Posted on 12/11/2004 7:23:11 AM PST by OESY
Clay Aiken glided into the Theater at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night to give voice to a Christmas wish that we can all relate to: a world without flash photography.
"Gimme a camera and I'll flash it at you," Mr. Aiken purred, smiling wide so no one could mistake his offer for a petulant threat. This was a night when theater ushers, too often hidden behind a drab facade of jacketed professionalism, got a chance to perform backup vocals for the guy onstage. As Mr. Aiken crooned "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," the ushers contributed a gruff basso ostinato. "No flashes, please," they barked. "No flashes."
Mr. Aiken, beloved by distinctly prepubescent and exceedingly postpubescent listeners across the country, earned his fame in 2003, when viewers declined to vote him America's Idol. (Like Senator John Kerry, the St. Louis Cardinals and, while we're at it, the Confederate Army, he finished a strong second - to the singer Ruben Studdard.) Since then, he has emerged as a brazenly anachronistic pop star, a titillation-averse singer with a warm vibrato and an affinity for big, mushy ballads.
Of course, he's not so old fashioned that he can't interrupt a Christmas concert to plug a television special. "Who watched 'Lost' on ABC last night?" he asked, and those who applauded got a snack-size helping of scorn: they should have been watching NBC's "Clay Aiken Christmas," instead. Soon, Mr. Aiken drifted back to a favorite topic. "I imagine the people who watched 'Lost' last night are the same people who can't find the off button to the flashes on their cameras," he said, but the flashers bravely pressed on.
"American Idol" fans usually love their notes long, loud and high; that's how you can tell a singer is really good. Yet the concert's brief first half didn't give fans much to cheer about: Mr. Aiken waltzed through a nimble "Sleigh Ride," and a woozy, post-eggnog-ish version of "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)," one of the few Christmas songs that sound a bit sheepish about their own Christmasiness: "Although it's been said many times, many ways/ Merry Christmas to you."
Mr. Aiken had been onstage for about 40 minutes when it came time for a 25-minute intermission. When he returned, the show became a lot more energetic and more interesting. The preamble was over, and now it was time for everyone to discover the True Meaning of Christmas.
Don't worry: this second act wasn't some vague celebration of friends and family and fun. Since Thursday was the third night of Hanukkah, Mr. Aiken turned his second act into a celebration of Jews. Well, one Jew: Jesus. Whereas other seasonal gatherings evoked a secular or multifaith "holiday spirit," Mr. Aiken's concert was one party where the birthday boy got all the attention.
This spirit of evangelism made the music more exciting: the gospel-inflected second act used two youth choirs (one from a high school, one from an elementary school) more effectively, and there were more long, loud, high notes for the Idol-aters.
The songs grew more intriguing, too. Mr. Aiken sang "Mary, Did You Know" as if he were a kind but ruthless police investigator, asking for information he already had. "Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?/ When you kiss your little baby, you kissed the face of God." His voice was low and spooky, evoking not just a true believer's shivery faith but also a new mother's bewilderment.
By the time the show was over, Mr. Aiken had held forth on the importance of "keeping the Christmas spirit throughout the year" (does that mean we have to stick to the Christmas playlist, too?), sung a tender "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (de-emphasizing the unsettling last line: "If only in my dreams") and reappeared for a lovely encore, "Good News." As he sang the incantatory lyrics, a choir joined him, half-hidden by a gauze scrim and illuminated by bright, pulsating lights.
And so Mr. Aiken had his revenge at last: it was just like staring at a giant flash camera.
NYPost bashing him too. NJ.com after him.
Can't be popular if you're clean and sing wholesome lyrics!!!
Please see my post 19, it seems we have a similar take.
When a Clay Aiken concert review becomes yet another vessel for hatred of President Bush, a true psychosis is most likely at work.
You heard wrong. He is straight, much to the chagrin of the media.
Yes, I can . . . but I reserve the right to poke fun at all times and under all circumstances. :)
I don't believe for a minute the author of this hit piece even listened to this song.
It's a beautiful piece of contemporary Christmas music and Clay Aiken sang it about the best I've ever heard it sung. Thanks for posting the link, I'm going to buy his Christmas CD today after listening to your link.
It was, and when Barry Manilow shows up, I can assure you the NYT is way out there by themselves in their negative fringe attitude. Some people realize that Christmas is about Christmas. If someone wants a Hannukah special, then they can have a Hannajuh special.
Sorry, I don't see the connection. Clay Aiken is a very talented singer. If you don't like him, don't listen. It's not necessary to try to slander him. It must really piss off people that someone can actually have talent and succeed in entertainment, in spite of an industry that usually admires perverts.
I absolutely adore Clay. Have both his CDs, watched the special the other night and plan on buying his book today to read on the plane tomorrow when I fly to DC. I tried for two hours to vote for him in the final of AI and never got through once! I'm one of those old broads that's got a crush on him too....glad I have plenty of company!
You will enjoy the book. It's been in the top 10 on the NY Times Best Seller list for 3 weeks. That must also drive them nuts. Life is good.
I absolutely agree....you know it killed them when Unfit for Command stayed on the top for so long....and now Brian Kilmeade's book Games do Count is in the top ten....that must really send them into orbit since they have such distain for anything connected to Fox...
Cool! A Clay ping list. :-)
I'm averse to pop singers doing Christmas albums at all these days. They just sound silly. I'm just a fuddy duddy when it comes to Christmas music; give me those old time Medieval, Renaissance, and Oxford Christmas Carols tunes. ;o)
wow, thanks.
Yes there were quite a few of us "old broads" where I work that couldn't get through to vote for him in the final. It doesn't matter..Clay's in Ruben's...uh where is Ruben?
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