published this about Clay's Saturday concert in Williamsport, PA. It will be Clay's second time playing the Williamsport Community Arts Center, which was also included on Clay's 2006 Symphonic Christmas Tour.

Clay Aiken to bring sounds of Christmas to the area

By Jeffrey Allen Federowicz
For The Daily Item

WILLIAMSPORT -- One of the most joyous and beautiful parts of the holiday season is the music that celebrates this special time of year. From "White Christmas" to "Hark the Herald angels Sing," each note has the ability to evoke a cherished memory from a Christmas of long ago.

On Saturday, the sounds of the holiday season will fill the Community Arts Center when Clay Aiken, along with the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra, deck the halls with holiday sounds with "Christmas in the Heartland."

"Each one of us has a special memory of the holiday season. That is one of the aspects that make this time of year so great. For me it was going to my grandparent's house on Christmas and be-ing with all my family," said the popular recording artist and "American Idol" runner-up in a recent phone interview.

"This is the fourth year we have been doing a holiday show and each year it just gets better and better. Being on the road this time of year allows us to see and experience so many aspects of the holidays. A lot of us on the tour come from places like Los Angeles or down south, so seeing snow is always a great experience. We drove up from Philadelphia to Wilkes-Barre the other day and there was snow on the ground and covering the trees, it makes everything look so beautiful."

The "Christmas in the Heartland" stop in Williamsport marks Mr. Aiken's second visit to the area since last years performance at the Community Arts Center, which was a sellout, drawing fans from across the state as well as New York and Ohio.