Let's Take a Fun Nostalgic Journey With Clay Via YouTube Videos

I thought while things have slowed down here in Claynation, it would be fun to take some time to enjoy a variety of YouTube videos over the next week or two. It will just be a hodge podge of interviews, tour performances and banter, talk shows, and whatever else I can find! We'll post two or three in each CDD article. Hope you enjoy this walk down memory lane.

Our first YouTube video is an interview from the early days of American Idol 2 with Jimmy Carter (not former President Carter!). This interview could be found at www.askjimmycarter.com at the time Clay was interviewed.




You gotta love this next one. This is posted at YouTube by "ElvisCentral", and it is of Clay singing "Invisible" in Grand Prairie/Dallas, TX during the 2004 Independent Tour. This was my first Clay concert ever. Watch him work that stage as he dances from one end to the other throughout the whole song!




And our last one for the day, posted by chacha3078, is from Jimmy Kimmel Live. The most enthusiastic audience in the history of Jimmy's show had to have been there that day! How can we ever forget the time that Clay taught Jimmy Kimmel a lesson that Jimmy has never forgotten!! And the rest of the show is even funnier. Remember, "He hit me with his cane!!"? Or how about Clay talking about the food in Ireland that was "still walking around on the plate"!! One of the best talks show interviews with Clay ever!! Betcha you'll laugh just as hard as you did the first time you saw it!



Are you through laughing yet? Okay, I'll give you a little more time....(Jeopardy music playing in the background)...Do I have your attention now? Okay, then stay tune for 3 more video coming in the next day or two. I'll surprise you every day or two with some great memories!!

Tidbits 5/28

• Clay's OMWH is #4 this week on HitPredictor, -'The "Hit Predictor" chart ranks the songs that tested the best in R&R's listener surveys (based on songs rated by promosquad.com members).'

  HitPredictor - Mainstream AC
  New releases that tested with hit potential prior to airplay, updated each Monday.
  
  BDS TW / Song Title / Label / Artist / HitPredictor Score [Note: BDS TW refers to This Week's R&R AC chart ranking, determined by # of spins]
  1 Love Song Epic Sara Bareilles 84.70
  3 Lost Reprise Michael Buble 82.50
  30 New Cinderella EMI Steven Curtis Chapman 81.40
  35 New On My Way Here RMG Clay Aiken 80.20

• Desert News - mention of the Independent Tour - "When Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson came to town during another concert, I reviewed the show and said I felt Clay had the better set. Well, the hate emails came in, and I even got three death threats."
• Foxes on Idol - Idol Watch -

  After a respectable start, Clay Aiken’s fourth album, On My Way Here, took a hit this week, selling just over 20,000 copies and dropping from #4 to #18 on the Billboard 200. The album came in at #6 on Top Digital Albums and #6 on Top Internet Albums. Obviously, the Claymates can only carry their man so far, and if sales are any reflection, their numbers appear to be dwindling. It’s too bad, because this is a solid effort on Clay’s part and has some really, really nice tracks that are both melodic and meaningful. This is the album he should have released third, that’s for sure.

• Philadelphia Weekly - Neil Diamond achieves chart success -

  Weirdly, Diamond never achieved tremendous sales with the sparkly stuff that’s occupied his discography over the last 40-plus years. Home Before Dark is his first ever chart-topping album. In fact, it entered the Billboard charts at No. 1, knocking down both Mariah and Clay Aiken as the first unexpected breakout of the summer. Not bad for a guy who’s been recording since before the Jurassic era.

• The ConCLAYve brings up some interesting points about how singles are selected for albums -

  I’m really curious as to how a record label selects a first single. In some situations the choice seems obvious, such as cases where a song is part of another medium such as a movie soundtrack or a television backdrop song. In other cases, what criteria is most important in this important selections? Other schools of thought are that the second single is the one to drive an album.
  
  I ask this question because of the current choice of single for Clay Aiken’s incredible album called On My Way Here. There are so many possibilities for a single choice from that album, many which are radio friendly and which also would raise an eyebrow or two from those who associate Clay with ballads.

Tidbits 10/5

• Entertainment Tonight - their story about Clay's appearance at Jenna Bush's book launch earlier this week is the most emailed story today ... who says that Clay mania has died down?
  
• ESPN - nice Clay reference in sports article -

  Neither Clay Aiken nor Chris Daughtry won "American Idol," and yet I'd say platinum records are pretty good spoils. If I could score that kind of spoilage by finishing second (or fifth) in my main league, I'd be rich by now.
  

• Idol Stalker - Its Clay Aiken Day again on Idolstalker.com and some of the fans have sent in YouTube videos of Clay. One video is called Let's Do The Time Warp and the other, Footloose. Also sent in was Clay's Entertainment Tonight interview and a picture of Clay.
• TUSKmag.com - Chris Daughtry joins American Idol elite -

  As leader of the band that bears his name, he cut a debut album late last year that’s hit No. 1 for two weeks on Billboard, joining fellow “Idol" alumnae Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken -- all of them either winners or first runners-up -- in that pantheon.

• Salt Lake Deseret News on "scary ... extreme fans" -

  A few years ago, I reviewed the Kelly Clarkson/Clay Aiken concert in what used to be the Delta Center (now the EnergySolutions Arena). I wrote that Clay put on a better show than Kelly.
  
  Oh, man, did that open the floodgates. Kelly Clarkson fans bombarded me with e-mails. Even fans who didn't attend the show took me to task. "I've seen her before and know you are wrong" is an example of the e-mails I received.

• Christmas tour mentions:
• Wichita Eagle
• Times Herald-Record
• Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
• Lowell Sun - former AI2 contestant headlines "Circus 2.0" show -

  The pert, petite headliner, was one of the top 30 contestants in American Idol's second season that produced winner Ruben Studdard and runner-up Clay Aiken.
  

• Carolina On My Mind - Clay ready to make big appearance on "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?"
• Clayigraphy - Clay Aiken Christmas tour brings out Christmas memories -

  So Clay has announced his latest contest! And we should all write down our favorite holiday memories in 20 sentences or less and then submit them. The winners will then be invited to present their special and unique memories on stage during his upcoming Holiday tour.

Clay's Picture Perfect Tours: Part 4 - 2004 Joyful Noise Tour

So far in our picture tour series, we have seen pictures and YouTube videos of the AI2 Tour, the Independent Tour, and the Solo Tour. Today we'll take a little journey back in time to Clay's first Christmas Tour, the 2004 Joyful Noise Tour. Clay has said that the Christmas tours are his favorite tours, and I think you can see the joy all over his face as he's singing these Christmas songs that he loves. I think its an awesome blessing for us to be able to share a little bit of the holiday season with Clay.

Here's a few memories from Clayboard fans from this JNT04:

Rpoppert - JNT 1 and 2 : DSIAFCD!!!! Good News. For JNT1: Him coming into the audience to dance with people for WAYDNYE. espeically the woman he picked up out of the wheelchair, which is one of the shows I was at.

BamaClayFan - The Christmas shows...so great! IF YOU'RE NOT 'YET' A CLAY AIKEN FAN AND SEE HIM 'LIVE'...YOU WILL 'FOREVER' BE A CLAY AIKEN FAN.
HE'S NOT ONLY THE GREATEST SINGER EVER BUT A FANTASTIC PERFORMER. HE'S A SUPERSTAR..!!

J4Clay - Hearing Good News and Don't Save It All For Christmas for the first time. He blew me away with both of those wonderful songs. Also seeing him in that loooooooong black coat. WOW!!

Here's a taste of that first tour.















Clay Singing "I'll Be Home For Christmas", 2004 Joyful Noise Tour

Clay's Picture Perfect Tours: Part 2 - Independent Tour

Clay's 2nd tour, the Independent Tour, was a tour with Kelly Clarkson. It was the first tour I had ever gone to, and I remember hearing Clay start singing Kyrie but not knowing where he was. I remember my stomach was tied in knots, and then I saw him! Coming down the aisle to the left side of me. All 6'1" of him in all his beauty! I was beyond excited. It was like, "Yes Jan, there is a Clay Aiken!!" Sounds crazy, but that's how it felt.

Its the first time many of us saw Clay Aiken live on stage. Maybe the pictures below can help you remember that feeling and what it was like. Notice the last 4 pictures. This was when Clay was singing Measure of a Man and got so choked up because all of the audience was singing along and knew the words. I remember him saying that it hit him while he was listening to the fans that those people were listening to him in their cars and in their CD players. They knew the words to his song. Then, check out the YouTube video. Its the same song and you can watch Clay as he gets choked up over the fans singing his song.

Some of the memories that Rainlover at The Clayboard has of this tour is

The entrance thru the audience to "Kyrie" and, at the last concert, the exit thru the audience to "The Way". Not to mention the first WDC.

Ineedaclaybotomy said she remembers from the Independent Tour:

Standing as best I could on wobbly knees in the middle of the frenzied crowd when the first notes of Kyrie were played, and having butterflies in my stomach as if I was the one who was going out on stage. Then as soon as he started singing, feeling like every little problem I had was going to be gone.....at least for the next hour or so....

And Nebclayfan said,

The Independent Tour was the first time I saw Clay live. I was able to get 3rd row seats for my daughter and I. On the outside of the venue a news crew was interviewing people on what makes Clay so special. They interviewed me-I don't remember what I said. Right after we got inside the venue, my daughter met a friend of hers who happened to be the massage therapist for the celebrities there. She took my program and was able to get Clay's autograph on it. I was already in heaven. But then the show started and Clay came in through the back of the arena and that is a moment I will never forget. The screams, the energy, and that magestic voice singing Kyrie-just magical. I also remember his pink shoelaces, his blue fugly striped jacket and his walking up and down the steps of the set singing the contemporary Christian song "Love Love Love". I was a fan before, but after that concert he was stuck with me-forever and always- and it has only gotten better each time he tours.

Claymate1963's favorite memory is:

Being at the right time and the right place when he came in singing Kyrie in Las Vegas and he reached out and held my hand, not a touch but he actually held my hand for a minute. That will always be my favorite memory unless I ever get lucky enough to get a meet and greet.

And improudofclay remembers:

In Denver, the Independent Tour...NMA and I got to meet Clay. I got his autograph on the sleeve of my BA tee-shirt.

Hope you enjoy these pictures and video and that they bring back great memories for you. Tomorrow we'll relive in pictures Clay's Solo Tour, aka The Not A Tour.

Getting Excited About the Tour? Maybe This Will Get You More Excited...

Only 4 more days till Clay's summer tour, Soft Rock and A Hard Place, begins! The excitement is so thick you can cut it with a knife!

But in case someone out there is having a hard time feeling the excitement yet, maybe these pictures from past tours will up your excitement level!

American Idol Tour 2003




Independent Tour 2004




NAT Solo Tour 2004




Joyful Noise Tour 2004




Jukebox Tour 2005




Joyful Noise Tour 2005




Symphony Christmas Tour 2006




Soft Rock and a Hard Place Tour 2007

Let's hope for some good clack so we can fill in the blanks for this tour!!

Now, did those pics raise your blood pressure any and get you excited about the upcoming tour?