Sounding like a racetrack announcer, Clay introduced Ruben for "Frying Wings", and I took another nap and checked my camera.  Ruben sounded good.  Zzzzzzz.  He also sounded good on "Imagine".  Zzzzzz.

Clay comes back on in a black shirt and the show ends with GBTUSA.  Several people have observed that Clay doesn’t sing along during part of this, and this was true.  I don’t know if he’s just resting or enjoying watching the crowd, but it seems to be a regular part of the act.  At one point Clay and some others hold their microphones out toward the crowd encouraging them to sing. Then they all finish up the song, the fireworks go off (right over their HEADS!), they all wave goodbye and it’s over.  Clay looked very tired at the end.

Random Thoughts

How can I describe Clay?  Every word we’ve ever used or heard is true.  Beautiful.  Magical.  Mystical.  Ethereal.  Elfin.  Radiant.  Sensual.  Magnetic.  Glowing.  Mesmerizing.  I also now understand why some people don’t like his looks or insist that he is gay.   There is something….other-worldly about the way he looks, perhaps this is what Gladys Knight meant.  His physical proportions – tall and thin, long limbs, large hands and feet – and his pale skin, spiky hair, and piercing eyes all create this illusion that he is not quite human, but some magical, extraordinary creature from a mythological realm.  When he was in the spotlight, he seemed to have an aura that made the others fade into the background.  I think he had an off night in Indy; his energy level didn’t at all match some of the TV shows and the bootleg “Invisible” clip.  But he’s such a big talent that if you’d never seen him anywhere else, you wouldn’t know that.  I never took my eyes off him, and when he wasn’t in the light you could really see his energy and the performer's "mask" drop off significantly, so he was working hard to keep going.  I have one photo of him fiddling with his earpiece and his face looks very dead. This is the tough thing about touring, a performer can’t possibly be in top form every single night at this grueling pace.  And so it was on this night.

I was a bit disappointed that I could hardly hear him sing at all, but I had half expected it, so I wasn’t totally surprised.  I thought it would be due to screaming, but our seats were apparently in a real “dead spot” for the sound system.  Except for the bass, of course. NEXT time, I’m getting seats further back! 

Overall, I must say that the show is incredibly cheesy and I can’t fault the bad newspaper reviews.  I would never go to see something like this but for Clay.  He’s already transcended AI and cheese and now we are just all waiting for him to move on to his record-breaking album and his solo tour and his twelve Grammys and who knows what else.  

Glow sticks: I saw some, but frankly they are very small and weak.  There is a lot of light in the whole arena, the performers are blinded in the stage lights, and I doubt that anyone can see them.  Red shirts are probably a better bet.

Fan reaction:  there is no doubt whatsoever who the people are there to see.  No one EVER sat down when Clay was performing.  The level of screaming was incredible.  I remember after one of his songs he had to wait and wait and wait for it to calm down, he kept trying to talk and couldn’t,  and he just had this bemused and abashed look on his face.  He loves it, but I think it embarrasses him and he doesn’t really like taking all the attention away from Ruben and the others.  Someone mentioned on one of the boards that Clay's introductions for Ruben have a bit of urgency to them, like he's trying to convince the crowd to cheer.  When Ruben came out, people would give a big cheer for a few seconds and then sit down.  A few people here and there in the front rows stood during Ruben’s songs, but not many.

Afterglow

The Indy group returned to the restaurant and shared pictures and stories.  Brandilyne had her videotape confiscated by a security guard, so no video from us for Indy. controversy showed up late and there was much squealing as she shared her story and her fantastic picture with Clay.  Gradually people drifted away in ones and twos and promised to meet again someday in Vegas, baby!  For me, the concert was the smallest part of the experience and I most enjoyed connecting with all these wonderful women who are all Clayzy and who understand how I feel (if not why – who does?).

Aftermath 

On the plane home, I popped my Clay CD in the player, put on the headphones – and started to cry.  I had to stop listening to it.  The only other one I brought wasn’t much help, as John Denver singing “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane” didn’t really improve my mood.  This is when the Claybee’s-not-ours-anymore blues hit me.  Partly I was exhausted and depressed that my adventure was over so soon, but having seen him in person really changed something for me.  When he was geeky-Atlanta-Clay / hurlface-wildcard-Clay / vulnerable-to-Simon-Clay, we really believed there was something we could do to help him.  Now he’s on his way to a future so vast we can’t even imagine it, and all we can do is spend our money on anything he touches.  I’ve never raised a child, but I imagine this must be like the feeling you have when you see them grow up and leave.  It just usually doesn’t happen in six months’ time, and usually you get to at least meet them first.

Postscript

An e-mail I received today:

Hi! How are you? Fine I hope.  I hope that you made it home safely. We came home yesterday. It was a long drive. We were the ones sitting behind you in the red shirts.  We had a really good time and we got to meet Clay and get a hug. We were eating dinner at Steak n steak and he Carmon and Rickie came in there. I was so shocked. I thanked him for everything that he done and for all the people that he has brought together. He signed our tickets we didnt have a camera though because we had met him earlier when when they left by the buses he came out and touched our hands. We are still in owe. He is so humble. So nice. His Mom did such a great job.

WAAAAAHHH!  Why am I NEVER in the right place at the right time?!?!?!

I’ve GOT to find another concert to go to.  Soon.  It's never going to end, is it?