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.
Source? I post on an AI board almost every day, and we never heard anything like this. And we search for news articles every day to post.
That was a tonue-in-cheek slap at the Democrats and anti-Clay Aiken fans. Everyone really knows that if the voting had been truly fair, Clay would have won easily. It just wasn't the "politically correct" outcome the show's producers wanted. Just look at how the public has voted with their dollars since then. Clay has had tremendous success, while Ruben seems to have disappeared.
I'm a claymate from Fl. Haven't been to any concerts yet and The Tampa concert was sold out. I do have all his cd's & love listening to his music.
The audio book of "Learning to Sing" is worth picking up, too.
Love his warm southern accent. :)
As Bill McCuddy said on Fox & Friends the other morning everyone forgets that Clay was the runner-up in season two as he's the biggest success of all three seasons. Then there's Josh Gracin, the US Marine. Simon was awful to him every week and so far he's had a #2 on the Country Music Top 40 and he's #18 on the latest Billboard Country Top 20 and rising. I love it....
Clay seems like a nice enough guy. A bit too "Broadway" a voice for me. I like vocals a bit dirtier, rootsier, soulful.
Wow. This is a real treat. That was one of the best renditions I've ever heard of Hold Me, Kiss Me. This kid was born to be a pro. Nice to hear a singer that knows how to enunciate. Rosemary Clooney was known for that, and she never missed landing a song. I'm delighted to lend support to someone with genuine talent. I hope Clay is around for a long, long time.
I think the voting was rigged, I'm not sure why. May be some PC crap.....
Been checking the net on Clay Aiken and there's a website called, "Lecherous old broads for Clay Aiken!" Cracks me up!
I love Clay Aiken.
He's a herb, but a herb that can sing.
Politically correct? The winners are picked by fan voting so how is that PC?
I heard Quincy Jones signed him? If that's true, he's going to have a very well-managed career.
Lame. It should be common sense that it's not right to "poke fun" by calling someone homosexual who is not.
Clay is probably more man than half the guys (yep, not using the word "men" was intentional here) on FR.
Amen to that
I believe he's now with Clive Davis, not Quincy.
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