2003-09-01
6:53 p.m.

BEVR: Nelle/San Jose

San Jose Comes At Last
Saturday, August 30

This was beyond a date with Clayton....it was Nelle's date with the Broads and other Clay Fans!

I was feeling much better by Saturday, still taking meds, but no longer in physical pain, and I think my voice sounded like my own. I was ready for some real screaming.

The morning of the show, I ran errands and found the new EW with Bicycle Clay, Watermelon Eating Clay, Doggie Licker Clay, Natural Face Eye F*** Clay, and Downy Arms with Hands in Pockets Clay. Lecherous yums all around. While driving along, with Reflective Sunglasses Scruffy Face Clay sitting beside me, I realize I am not represented by the beautiful young screaming women reflected in Clay's sunglasses. I know I will never be, and I am pensive, but accepting. I recognize that Clay needs to have beautiful young screaming women presented in the media as his fan base. I am happy for him that these are the fans represented on the magazine cover, and, happy for him that he obviously has more than plenty of fans just like these beautiful young screaming women. I do not want Clay to be ridiculed, by those who do not understand, for having fans like me. I will be as true a fan as any of the fans represented by these beautiful young screaming women, and I know I could easily take any of them, or, all of them, in a Lechery-Off, with both arms tied behind my back and my eyes blindfolded. But, I'm content to keep the lechery here, at my internet home, and, when out in the world, with other Clay fans. I don't need my fandom to be recognized in Clay's sunglasses, and I also don't need, or, I discover, particularly want, to be recognized in his eyes. I understand better why I had no desire to get backstage to see Clay, or find the buses or hotels to catch a glimpse of Clay.

When I return home I receive a call from Famous Lecherous Broad Erin. We gush and laugh and scream, and make plans for when and where we will later meet. I am now inspired, and I go into the LBFCA pin manufacturing business. I make a dozen Twister! Broads! Dang! pins, and, quickly churn out two dozen Purple Tie Pins. I pack my purse with all the essentials: camera, Tony's DVDs, Clay CDs, ticket, Famous Lecherous Broad Erin's cell phone #, map to the restaurant, and, of course, my baggie full of pins. I dress and I'm ready to go. And I'm still late to the party! My son has my car, and, due to a miscommunication (I blame sars), I have neglected to tell him how urgent it is that I be downtown by 4 pm.

I get to the restaurant, and immediately find Famous Lecherous Broad Erin. We hug, and laugh, and gush, and hug again. Then, I do the same with Raleighgirl. There is much Broad joy at the Britannia Arms Brew Pub! Erin gives me a red feather boa, to match hers, which I happily don. I meet Famous Lecherous Broad Erin's boyfriend, who is being an extremely good sport about being the only guy at a party with about 40 obsessed women, all in various stages of the throes of lechery for Clay Aiken. I meet Mini-Raleighgirl, who is too darling for words. I give T!B!D! and Purple Tie pins to FLB Erin and to Raleighgirl. I give a Purple Tie Pin to FLB Erin's boyfriend, explaining how he can be discretely part of the group with this symbol. With Raleighgirl's nodded permission, I give a Purple Tie Pin to Mini-Raleighgirl, because I don't go to a party and start giving out presents, without giving one to someone who is too darling for words. I find that, like all things Clay related, the pin takes on magical qualities, and on Mini-Raleighgirl it becomes transformed to represent only the most innocent and pure, age-appropriate, fan sentiments from our site, such as those expressed in Platinum Clay and The Voice and the Totality of the Goodness of Clayton Aiken Days.

I talk to SurferSue, from PRoC, and learn to whom my second ticket has been sold. I meet Judi, my seat neighbor, and we make plans to gush and scream for ClayLive. I learn that there are, apparently coincidentally, groups from other Clay fan boards here, and we have all merged into one large ClayLove celebration. I see a friend who I know from Real Life! We hug and laugh at finding ourselves here. I discover she posts at ClaytonAiken.com, but I neglect to write down her screen name. It has 'susieq' in it, but I'm not sure of the spelling, and I forget the rest (I hope she'll drop by here, and remind me). I have fun telling her where I post/live online. We talk about our respective daughters, through whom we are friends. I tell her about the wedding (I know, I know, the wedding is off, but, I'm trying to amuse her). She tells me about her young son, who is a huge Clay fan.

A group arrives from the Meet and Greet, and we all squeal and gush and listen to their stories. Spotlightlover, from PRoC, is in heaven because Clay signed a photograph of himself that she took (let's all take a moment to express appreciation for all of Spotlightlover's photography during this Summer of Clay). Nova, also from PRoC, is here from out of state, and she tells me about giving an envelope containing a collection of Clay-related items as a gift to Clay, including one of the vinyl copies of his single. She explains he was really appreciative, impressed and curious about how fans find all these things. Then, she reports being stunned, and nearly incapable of speech, when he asked, twice, if her phone number was in the envelope. Fortunately, she recovered enough to give him her phone number.

Spotlighlover came super prepared to get Clayton's attention at the concert tonight. Thursday, in Sacramento, she said she's held up all kinds of signs, at all 5 (by then) concerts she'd been to, and Clay had never once noticed her---which was surprising, because she's the spitting image of his own mother, and she always upgrades to excellent seats. For tonight, Spot has sewn 4 various extravagantly patterned and brightly colored pairs of panties, plus a big ol' rose-bedecked padded bra, onto a 5-foot length of red grosgrain ribbon. Attached to that, for throwing weight, was a baggie with 2 Krispy Kremes, contributed by our other local PRoC pal, Churchmouse. Spot also prepared a long banner, I swear it must have been 6 feet long, to hold up during The Girl is Mine. It said--'Clay these girls are yours.' We also look at signs FLB Erin has brought, and Raleighgirl and Mini-Raleighgirl, too.

I give out pins to anyone who deserves Lecherous Broad status. We play a Clay trivia game. We take photographs. Erin hands me her cell phone, and I discover I am talking to Robin! We gush and laugh and squeal. I scold her for playing a trick on me on the Guest Book. I promise her I will get her back, someday, somehow. Now, it's a promise in print. I tell her when she reports our conversation on the Guest Book, to post I love everyone there. It is still true.

We walk the few blocks to the HP Pavilion. We are a parade of red shirts and otherwise Clay bedecked fans. FLB Erin represents the Broads with pride and gusto as we walk along (I'll leave that for her to describe in her BEVR), resulting in fun conversations with other fans that congratulate us, and proclaim LBFCA as the fun and witty site of ClayLove we all know it is. I am glowing, understanding a bit of what Erin went through when she was transformed into Famous Lecherous Broad Erin in Atlanta. I talk to Sculptress from Claytonaiken.com, and she explains she was one of their members who defended LBFCA when we were criticized there after our Twister!Broads!Dang! page. She mentions loving that page, as well as the Main Page, in response to their criticism, which it announced we at LBFCA are the Keeper of Clay's Libido. I find myself become a total famewhore, and I proudly tell her I wrote those, I thank her, and bestow Broad status upon her with pins. Then, just for extra fame, I tell her I wrote The Ranch, too. We laugh and gush some more. I manage to get my red feather boa caught in my purse zipper while putting the pins away. I'm joking and laughing at myself, and FLB Erin mentions there is a double meaning of the boa for LBFCA. As Mini-Raleighgirl is present, I acknowledge the entendre, and throw in one of my own: Hidden Boa Red Dragon. I like it. Clay inspires creativity in euphemisms.

Inside the Pavilion, we run into Susanne, and that was an unexpected pleasure. She was with her friend Peggy, upon whom we quickly bestow Broad status, and we take pictures with them. She says she'll email me for the BEVR instructions. Broads are in da house!

We go our separate ways, and find our seats. Judi is an enthusiastic concert neighbor. She is excited about everyone and it is easy to catch her enthusiasm. I am farther back than at Sacramento, so watched more of the stage, much more of the jumbotron, and enjoyed the show.

Clay is just as beautiful from the 23rd row as he is from the 5th. I'm so glad I went to two concerts!

The cheese and the concert sequence is the same. Clay's power to mesmerize me easily reaches to the 23rd row. I will comment on things that were different from Sacramento.

I'm not sure whether it was because of where I was sitting, or the sound system, or not having as enflamed sinuses, but the sound quality was better for me in San Jose. The crowd was loud for everyone, and the Idols all seemed to be lively and upbeat, except Ruben who was repeatedly reported to be ill. It sounded to me like Ruben got just as loud a response as Clay, but it wasn't as sustained. The San Jose crowd seemed much louder than the Sacramento crowd. I even tried earplugs for a while. But, I found those muffled the parts I wanted to hear, so, I just allowed my ears to suffer from the too loud amplification and the deafening screaming.

Clay announces early that Ruben has been sick, but is still here to sing for us. For the pre-"The Girl is Mine" banter, Rickey comes out instead of Ruben. Spotlightlover and Churchmouse's lingerie and donut ribbon is the first thing to hit the stage. Rickey and Clay hold it up as an example of the not-family-friendly item to throw on stage, and then Clay discovers the bag of Krispy Kremes. He is all over that thing like a Broad on Clay, and steps back to chow down, telling Rickey to go ahead and talk. Clay cautions Rickey to not fall off the stage, when Rickey apparently nearly stepped backward into the open pit. While Clay scurries about picking up tossed items, I see him pick up the crown Susanne brought for him. Someone throws a package of underwear (looks like white briefs, but, who can tell from so far away), and Rickey hands it to Clay, saying those are for him. Clay holds them up, laughs, and says he won't have to go shopping anymore, he'll just stand on stage and wait for people to throw him all his groceries. (I need to get a message to Clay that better quality undergarments are not purchased at the grocery store.) Rickey starts the banter about Kelly Brown talking to Ruben vs Clay, and Ruben appears just in time to begin the song. Near the end of the song, Clay and Ruben are standing center stage, and Clay stops singing, says, he doesn't want the girl anymore, because "I have all these girls here," and waves his hand at the front row---I know Spot and friends (I later find out they include SurferSue, Toofargone, goodbabybrush, Nova, and two neighboring broads who are more than happy to help) are holding up her sign. Judi and I are jumping up and down, screaming, I'm yelling, 'we know them, those are our Broads!' Clay even waves his hand over the sign again, and I learn later that the cameraperson panned across it on the jumbotron (I must have missed that while hugging Judi).

At intermission, I meet up with FLB Erin, Raleighgirl and Mini-Raleighgirl. We swap stories, gush and laugh. Oh my, oh my, Raleighgirl and Mini-Raleighgirl have an exciting story to tell. Mini-Raleighgirl is nearly beside herself.

For his White Suit Entrance, Clay came up from below stage, just like in TITN, instead of from the top of the stairs. Later, someone with more concert experience than me, noted that no one used that particular entrance, and we assumed it wasn't working correctly. Clay still took his 'I'm a supa star' stance:

Clay's "Too Love Somebody" was incredible. But, again, it was over way too fast.

For "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," Clay didn't even need to spur the crowd on to louder screaming. There was no chance for him to give his 'c'mon, is that all you've got' look, because the screaming and yelling kept on rising without his face making, and it would not stop. He finally just broke into a grin, almost laughed, and held up the microphone to sing the final note.

At the start of "I've Had the Time of My Life," the curtain opens, and it appears KimC has been saying something to Clay. Clay cracks up while singing his opening line, and just flubs it. This is amusing, but I feel cheated out of hearing one line of Clay singing.

When Clay comes up out of his crouch for "Invisible," he is wearing the much-anticipated Sharks hockey jersey, in black. Oh my god, how hot he looks in this jersey. This is not a dress like the basketball jersey. This is Clay, in a black hockey jersey. I could repeat these sentences over and over, but you still won't fully appreciate the impact of this. Wait! You're Lecherous Broads, you totally appreciate the impact of this. Here, have some impact:

Clay is extremely animated during Invisible, and I am singing, and dancing, and in ecstasy the whole song through. There must be someone in the upper center section who is simply jumping straight up and down, because twice, Clay adds that to his "Invisible" moves repertoire, while looking in that direction, grinning and singing the whole time. During one of the deep knee bend with clutch moves, the jersey rises and I see a sliver of white t-shirt at Clay's waist. That image will last me a long time. How witnessing a sliver of white t-shirt becomes an indelible image in a Lecherous Broad's mind makes no sense in the pre-Clay world. You know what I'm talking about: the transformative and magical power of Clay, and the logic of ClayLove.

We gathered after the concert, in a lounge at Erin's and Raleighgirl's hotel, and along come Churchmouse, Spotlightlover, Ncgurl, SurferSue, and Deborah, who spotted us through the window, and we made it a party. They were all heading to Anaheim soon. We laughed and gushed and compared concert notes. I comment on seeing the gift that Zeusdog threw tonight, which was a doll of a popular cartoon character from a children's book series. I was totally referring to the doll when I first said this, and she knew it, but Churchmouse made me repeat the sentence, over and over: I saw Waldo go up. Churchmouse so lives in the smut car, and she gives me a high-five.

We agreed Clay looked more emotional at the end of "Invisible" than previous nights. We are all wondering what the end of this tour is feeling like for him, as well as the rest of the idols.

We say our goodbyes, and I insist our friends from PRoC represent the Broads, too, while in Anaheim. They promise.

I'm still all excited from a wonderful time. I'm full of that post-ClayLive concert love of all things! I'm so full of ClayLove and Love of Clay Fans and Love of All Things because of ClayLove. I love you all. I love Erin, and her boyfriend. I love Raleighgirl, and her daughter. And I love my friends from PRoC. I love Clay Aiken, and all he stands for.

I am hoarse, and deaf, and exhausted and happy. I want to see Clay in a Solo Concert Tour, in real Concert venues. Not in sports arenas with poor acoustics and overly loud amplification. I want him to sing to me/us, to interact with his audience, and skip the cheesy group numbers. I want to hear and watch him sing a variety of new and old songs, of different tempos and themes. I look forward to meeting so many Broads, and Tony, of course, when we gather for just such an event.

Nelle

Thanks to YouStopRightThereNow, from TTC, from whom I received the SJ photos.