Syracuse Post Standard Gives Clay Concert A Decent Review

When first reading the Syracuse Post Standard review of Clay's Wednesday, July 18, concert in Syracuse, you might think its going to be a not-so-good review. But after reading further, it turns into a review with some nice comments.

"Decent Set With with SSO Thrills Claymates", by Chuck Klaus, begins by commenting about Clay, "And much like those fabled critics of yore, I simply don't get it. All of this large-scale Clayemotion confounds me, I fear." Uh-oh, is the worse yet to come? No, actually, the review gets better.

Some of the comments in this article are:

His voice is on-pitch, he treats most of his material in a fairly spacious manner, and his work is pleasant and fairly polished, in an extremely informal way.

He is the beloved singing teddy bear placed near a young girl's flouncy canopied bed.

Aiken, appearing with fellow American Idolers Quiana Parler and Angela Fisher, sang a wide range of music, from covers of Dolly Parton's "Here You Come Again" to his early hit "Measure of a Man" and material from his most recent release, "A Thousand Different Ways." He generously gave his "backup singers" - really more like co-singers - solo spots and lots of room for comic byplay, and gave a really nice pep talk on behalf of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, encouraging the enthusiastic audience to become season subscribers of the SSO.

Aiken had the chance to perform a ballad for which he served as lyricist, which offered the SSO's cellist, Lindsay Groves, the chance to contribute a sonorous solo. Here was one instance where the Clayemotion of the audience paused long enough to allow Aiken to truly be heard, which turned out to be a source of further Clayelation.

Syracuse Concert - Hawt As Always

Photos

• Clayboard photo thread - Syracuse
  

Clack

• ClackUnlimited

---

Full recaps & tour news are posted at our tour blog.

New Song Tonight at Canadaigua Concert?

Clay told the Clackhouse's anntherese54 that he will debut a "new song" tonight at the concert in Canandaigua, NY. Clay didn't make himself clear as to whether this will be a new original song, or whether he is simply adding a "new" old song to the set list. Personally, I hope it's "Lonely For More" - I've been dying to hear that one live.

And on a less related note ... anntherese54 also said "Clay does an awesome imitation of a mating bullfrog." If Clay did that during a concert, I'm sure half of the audience would pass out.

Clay said that there would be a NEW SONG tonight in Canandaigua. I don't know if that means a NEW NEW song....or a NEW OLD song...or another TV theme song. He did not offer any more info than that.

Clay does an awesome imitation of a mating bullfrog.

Syracuse Post-Standard Raves About Concert

The Syracuse Post-Standard just posted their review of Clay's Syracuse concert last night. Here's an abridged version of the review - the full version is posted at the Syracuse Post-Standard website:

Decent set with SSO thrills 'Claymates'
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Chuck Klaus
Contributing writer

The appearance of "American Idol" 2003 second-place winner Clay Aiken before 1,600 screaming "Claymates" - well, about 600 or so were screaming - has given your obedient servant new insight into the reviews of earlier days.

And much like those fabled critics of yore, I simply don't get it. All of this large-scale Clayemotion confounds me, I fear.

Not to unduly knock Mr. Aiken. His has an interesting voice, fairly well-used within his chosen field of pop ballad singing. There's an interesting combination of elements making up his style: a touch of blue-eyed soul, a bit of modern country, some strains of soft rock and, perhaps the most dominant influence of all, contemporary Broadway. His voice is on-pitch, he treats most of his material in a fairly spacious manner, and his work is pleasant and fairly polished, in an extremely informal way.

This ease on stage, as well as a constant barrage of self-deprecating humor, may be one of the secrets of his success. Aiken, forever putting himself down, can hardly be seen as a threat to his female audience, and they evidently love him for that. He is the beloved singing teddy bear placed near a young girl's flouncy canopied bed.

He generously gave his "backup singers" - really more like co-singers - solo spots and lots of room for comic byplay, and gave a really nice pep talk on behalf of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, encouraging the enthusiastic audience to become season subscribers of the SSO.

Aiken also was generous in his praise of conductor-pianist - and evidently gifted arranger - Jesse Vargas, who coordinated well and with a minimum of fuss while providing solid piano support.

Syracuse Post Standard Interview

Ahead of Clay's date in New York this week, the Syracuse Post Standard conducted a short interview with Clay by phone from Raleigh:

Clay Aiken just spent a week relaxing at home in Raleigh, N.C., between shows in his summer tour. There was a thunderstorm while he was home, and it rained so much that the yard flooded, Aiken, 29, says during a phone interview from Raleigh. Then his cellular phone rings, and he excuses himself to answer it. He tells the caller that he can't talk and will call back later. "That was my family," Aiken says. "I even got rid of them to talk to you." After some much-needed rest and a dispute on an airplane that made news headlines earlier this month, Aiken is getting ready for the rest of his 23-city tour, "An Evening With Clay Aiken."

Q. What is like to work with orchestras from all over?
A. With this concept, we go in, and the orchestra is new every day. We meet the orchestra for the first time, and they rehearse 2 1/2 hours, and they're done. They're all set to go. We're talking amazing musicians. I like it more. I think it keeps it new every day. I think it keeps it fresh, and so I like that.

Q. What can the "Claymates" or other fans expect from this show?
A. This time we decided to something a little different ... I decided, well, let's go with some songs that would be completely wrong for an orchestra. So, we do a medley of songs you wouldn't expect to hear with an orchestra. It has songs like "Like a Virgin," "Sexy Back" and "Beat It," "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy." ... not your typical symphony show songs. That's been a lot of fun for us.

Q. You've been to Central New York a couple times; what do you like about the area?
A. You don't realize that Central New York is American. Does it make any sense at all? It's very, very middle-American in a way. It's clean. It's so green up there ... I kind of think it's a breath of fresh air to go through an area like that. It's misunderstood so often, and people assume that it's gritty like the city is, but it's so green and beautiful. It's so America. That's my main memory of the first few times I've been to CNY."

Q. So, what really happened on the airplane?
A. Read my comment, my statement, and that's what you can have. It's online. It's everywhere. I think "Entertainment Tonight" has it.

Syracuse Civic Theater Stages "Idol: The Musical" Clay Aiken Style

The Syracuse Civic Theater in Syracuse, NY are staging what they are billing as "Idol: The Musical". The show takes audiences through the lives of hopeless Clay Aiken addicts (like us!) and shows us how to become the next Clay Aiken.

The CH's pookle just came back from a screening of the show and posted this review:

Well, I'm back from the IDOL the MUSICAL show! It was funny! The premise is that a bunch of 'misfit' HS kids "idolize" Clay as the epitome of success! They want out of their one cow town, ergo they worship Clay, as they try out for AI, and an upcoming tour about Clay.

What a weird thing sitting in a theatre hearing songs mentioning Clay. (Most were just name dropping/rhyming and not "about" Clay- which made me happy.

A few fandom jokes (clay-isms/ knowing when and where he is at all times), and one fairly lame, but sometimes funny solo of a woman singing to a clay head of Clay about how much he makes her hot or somesuch. (duh)

The majority of the play focused on getting to know the kids and their unique personalities. And one sidesplitting chippendale dance. By the end, it was a "put your idols back on the shelf/just be yourself" kind of song.

It's playing in Syracuse one more night, next Friday, and then it's going to Off Broadway for a month. I actually liked it, and laughed way more than I thought I was going to.

And here's the review from the Syracuse Post Standard:

Imagine, if you will, a combination of elements from "Bye, Bye Birdie," "A Chorus Line," "Fame," "The Breakfast Club," and "High School Musical" - with a higher quotient of sexual humor. Further imagine such elements mixing in a story concerning the socials effects of Clay Aiken and you pretty much have a fix on "Idol: The Musical."

"Idol" is about a somewhat improbable social group of high school seniors, evidently bound together by their worshipful devotion to "American Idol" second season second-placer Clay Aiken.

The numbers are never less than serviceable, and several are quite appealing. "Discipline," about the need to practice the entertainment craft, is an early standout, while "Quakin' for Aiken" also lingers in memory, possibly due to the lyric "We're quakin' for Aiken, and shakin' our bacon."

Whatever its limitations, "Idol: The Musical," kept a mainly young audience entertained, laughing and sufficiently diverted to (generally) refrain from text-messaging for nearly two hours -quite an achievement for any enterprise in mid-2007.

Syracuse Concert Confirmed For July 18

According to a listing of future concerts at the Syracuse Symphony website, Clay will be performing at The Crouse-Hinds Concert Theater in Mulroy Civic Center at Oncenter on Saturday, July 18, at 8 p.m. This site also states that tickets will go on sale on April 16 at 8 a.m. EDT.

Here's an article published today by the Syracuse Post Standard:

Clay Aiken, an "American Idol" runner-up in 2003, will close the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra's season when he performs with the orchestra at 8 p.m. July 18. The 28-year-old pop singer, who appeared at first as geeky on "American Idol," released his 2003 debut single "This Is the Night," which sold more than 392,000 copies during its first week, breaking the previous record set by Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997." His debut album, "Measure of a Man," hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart and went triple platinum.

Last fall, he released "A Thousand Different Ways," which is mostly covers.

He previously played in Central New York in July 2004 and December 2006.

Tickets for this special concert range from $35 to $100. Tickets for SSO subscribers and Clay Aiken Fan Club members will go on sale at 10 a.m. April 16 through 5 p.m. April 17. General public tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. April 18.

To purchase tickets, call 424-8200 or 800-724-3810 or go to syracusesymphony.org.