Hello! Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying all of the clack from the CITH tour. Here is my recap of the DC Christmas show on December 2nd.

Ron and I arrived in Washington around 3:30 in the afternoon and checked into the historic Hotel Washington, located a couple of blocks from the Warner Theatre. We had never stayed there before, and it was very nice. The hotel had postcard size pics of Clay they were giving out at the desk that said “A Clay Aiken Christmas.” I got two to add to my Clay collection. Here are a few pics Ron took of the hotel lobby.

We settled into our room and made sure Caroline was set before leaving the hotel. I was extremely excited and couldn’t wait to get to the theatre! It was raining outside, but we decided to walk anyway, which only took about five minutes. We got to the theatre about 6:20. It was crowded in the lobby, and we could feel the excitement in the air! I slowly made my way to the table to purchase a hat and poster.

The Warner Theatre is beautiful with intricate carvings and trimmings, featuring a spectacular marble and gold leaf lobby and large auditorium complete with gold leaf ceilings and chandeliers. Sorry the pics are so small of the interior but they were the only ones I could find.

It was built in 1924 for vaudeville and silent movies.

The theatre was closed in 1989 and went through a 10 million dollar, three year restoration and is once again Washington’s leading performing arts venue. Though somewhat large, it has a feel of coziness, and the acoustics are terrific.

Ron and I sat in Row M near the center of the stage but didn’t seem too far back, since the pit was right up on the stage, and the front rows were close behind, but I still used my binoculars.

It was quickly approaching 7:00, and the people were settling into their seats with the thrill of anticipation waiting for the concert to begin. Then the lights went down.

The crowd started clapping and cheering as Jesse, Angela, and Quiana made their way onto the stage. Next we heard “O Come O Come Emanuel” and the cheers grew louder and louder, as Clay appeared. Wow! It was amazing to see him standing in the center in his long black coat, the girls in their stunning dresses on each side, and the orchestra seated all around them; so picturesque and gorgeous!

Credit goes to gerwhisp for taking this beautiful pic of the stage set-up for this concert.

Clay’s voice was superb and magical, as he sang each song with so much heart, sincerity, and passion. When he hit the glory notes in DSIAFCD and AIW, I got chills and think I stopped breathing for a few seconds. What a glorious voice!

The stories were wonderful, and blended into the show perfectly. I was deeply touched by a couple of the readings that my eyes filled with tears, and the songs that followed made me even more emotional.

I was trying to take in every moment, because I knew that it would all be over with too soon, and it was. This JNT is professional, elegant, and very impressive. What an incredible experience!

I’m really thankful I had the opportunity to see OMC perform live once again. He's such a talented and amazing man, and Angela, Quiana, Jesse, Shaun, and the orchestra did a great job and were certainly an asset to the show.

Ron really enjoyed the concert, too. He asked several times to use the binoculars, so we ended up taking turns. BTW, Ron has already downloaded several songs of Clay's on his iPod and plans to add some of his Christmas music, too.

Afterwards, we were so happy to meet Saltwaterdog (Saltie, one of my friends from the OFC) and her husband, as well as two other ladies from the fan club. What lovely, sweet people!! We all went to a little restaurant and had dessert after the concert. It was so much fun to sit and talk with them. As we said our goodbyes, we hugged each other and headed our separate ways. We were also fortunate to meet another wonderful lady that sat in front of us during intermission who is also a member of the OFC. It was such a joy to meet all of these great fans from Clay’s “extended family,” and made the night even more special.

BTW, security was pretty tight, and we were told to put our camcorder away, twice. They didn’t want people taking pics or taping the show. Fortunately, several fans were able to gather clack, anyway. Whew!

Credit goes to Irishbookgal and ScrpKym for taking these awesome pics at the DC show.

Well, there’s my recap. Hope you enjoyed it!

For those of you attending Clay’s concert in the next couple of weeks, you’re in for a real treat! Have fun and soak up every moment of the show because it all goes by so fast!

For anyone who has never been to a Clay Aiken concert, I sincerely wish you will have the chance to see him sing live one day. It’s a special gift and a real blessing!

I am grateful for the fans who gather clack and are so generous to share with everyone. We're very fortunate.

I appreciate all who visits and your sweet and thoughtful comments!

Take care, and God bless!

Barbara