New Jersey Concert Review

So four hours ago I rounded a curve of the NJ Turnpike and there was the NYC skyline! Pretty exciting for this Texan-transplanted-to-California! Look, Maw, I’m drivin’ in New Joisey! On second, thought, never mind – my mother would totally freak out.

After the driving, I had almost 24 hours to rest up, chill out, and CATCH UP AT TWoP! I made the mistake of going on Ticketmaster that morning. I had so-so seats in lower section 107, about 2/3 of the way to the back; and up pop two tickets in 109, two sections closer to the stage! Gotta buy 'em! My second mistake was to keep looking. Click. Click. Click. WTF?!?!? Floor Row H?!??! GOTTA BUY 'EM!!! So now I'm out (mumble, mumble) hundred dollars and stuck with four unusable tickets! Good grief! (Of course, when I got to the gathering, I discovered nearly everyone there was in the same boat! We're all totally NUTS!)

playbiller picked me up at my hotel in the early afternoon and treated me to a trip to Weehawken, where you can see New York City without facing the traffic. Next was a trip to a mall for me to pick up a card for Clay; on the way there we had a flat tire! Enterprising playbiller changed the tire herself, and we drove over to the venue to check it out. About this time we get a phone call from RunningFree, my ticket buddy, who took a bus from Brooklyn, missed her stop, and is now lost in the wilds of New Jersey. Thanks to the cell phone and a cooperative gas station attendant, we found her only a few miles away, and it was time to meet at the restaurant.

I enjoyed myself immensely at the NY/NJ party, as this is easily the smuttiest group so far (except for the Bay Area ProC, of course, nobody tops LazyDay in the smut department; and then there’s Brandilyne in the midwest…well, anyway, we had plenty of smut). We had nametags from the gracious attic244, a delicious dinner, and photos to lick. Our organizer daisybumble was the last to show up, wearing an Aiken jersey like her twin hockeydonna. There were too many new friends to meet and not enough time! All too soon, it was time to go to the concert.

I was all jazzed up for my fourth (!!) trip to the concert well, and it did not disappoint. New Joisey luuuuuuuves dem some CLAY! They screamed all the way thru TITN and afterward simply would not stop. I have a couple of good pictures of Clay's gawk at the cacophony, his expression is just priceless. Those are the moments he lives for. I'm not sure if New Jersey topped Philly but it was damn close.

Ruben also got quite a reception for his first entrance, but as before, it seemed to cool as the evening went on; the cheers get louder for Clay and they lessen for Ruben. Clay was very, very, very tired tonight, in the wake of Wachovia, DC, and The View. His performances were fine as always, but the twinkle was missing and there was no spontaneity, he was running on autopilot and just getting through it. And when it came time to "banter" before TGIM, Clay really didn't want to play. He did introduce Neil Sedaka, who was sitting on the right-side floor in about the sixth row. Clay improvised a phrase of “Solitaire”, Ruben did a riff of “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do”, then Clay threw in “Calendar Girl” and one or two more tunes, ribbing Ruben because he couldn't think of more Sedaka songs. That was it for Sedaka.

There was serious underwear-throwing tonight. Clay had to pick up about eight things and Ruben focused in on a red see-thru negligee. Clay said, "Are every single one of you people determined to embarrass me?" And we all screamed "Yesssss!!!" Well, I did, anyway. squeakyclean was all set up front to throw her red bra with the note "I thought you might be tired of panties", but security was all over her and it didn't happen. She got backstage anyway, though!

Everyone in the show seemed a bit low-energy to me on this night. Although the crowd was responsive, there was nothing in particular that happened to “juice up” the proceedings. Security had confiscated most of the signs, so there were very few in evidence and the performers seemed to know that, none of them spent much time interacting with individuals in the audience. The show seemed rushed-thru to me (except when Ruben was onstage), but it ended at the usual time, so maybe I’m just getting jaded. Clay, Kim and Trenyce spent a lot of time picking out four participants for the "dance contest" tonight, and after it was over, they didn’t do the three-way cheer for Ruben, Clay just introduced Ruben rather abruptly and left the stage. Kim and Trenyce seemed surprised when he did that.

Kim Locke was blow-away good in OTR again, and Rickey was also exceptionally good. I think they actually out-performed Clay, except of course he's Clay. I sincerely hope he gets some rest while they stay in NY for the next two days!

When Ruben started his new song, lots of people jumped up and were dancing and groovin’. The upper section next to me was full of young girls who were Ruben fans. But by the end of the song, most people were sitting and the few who were left standing looked a bit worn out. That song just saps the energy right out of people. Ruben’s clothes tonight were especially unflattering. He was wearing a Nets jersey that wasn’t quite ample enough and the lumps and bumps were quite unattractive. I took one picture that illustrates clearly why they call it a Jumbotron.

The Jerome Game had changed yet again. This time they had a bin by a specific door (I didn’t see it, it was on an upper level) where people had to leave gifts and cards. A few of the ProC’ers got to Jerome on the floor and he took their seat numbers. I tried to chase him down to do the same but he brushed me off. During the second act, Jerome kept walking right by my row with notes and a flashlight, looking for specific people. In NJ, nobody who was above the floor was selected. There are only two openings to the upper levels off the floor, both at the back of the arena, which made it nearly impossible to get from the floor to anywhere else in the seating area.

As squeakyclean's report of having Jerome put "three stars" by her name proves, there is no lottery; Jerome is calling the shots. And I’m glad at least it was some of ours who made the cut this time. But this, from squeaky’s report, made my blood boil: “Then, I showed him lapeapod's trading card. I told him that one of his fans had made it and I didn't know if he had seen it. He obviously hadn't and he thought it was the coolest thing! He even showed it to Jerome!” I sent the trading card and stamps backstage at Philly, and Clay obviously never saw them. So this proves to me he’s only getting gifts once again selected by Jerome. Just beware, folks, most of your gifts may be ending up in a dumpster somewhere.

The crowd in my area was mixed in response all evening, some into it more than others. Some folks seemed out of place and I wondered why they were there. A lady behind me was actually incensed that people were standing up blocking her view! A fiftyish woman in front of me was dancing and jiving to the BeeGees medley, while all the teenagers around her were kinda ho-hum. This was the Generation Gap audience. As the cast was finishing “The Time of My Life”, the four rows in front of me started to clear out. I suppose I was uncharitable in not telling them they were going to miss the best part of the show, but it gave me a much better view!

The downside of attending several concerts in a row is the inevitability of comparisons. I felt Invisible was very predictable tonight. He kinda strolled through it, as opposed to the bouncing prowl we’ve seen in the better videos. He was wearing a Red Devils jersey and da-yum, the boy looks hot in red. Even though he needs a week-long nap and a haircut.

Minor side note: Hairini was in attendance at the concert. He was sitting in the lower-level section at the left of the stage, about 30 feet away from me. Nobody noticed him. I bet he really, reeeeeeally hates Clay.

So ends spotlight'’s Excellent Adventure in the wilds of the east. And as I prepare to make a five-hour butt-print in an airline seat, I have lots to think about: all the cute screen names that now have faces attached, all the performance “moments” that are already starting to fade, and my semi-successful navigation of strange lands on my own for a week. A hearty “Thanks!” and a big wave to all the the meeting organizers and especially the ones who welcomed me and drove me and befriended me!

I hope I can make the trip back to California without getting all misty-eyed this time. Oops…too late.