2004-03-14
9:16 p.m.

BEVR: Detroit - Kelly and Leah's D-town BEVR Reprazentin'!

Let me just start by saying that the power of Clayton is mighty. He has shown us for over a year now what he can do to the minds of grown women, seemingly effortlessly. Although I (Kelly) tend to be an easily obsessed person, I have never felt anything quite like this, and I'm not turning back. Seeing him up close has not cured me of it either, it just makes me want to meet him more.

On with the concert report.

Soon after we purchased our seats, I decided that I needed better. Scratch that. I NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDED better. While 27th row was easily the closest seats I've ever gotten to any concert, the flood of pictures and videos from the first five rows had turned me into an envious and worrisome monster. Poor Leah had to hear this crap for over a month. A sample conversation:

Kelly: Leah, I neeeeeeeeeed to be close!

Leah: Twenty-seventh row is close!

Kelly: But it's not the first row, dude!

Leah: It's the closest I've ever been, besides Patti Smith and that was general seating.

Kelly: But this is CLAY!

This was usually followed by a feverish round of checking Ticketmaster to see if they had any closer floor seats. Let me tell you, when that little loading bar was going, my stomach was doing flip-flops. What if they had better tickets? How would I get rid of the old ones? I'm not equipped to deal with stuff like that. Luckily, I didn't have to�right then.

Two days before the show, Leah and I picked up sign supplies at Meijer. You can read about and view my shenanigans that night here. With signs made and very little sleep, I went to work. I could hardly concentrate, knowing that the next day I would be seeing Clay live, in person, on a solo tour that I helped make possible.

Thursday morning, 11 AM. I'm awake and buzzing around the apartment while Leah sleeps. My outfit is ready, I've showered and done my hair. At noon, I cannot wait any longer; with a crazed high-pitched voice, I tell her that I will not allow her to torture me any longer. She groans and pulls herself out of bed. I dance and tell her that I have this feeling that we should try to get there around 1 PM. She agrees, and begins her slow march toward wakefulness.

While she was in the shower I made the mistake of chatting with Danielle. Don't get me wrong, I love Danielle with all of my heart. She just has a way of getting me really hyped up. I had woken up with an upset stomach and now I was practically puking with excitement. She further encouraged my madness, and told me that "YES you have to get there at one to get better tickets!!!!" I ran into my room, put my coat on and crouched in front of my laptop, refreshing Ticketmaster, waiting for amazing floor seats to show up. They didn't.

Leah walked into my room and said, "I see you have your coat on." I simply replied, "Yeah". She knew and I knew that it was madness, but that it couldn't be stopped, not today.

At the last minute, Leah decided she wanted to take clay Clay with us. A little background: Over the summer, Leah got into sculpting again, but didn't have any projects to do. So I commissioned a figurine of Clay. So he sat on our kitchen table, headless for about a month, until he was baked. After that, he occupied the window ledge in our office. A comforting presence he was. Leah rightly assumed that if clay Clay could make it into the hands of flesh Clay (TM Nelle�.or was it Kat??) it would be a fantastic thing. So he was wrapped in a scarf and stuffed in a purse before we scuttled down the stairs to Leah's car. Throughout the day clay Clay would come out for photo ops. Little did we know, that these would be the last ones ever taken of clay Clay�by us.

We arrived at the Joe Louis Arena box office a smidge after one. I had my William Hung sign around my neck and it immediately made an impression on the ticket vendor. "I'll bang you�..?" he said, puzzled, yet amused. "NO no no! It's 'I'll bang if you bang. It's William Hung from AI3." He still didn't recognize it, but it was time to grovel for better tickets. There was nothing. So we decided to take a walk around the outside of the Joe, and return in about a half an hour. The wind was going, but it wasn't frigid, yet.

After bursting the bubble of several fans poised at the bus entrance, we headed back to the box office.

Our ticket guy told us that he had 13th row tickets, but that we should wait around and he would wave to us if there was anything better. He also gave us the impression that we were first on his list. Not exactly ethical, but much appreciated. In a couple of minutes, he flagged us down to inform us that rows 1-10 were completely sold out, but that he had printed the 13th row tickets. Insanely enough, Leah and I actually pondered whether to take them. "Should we do it?" I said. "Well, it's 14 rows closer�.YES duh YES!" So I whipped out my debit card and bought those suckers. We thanked our man profusely, and he said he'd really like our sign if we could get it to him. I told him it wouldn't fit through the window, and we were off.

Much celebration occurred. We had done it! Improved our seats two-fold. Of course, because I am incapable of having a good time without at least a tinge of worry, I now began to freak out about getting rid of our tickets. What if no one bought them? How could I deal with that big of a loss? Because Leah is much more savvy than I, she kept insisting that it would be fine, we could sell them no problem. I tried to believe her as we made our way to the People Mover.

It should be mentioned, (but only because Leah insists that I include it) that while waiting around in the box office, we decided to munch some Oreos that I had brought along. (For reasons why see our AI concert tour BEVR). Because I had brought my camera, it seemed necessary to snap as many idiotic photos as possible. Clay Clay was out and so Leah thought he looked hungry, so fed him an Oreo on film. Apparently, just after snapping the photo, I exclaimed (I swear I didn't even know I was going to say it) "Oh no! He can't have chocolate!" We quickly fell into hysterics and the true nature of my insanity became apparent.

The People Mover is an experience in of itself. I've lived in the Metro Detroit Area my entire life and have never ridden the People Mover. For those who don't know what it is, think elevated train that circles a very small area of Detroit. Think also that most of the time all or part of it is broken. Actually, that makes me laugh, that pretty much sums up Detroit. Anyway, we helped some Canadians get tokens for the thing, and hopped on it ourselves, totally impressed with the view and how cool we were to be riding it. Despite the fact that it didn't make a complete circuit and had to double back to get to all of it's stops, it's pretty efficient and cheap.

We stopped off in Greektown for a bite to eat and to kill a couple of hours until we made our way back to sell our tickets.

We ended up at Niki's, a rather old looking Greek place that advertised pizza. It was empty, quiet and had big booths. Perfect. Except for the waiter that asked us both out. Apparently, he would have taken either of us. Or both. Who knows, we just told him we had boyfriends.

Back at the Joe, Leah began bellowing to the crowd, attempting to hawk our tickets.

At first there were no takers. Then, a woman and her daughter approached us. She seemed nervous about buying the tickets, but I had had the foresight to bring the Ticketmaster stub receipt with us, showing her that the tickets had been mailed to us. She was willing to buy, but only had $80 in cash. I looked at Leah and told her that I would take it. It seemed like a done deal, until she approached us later, asking us if we would take her check instead because she didn't want to be at a concert with no cash. We decided to take it since she was offering $90. Leah had her write it out to her, because she rocks. The deal was done. The tickets were gone, and I could finally begin freaking out in earnest.

The show

I'll skip all the crap about the opening act, because frankly it's not important to me. What is important is how I felt going down those stairs onto the floor and seeing our seats. Thirteenth row may not sound super close, but let me just say, it was overwhelming how close it was. Seven rows away from the catwalk, and more importantly, on the aisle. This would serve us well later. We sat down next to some girls that we had seen before (Hi guys! I don't remember your names, but I really enjoyed sitting with you!!!) and chatted. I spotted the coordinator of our CD release party and yacked with her too. I also met CAP 121 from The Clackhouse.

After the Beu Sisters set, I was anxious. Where would he enter? Would it be right up our aisle? Leah tried to tell me that he might be coming up our aisle. I refused to believe because that would be just too amazing. Then, the lights went out. Screams erupted. My head swiveled around like an owl. WHERE WAS HE?

To my right, maybe 20 feet over, I spotted his head in the crowd. The hair was in my presence. I could see it's highlighted majesty with my own two eyes. He wended his way toward the stage and Leah began yelling at me to go up front with her. For whatever reason, sometimes moments of severe politeness come over me. They often get in the way of exciting experiences, like this. But not this time, Leah grabbed me and MADE me come with her. Damn, I'm glad she can be so pushy!

Later we would discuss seeing him so closely. Leah said that there must be some kind of vision threshold that we crossed. Our seats were close, but when we were up in front with the rest of the throng, maybe 6 feet away from him, it was different. At that moment, he became real to me. I saw his profile. His eyes. His hands. His smile. It was the most real thing, evah!

His voice was so clear and on! Kyrie is such a triumphant song to begin the show with. I can't remember what came next, but the next song that sticks out for me is I Will Carry You. Leah has declared this her favorite, and for a woman who sometimes tells me that she'll kill me if I make her watch another video of When Doves Cry, she was screaming like a lunatic. She was screaming for good reason though. I have never heard this song performed so well. The high notes were soaring. And on one of the notes, he crouched and yanked his own tie up in the air, as if forcing himself to stay on. He didn't need to. Phenomenal.

I Survived You is another song that just slayed me. His effort to make it serious only served to make it sexy. The Blue Steel EFs he was giving out were murderous. And the mic stand caresses were pornographic. Seeing his hands at work on that mic made me a gushy, groaning wreck. In fact, merely thinking about them now in my breakroom at work has made me warm all over again.

All About Love was exactly as everyone described it to be. Exciting, moving, passionate and fun. As much lust as I have for the man, my desire to be his goofy friend is nearly as strong as my desire to be his goofy lover. All About Love seems dear to his heart and I'm really glad he included it in the set.

The acoustic set took my breath away. His voice is so pure sometimes that it pains me. Measure of a Man should definitely be expanded, because it is the one song that I cried to every time I heard it for the first month, at least. Listen to me Clay, I'm your future wife, you should get in good with me now.

I know these are out of order. Perfect Day was awesome because it's an awesome song, and because he actually said at the end of it, "Talk about a perfect day!" and gestured to us.

Now on to the infamous Detroit When Doves Cry. At the time, I was screaming my fool head off and covering my mouth in shock. The Clay Sandwich seemed so hot right then. Also I was hot with jealousy. It was compounded by the fact that Clay sang literally 2 inches away from her face. Gah! The forceful pants yank at the end was quite marvelous as well.

Two cellphone calls were taken by Clay. He shushed us so forcefully that we all followed his orders. Like we wouldn't. Clay if you told me to bring you a Coke with my teeth, no problem� I thought it was really great when there was a male on the other end of the phone. Who are the Clay Dawgs anyway? Can I tell you how much, um, emotion is stirred up when he mocks screechy women? That high-pitched voice entered my soul and it's still bouncing around.

The Way. I really love this song, but I've heard it so much that it had stopped having an impact on me. Until Clay's declaration of love for his fans. He made that song have all new meaning for me. Other pop stars say how much they love their fans, but how many thank them nightly for voting for their video on TRL? How many specifically record a song because of all the clamoring? Clay is just in a league of his own when it comes to his ability to express love for his fans.

At some point during the set, Leah spotted Jerome. She yelled to me, "I see Jerome, I'm going to GET him!" She was seriously moving at warp speed. I could hardly tell what she was doing. Off she ran with clay Clay in hand. I turned to look at what she was doing, and all I saw was a blur of gesticulating hands. She ran back toward me, empty handed.

"I gave Jerome clay Clay!!!!!"

"Oh my GOD!!!"

"He's gonna have clay Clay!!!"

Although we are very good friends, I must say that Leah and I do not hug much. It's just not how we are. But I freaking smushed that chick when she came back with that news. There was also a mysterious stranger that was so overwrought with empathic joy over Leah's accomplishment that she ran up and embraced her. She also lingered around a little too long. I guess we were probably supposed to remember her, but in our craze we forgot who she was.

After Clay's set was over, we chatted with our seatmates and came down from our Clighs. I just kept exclaiming how great he was, how luminous and how real. Then I put my earplugs in to prepare for Kelly's set. This was merely a self-preservation tactic, as my ears must be preserved for the Golden Voice of the Aiken. We sat sedately for Kelly, nearly forgetting that our man would be back in less than an hour.

Kelly did do a really great thing for a little girl who was celebrating a birthday. She brought her up on stage from quite a few rows back and sang all of A Moment Like This with her. Very nice and I know I wasn't the only one who was won over a little by this gesture.

Frankly, it was mostly forgotten when the music for Open Arms began to play. I was completely disarmed by this point, and the mere sound of his voice sent me and thousands of others into a screaming frenzy. Open Arms is the demo song that I bellow out at full voice while cruising down I-75 on a warm spring day. It's the one that gets me a little choked up sometimes. It's dear to me. This version was just as soaring and beautiful to me. I found myself screeching along with the professionals onstage.

With the show at an end, we realized that our chances of getting clay Clay back with an autograph across his belly were quickly fading. We climbed over chairs toward the front of the stage, seeking out Jerome. I inadvertently got a quick treat for the eyes, which Leah naysayed until proven later. As I was scanning the understage area for Jerome, I saw Clay in a blue hoodie walking by. I told Leah that I had seen him and she said I was nuts. Oh well�.I knew I was right. Alas, Jerome was no where to be found. We cheered ourselves with the thought that Clay had undoubtedly seen clay Clay by that time, and perhaps he had earned an honored spot on the tour bus. Clay Clay would be perched on the edge of the television, watching over Playstation battles between Jerome and Clay; or comforting Clay in a lonely, melancholy moment when Kelly had finally talked herself to sleep.

We took little time considering whether to try to catch the buses. We'd been there for nearly 10 hours, what was a few more if it meant seeing the Grinding Wonder one more time in the flesh. We stood out in the frigid, snowy weather with all the other brave (read insane) souls. It seemed like forever since I had forgotten gloves and Leah had no hat. We were discussing giving up, when one of the tour buses began to move. There, in the big bubble window, was Clayton Aiken in the flesh, wearing the blue hoodie I had seen earlier. He was also wearing a red ringer tee and had Julia Demato standing next to him. Kelly was nowhere to be seen, which was kind of sad, considering there were a bunch of people out there to see her. We ran after the bus a little, but then soon gave up, satiated for the night, full of Clay Love.

By the way, I am obviously good at taking crazy preshow pictures. My concert photos are less than spectacular. In fact, they all look like this:

I suggest you search out some pictures on the Clackhouse, where you can actually see the man.

-Kelly

With guidance and painful reminders by Leah

Don�t forget to take a look at Nelle�s Totality Page:

HERE