Where were you on July 17th, 2007? The 1 year anniversary of Clay’s return to Philadelphia By Gina aka ClaytoRican

To some people, it was just an ordinary summer day. But for us in the Clay Nation, and especially those in the East Coast, it was the return of Clay Aiken to the City of Brotherly Love-Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The first and last time Clay came to the city was in 2004, when he and Kelly Clarkson toured together in the Independent tour at the Liacourus Center. Sadly, I did not attend, but I patiently waited for the day to come. The day when I, as well as many PennsylClaynians and those who caravan to Clay’s concerts, for the return, the next arrival of Clay here to the birthplace of our great nation. We wished…we prayed…we even begged and plead with Clay himself on his MySpace page. And we anticipated…and the dream came true.

March 2007-The line-up of Clay’s summer tour appeared. To my surprise, Clay was coming to Philadelphia at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the Mann Music Center). And after a few issues with the ticket master, I got the golden ticket in April 2007. Clay boo, here I come!!!

Where were you on July 17th, 2007?

For some, it was the first time since December of 2006 that you saw him tour. For some, it had been a while since you saw him tour in a long time. And for others, it was the beginning of a rite of passage that lives on in our conscience until our final days-the first Clay Aiken concert (I was the latter).

Though the weather at the Mann that day, as well as the staff there, was unbearable (no cameras, no video, no bottles or cans, etc), and the puzzlement of why I wasn’t fast enough to catch up to Jerome to give him a gift for Clay, this was a night we’d never forget. I prayed to God that it never end. From the sweet echoes of his voice penetrating our ears during rehearsal as we waited good-naturedly at the gates to the moments leading up to the stirring start of “Here You Come Again” and an eruption of cheers and screams filled the outdoor venue. Tears flowed as “Everything I Have”, “I Want to Know What Love Is”, “Everytime You Go Away” and other songs from “A Thousand Different Ways” struck a chord. Tears turned to laughter and memories poured out with the popular ‘TV Theme’ portion (we’ll always have “Perfect Strangers’ in the brain), the girls’ solos, and ever clever banter from the man himself (a fan’s late arrival, tight shirts, panties on the stage, foot incident, etc). It was so magical.

A fear of heights did not detour the glee that overcame me as I heard Clay Aiken, a good Christian boy from Raleigh, NC, rocking “Sexy Back” like a pro, dancing and smacking a backup singer’s behind under the night sky in Fairmount Park and realizing that this cute white boy likes big butts and he cannot lie, doesn’t want us to tell his achy breaky heart something, nor pay our bills, bills, bills while he’s down with OPP, partying like it’s 1999 and we as his fans relishing the thought that we do think his tractor’s sexy and it really turns us on. And as the piece de resistance, culminating with a joke about finally becoming a man and a Celine Dion song to thank us for everything. Believe me when I say this but it was worth everything seeing this man and I do not regret it

The only thing that did sadden me was there was no handshake line after the show. But the thing I love about it was EVERYTHING: the new friends I made, the merchandise I bought, and the feeling of being able to experience something incredibly awesome and unforgettable. Trust me, this may have been my first concert, but it’s certainly not my last.

SO…WHERE WERE YOU ON A HOT STICKY PHILLY NIGHT ON JULY 17TH, 2007?

I KNOW WHERE I WAS

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