Omaha World Herald Previews Concert

The Omaha World Herald has posted a pre-concert article for Clay's concert tomorrow in Omaha, NE. Here's a preview:

Clay Aiken sings with Symphony on Friday
BY JOHN PITCHER
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Clay Aiken may well be the most successful also-ran in recent music history.

In just over four years, the fresh-faced and improbable pop star from Raleigh, N.C., has sold millions of records (his first album alone went double platinum), co-written a New York Times bestseller and hosted his own primetime Christmas special.

Aiken's nice-guy image will be on full display in Omaha on Friday, when he brings his "Christmas in the Heartland" tour to the Orpheum Theater. No doubt, the singer will perform many of the tunes from his best-selling "Merry Christmas With Love" CD. And no less an ensemble than the Omaha Symphony will be his backup band.

This year, Aiken will select four Nebraskans to come onstage and share their favorite Christmas memories, with their stories being interspersed throughout the 90-minute concert. Those stories were solicited for the tour as part of a fan club contest. Aiken says he has received more than 300 stories from area fans.

"I'll read every one of those stories and pick four," Aiken says. "So far, I've come away believing that all of the fans have had more interesting Christmas experiences than me."