2004-03-23
10:43 p.m.

BEVR: Nelle / St. Louis, 3-21-04

St. Louis Broadfest = PERFECT DAY!

There are so many memorable moments from March 20-22, I'm still more than overwhelmed. The Lecherous Broads came together in a BIG way in St. Louis. I'm trying to capture some of the memories quickly, so this BEVR is the fast and dirty style. Forgive me if I leave someone out...there were so many Broads there, and there was not a chance for personal time with each and every one.

In no particular order, here are some of
Nelle's Favorite Broadfest Memories:

• Waiting on pins and needles at the St. Louis airport to meet up with Karen Eh and Lynda...I swear I looked at that 'Arrivals' screen 6 times in 40 minutes, just in case their flight ETA changed.

• Listening to Karen Eh relate her ticket buying story in the cab to the hotel...she tells a story just as creatively as she writes.

• Having philosophical discussions with Karen Nyere and Lila about Clay's growth as a performer, and our interest in him as a human being.

• Ruth is beautiful, and she's probably still a little stunned after witnessing me scarf down a burger so fast at the pre-concert dinner...gee, you'd think I was eager about something, or someone ;-)

• Cha Cha Trusty is funny and makes better Purple Tie Pins than I do.

• Loreliei had us all in the pink...next Broadfest she needs to eat something first.

• Julie made me cry, just by showing up.

• Karen Eh is crafty, and I loved watching her discover how much she liked the microphone.

• Maylon's Clackless days are over.

• Gen is lovely and was easily Clayverted...we all predicted it. All it took was one Cloncert.

• Cella has a fabulous photo collection, and I'm grateful I got to see it.

• Jill is a delightful sprite and a good soul.

• Lynda...watch out for the quiet ones. I'm so proud of her Broadly behavior. She knows why.

• Merry - I'm so glad she got there.

• Gini - a Broad couldn't ask for a better roommate, well, except...you know ;-)

• MnM is adorable & was so lucky to be touched by the Aiken!

• Diana in the Lou is faboo.

• Jannet is head and shoulders above many a Broad, and I mean that in more ways than one.

• Lady Luke - you wouldn't know from looking at her that she'd be that naughty.

• Pat in Indy was the calm in the eye of the storm.

• Rainbeaux has some photos to be proud of, but look out, she doesn't like to be teased about her Mom calling.

• Suz in MD's LBFCA polo shirts turned out really well, and now I want one!

• diana l kilbridge lived up to her reputation.

• christina knows how to hang with the bus #1 & bus #2 Broads just fine.

• KJ in OKC is a doll.

• Myra has forevermore dropped 'former Lurker' from her name.

• Mary in MD was appropriately honored by Karen Eh for her tireless TRL voting reminder posts...I'll let them tell the rest of you what her 'gift' was.

• Anita snuck in and out quickly, but I was glad to meet her.

• Lisa M - we all know she is a talented author and a great Broad, but she's also a wonderful daughter, and her Mom, Ann, was 'Broadverted' and lived it up.

• MS Kathleen wouldn't let a little thing like rescheduling important medical treatment stop her from going to Broadfest, and I'm so glad she was that determined. We had a great talk, along with Karen Nyere, at Monday breakfast.

• Lurkers, whose names I don't have, but who are friends of Cotton, and shine in nc and Carol in Fl, were great to sing with in the ladies room at Houlihan's.

• There are a few Broads who I just didn't have a chance to connect with, but who seem sweet and I hope to meet them again: Trose, AmyD, Gail, Patricia and Theresa.

• Paula in St. Louis - we have been raving about her on the Purple Pages...Paula RAWKS!

  I cannot say enough about Paula's outstanding performance as Contact Broad for St. Louis Broadfest. She had us booking hotel rooms before the concert tickets went on sale, and she didn't stop working, tirelessly, to organize us right on through the fest. The highlights for me, were her beautifully planned and executed dressing room gift for Clay (I'll let her share the details of that with you). I especially appreciated her consideration in getting input from the MP Broads about her plans...that meant a lot. Plus, her successful efforts to get Meet and Greet passes for Maylon, which Maylon generously shared with Paula. To top things off, Paula's wonderful story of talking to Clay at the Meet and Greet was delivered in a manner fit for theater. That Broad was The Grande Dame of St. Louis.

Friday Night Dinner and Dessert:

• I started passing out the wonderful Broadfest Bus Passes that Wendy in FL made and sent, and didn't even realize they had names on them! We turned it into a mixer, and got them all sorted out.

• I enjoyed showing off my photo from after Leno, and I know it took a lot of restraint for so many Broads to handle that without licking.

• Paula's announcement of getting the Meet and Greet passes for Maylon made me cry.

The Hotels

• Walking in dragging my suitcase, looking around this enormous lobby, trying to figure out where to go to check in, and someone called out "Broad!" The squealing and hugging, began as I joined the gathering of Broads in the Hyatt lounge. I loved hearing the stories of when Broads first saw Clay and when they fell in love and lust with him.

• Talking, talking, talking with Gini in our room, about Clay and Clay fans and LBFCA and work and life...she knows how important it was to me to get online and check in with LBFCA.

• Walking over to the Sheraton on a blustery St. Louis morning, seeing the venue where I would see Clay that night.

• Starting breakfast alone and visiting with a young family at the table nearby...when the Mom told me they were from Sydney I enjoyed telling them I'd had dinner with someone (Gen) the night before who'd come from Sydney to see Clay.

• The woman from the next adjacent table overhearing and asking about Clay's concert schedule...she was with her family, a couple teenagers and a husband, it looked like.

• Joining Karen Eh, Lila, Lynda, Cella and Myra when they arrived for breakfast, and talking, talking, talking.

• The woman from that adjacent table coming back in after her family left, to ask us more about Clay's concert schedule, and we told her about checking Ticketmaster for late additions, as well as the good seats still available (then) for Omaha. I told her about LBFCA, and she said her family doesn't 'understand.' Oh, we sure did.

• Returning to the Hyatt and discovering Clay Nation set up in the lobby...computers were spread out all over with videos playing...I saw a brief glimpse of Grand Prairie WDC.

The Hard Rock Caf�

• Meeting more Broads as they arrived, especially Julie, with whom I've shared this joy and work of creating LBFCA MPs since last August.

• Meeting many from the Clack House as they arrived for their dinner in the same room. I'm so glad MnM was able to spend time with both groups.

• Squealing together with 100 women when Clay's music came on in the restaurant, and later groaning together when the staff announced they were switching over to something else for the non-Clay fans there.

• Never before have so many women pawed and/or kissed my armpit and side of my left breast! OK, it was only because I was wearing The Purple Jacket with Clay's Autograph to LBFCA.

• The generosity of the Broads is incredible, as we were all lavished with tokens of Broadly love. It was like being at a child's birthday party and getting a goody bag to take home...only not everything was suitable for children ;-)

• Lecherous Broads party hardy! Or is that 'hearty?' We were a mass of purple shirts up and hugging and meeting and talking and laughing. The staff had to tell us to sit down and order if we wanted to be served and out of there in time for the show.

• Showing the beautiful Broadopoly that CA Elizabeth and Carol Fl created and sent. That game has not yet had it's due...we need a time and place to play it.

• The reports that I was standing on a table and dancing are highly exaggerated. It was a chair, and I was not the only one! I may have been the only one with a purple flower between my teeth and swinging a scepter around, but who could blame me for that.

• I don't know how Sandi and Cindy really found out about this...do you think they were kidding the next day when they said this was written on the wall in the HRC men's room:
  

• The Hard Rock wait staff had us all up and dancing, leading a karoke set of "YMCA" and "Summer Nights" (from Grease). Those folks knew how to handle rabid drooling fans, and they soon even had the non-Clay fans in the joint up and dancing.

• My one regret is that when I found myself making an impromptu and unplanned announcement, microphone in hand, that I did not turn around and acknowledge the Clack House. I have been a proud dual citizen of these United Clay Nations since the days when PROC was at TWOP, right around the end of the PANTS thread, but only have time to lurk at CH now. I regret I missed my chance to honor the Clack House publicly. They are our Sisters and Brothers in Clay Love and Lust, and they sometimes refer to us as separated at birth twins (although we might have frightened more than a few of them at the Hard Rock!) I thank them for their snark, and their wit, and their lechery, and their CLACK, and for Clay Nation News. I can only hope that someone from CH might read this page, and let them know I gave this belated shout-out.

THE CONCERT!!!

• While other Broads hung around at the restaurant, I hurried over with the crowd to the Savvis, so eager to get my hands on the Sex Manual Clay Program. I bought two. For no real reason, but I know you all understand why.

• It was fun to have fans come up to us and talk about how much they like LBFCA...I visited briefly with Clay fans from GLS, TTC, the clayboard and RHT. A couple people even wanted to take a photograph of 'the Lecherous Broads.' It's not only about me being a famewhore, though I'll readily admit I am one when out among Clay fans. It's also because being Keeper of the Keys is a labor of love, and it feels good to hear LBFCA is appreciated. (*waves hi* to all those lurkers! I love our lurkers, too.)

• I met Prudence and Karen (from GB volume 1!). They were both lovely and I was so pleased to be able to give them each a big Broadly hug.

• The Beau Sisters - are cute and have nice harmonies, and they all have lovely belly buttons. They were not who I was there to see.

• Kelly was down to earth and I especially enjoyed "Why Haven't I Heard From You," "The Trouble With Love," and "Stuff Like That There."

• "A Moment Like This" was extra special because Julie showed up on the Jumbotron, happily singing along. She looked beautiful up there, too!

• It was so cute when Kelly had a fan come up for a hug...this girl looked to be around 9 years old, and she was adorable. Kelly also finally hugged another adoring fan...a guy who looked to be in his early twenties, and he had stood singing along for her whole set from about the 6th row.

• I thought of Clay all through "A Beautiful Disaster." Heart wrenching song.

OMG! Here comes Clay!

• Kyrie - others have written about how electrifying this entrance is, and they were all right! I stood on my chair, and we were all screaming in anticipation when the lights went out. I screamed even louder when I saw him, "I see his hair, I see his hair!" It's not just that he mounts those stairs, it's how he looks out over the auditorium while he does so...giving that 'I have arrived for you' look of complete command. DomClay Lives!

• Perfect Day was energetic!

• No More Sad Song was going along great when Clay made this strange face into the crowd...bent down, and picked up and held up, a gift from a Broad. I won't tell more, you can see it in the videos, but someone else has a story to tell.
  The look she got from Clay: priceless.

• I Survived You is now making women pregnant by the thousands at a time. How does Clay EF an entire sports arena filled with estrogen-drenched women all at once? Groaning could be heard among the screams. I think I had to lean over into Lila for a moment. I'm so jealous of that microphone and stand.

• All About Love - it looks like Clay enjoys singing this song so much. I loved it.

• When You Say You Love Me - I hadn't watched any videos of this song since the first concert of the tour. I loved, loved, loved it! Clay's dancing was great, and as fugly as that jacket is, it has nice crisp shoulders that look great on Clay...from either the front or the back...and those shoulders really shine during the WYSYLM dance.

• Without You is stunning...I think Quiana does a great job, and Clay sang this with such wonderful emotion. I was swept up.

• MOAM/FOG/CIMM/WINY - Acoustic Set was BEAUTIFUL. This remains my favorite part of the concert. I cannot wait to see/hear it again!

• When Doves Cry - Clay nailed the 'screeeeeeammm' and dragged it out, then looked us over. We played along with his devious game and screamed our faces off, and he granted us the pleasure of watching him take his jacket off before driving the song home. I loved this performance...I know my opinion is not the only one, and not even popular among some Broads. But, it seems to me Clay has been trying to find his way with this song. In St. Louis, WDC was about the SONG, and the dancing enhanced the song. If this is how Clay wants to perform this song from now on, I think it's perfect. I loved it.

• I think I dissociated during The Way. All I could think of was that it was almost over.

• I was delighted by Open Arms...I just didn't want the show to end.

• I have no idea when this photo, from Tasapio at CH, was taken during the concert, but it captures for me the essence of the SuperStar Clay Aiken now is:
  

• The Phone Call: When Clay took that phone, Jannet turned to me and said it was MnM's phone...she could see from way up there. I was so happy for MnM! THEN, when Clay said he was talking to Ivona, I screamed! OMG, Clay was speaking to the most fantastic distributor of Clack, on the cellphone belonging to one of the most wondrous procurers of Clack. Both of them are renowned by Clay Nation! I told MnM later that if Clay had only known....he might have hung up! In reality he owes them both, for generously promoting his work among his fans.

• The fan hug: awwww, Clay knows how to milk a moment! He was so cute engaging the fan with the birthday sign...she was 19, and he had her come up onstage, and gave her the desired hug. Then, he teased her about all her 'demands' when she asked if he had a pen...but he promised he'd get her sign autographed.

• Sitting in front of me, and Lynda, too, was this mountain of a man...he must have been almost seven feet tall...I am not kidding, and his shoulders were enormous. Lynda is probably somewhere around three feet tall...I am kidding, but she is quite petite...so we just popped her out into the aisle. I then had both our seats to shift back and forth in front of, depending upon where Clay was in relation to Mountain Man's Mass in front of me. I nearly kissed his bald dome the few times he sat down. I loved it when Jannet referred to this guy as a 'wall' the next day on the PPs. I now know why his presence really didn't annoy me all that much at the time...must have been subliminal.

• I think I spent most of Clay's set with my hands on my heart, or my cheeks, or the top of my head. I was mesmerized. My heart was pounding along with the beat of the bass, bursting with love and Broadly adoration. Clay seems so young and somehow so wise, so magical and somehow so human, so frail and somehow so resilient up there in person. I can't explain it. I know I need to see him again. I cannot wait.

Houlihan's After the Concert

• Oh My GAWD, we had so much fun!

• Hearing about every Broad's individual joyful moments, and sharing the Post Claytal Glow was wondrous.

• More chair dancing ensued...I'll let them tell you about it.

• I called Kelly and Lisa...I was so full of excitement I had to share it with them. Somewhere around in there I started calling St. Louis Broadfest PERFECT DAY.

• We were all abuzz and having a grand time when Paula and Maylon returned from their Meet and Greet. They can report the details, but I'll just let you know they are both champion story tellers, and we were chanting for each of them in turn.

• Gregory was the young waiter who looks like John Mayer...I'm sure you'll see his picture soon, if you haven't already. He was the recipient of much of the free-floating lechery in the room. He was a good sport about it, and I don't know how many Broads had to have their picture taken hugging the lad.

One last note...on the way home.

• My flight didn't leave till Monday evening...a big mistake. Leave Broadfest early the next day because it's sort of depressing being stuck there after the Broads have left!

• I did spend some of my time productively, writing notes for this report, and for the PP list of goody bag gifts.

• I also took comfort in recalling that March 22 was the anniversary of my first post in the Purple Pages.

• In the shuttle, on the way to the airport, I got in first and was enjoying the feeling of beginning my trek home, and resting. At the next hotel a man, looked like a business traveler, got in. We rode mostly in silence. Then two women were picked up at the next and final stop before the airport. When I overheard one of them talking about sending someone some Raleigh pictures, I turned around and asked if they were Clay fans. Instant gleeful chatting ensued. We Clayverted the businessman just gushing over what a wonderful admirable young man Clay Aiken is. I was telling him all about THE VOICE, and the two women (from the clayboard, via Colorado) were telling him about Clay's Totality of Goodness. I pulled out the People magazine to show him the Clay and Kelly spread. A fine way for my St. Louis adventure to end.

I LOVE LBFCA!

CLAY AIKEN IS OUR IDOL
ALWAYS AND FOREVER!!!!!!!!!