Clay's Blog

• M&G Recap!!!

  08/02/07 5 Comments

  Meet and Greet Clay Aiken July 19, 2007 Canandaigua NY

  Here is proof that dreams really DO come true no matter how much you think god isn’t on your side… I lost my “grandpa” on the 3rd and then my job on the 11th …and then I met Clay…

  PRE-MEET AND GREET So it was a rainy day, but an awesome day. Mom and I make it to the venue at 5:30. We were so worried we would get lost and I’d miss the meet and greet. When we got there and we went up to the will call window they had no idea what I was talking about. “We don’t have any passes or have any knowledge of a meet and greet, but you’re not the first person to ask about it” the girl said. Now I was a little nervous on the ride there so imagine when I show up to where the email says I’m supposed to be and they say what are you talking about, how I felt then. Well then after listening to some people talking, I asked if they had meet and greets too and that they had gotten the same information. It was Gloria (grandpurple4) so we waited under the will call roof as it poured out. Then I got a call from Tammy (Gotclay) saying that she was almost there, and I told her they have no idea what’s going on and she was just as puzzled as I was. Well she finally showed up and still no one had come to get us, so she waited in the rain too. Then the people at will call told us to walk up the hill to the biggest man we ever saw, we had all assumed it would be Jerome but it wasn’t, it was a guy that worked for the venue I believe. He asked our names and looked at our I.D’s and said, “ok ladies follow me.”

  So we followed him, up the road to an entrance that brought us into the back of the venue. (On that walk I kind of felt like a famous person as all eyes were on us as we walked with security. I left my mom with all the other fans under the tent, and when I looked back she had a huge smile on her face, I knew she was as happy as I was that day, knowing her baby was finally getting something she wanted give to me herself but couldn’t.) We stood there and dried off some (and of coursed fixed up our hair the best we could lol) then he had us follow him to the side of the stage where we met Jerome and he said he was still waiting for some people. We never did get an actual pass so by then I figured we wouldn’t be but I’m a little sad about that because it would be a cool little memento of the meet and greet. But anyways, so that’s where we met the other Tammy (claysiempre). So now it was off to the elevator to get to the basement only the 1st elevator they picked did not go to the basement. So we had to walk behind the stage to the other side to the other elevator. That one took us down to the basement. When we got down there they had us go to a curtained off area. There were 2 small couches a coffee table and some folding chairs. Tammy (gotclay) and I went over and sat on the couch together with some other woman who had won the meet and greet auction through ticketmaster I believe. (Sorry I’m so bad with names I can’t remember who everyone said they were lol) Jerome came in and told us what they rules were which we all know is no touching unless touched that even though he tells Clay not to hug us he probably will and he also told us to be careful when hugging and not to squeeze so tight because Clay had a bruise. He told us to spell our names for Clay so there were no mistakes on the autographs, that Clay would not open any gifts at that time but he would later on the bus but that we could tell him about it. Then Jerome left to get Clay and that was around 6:30. (While waiting for clay and during the meet and greet I could feel my purse vibrating from my cell phone ringing off the hook lol, thank goodness no one else heard it lol)

  THE MEET AND GREET So about a minute later Jerome came back and he had Clay with him. I think my heart just about burst with excitement lol. Clay looked around and said “Hey, How are y’all doin’? What’s up with all the rain?” (or something remotely close to that.) He sat down in a director type chair that Jerome had placed in there for him. And Jamie had sat a little behind Clay to his side. He then looked around to see that no one wore green the way he wanted us to. That only a few had accessorized with the color. (I didn’t get the message that we were supposed to wear green, I wasn’t on the computer like a day before the concert, I was more worried on making sure I was there lol. And I had what I wanted to wear already planned out anyways.) He was in all green, green Hoodie and green shorts! One of the girls said to him that “we are girls and we plan these things in advance so that’s why no one was wearing it” and he playfully/snarkly said “I don’t care I said for y’all to wear green” so we all laughed and we decided on the next groups color to be blue.

  Clay then told us that this concert was earlier than the others that this one was at 7:30 and not 8 so we had to hurry along, so we all went “AWW” and he was like “relax we still have plenty of time, but lets get on with the questions” that way he would have enough time to answer them. I didn’t really ask too much I just was in “shock and awe” so I listened lol.

  So one girl asked “How long before the next CD?” Clay said “it could be a few years, that on this one he wasn’t gonna just give in to them and make it.”

  Next question “Will he be staying with RCA” which Clay said “Yes if they still want him”, that he likes the people there that he works with and that all the labels are really run the same way that they all have there pros and cons. And he said a quote, something about “the devil you know rather than the one you don’t.”

  Then the next question was “What is the name of your producer?” Clay said that he wasn’t ready to announce that so she asked can you at least give us the initials and he said No and laughed.

  Then they asked, “Will the CD be original material? Will there be more up tempo songs?” Clay then said that basically “he had no control over ATDW, that they basically mandated it and that he will fight for originals this time.” That he would “hold out to get what he wants on this CD, which is why it may take a while to get out.” He doesn’t want to do covers again. (So there it is straight from his mouth)

  Then he was asked if “Back for More” would be on the next CD and he said “No, that he didn’t really like it, he felt it was cheesy” But he did say he really liked “Tears run dry” to which I said that was my favorite and he smiled lol.

  That’s when Clay paused and pulled out his I-phone. He was going to let us hear a new song he recorded. He got frustrated when he couldn’t get the volume up so we said pass it around to which he was like “oh no, NO one touches the I-phone but me” to which we all laughed and he said “huddle around ladies” so we all squished around the coffee table to hear it. It was a faster paced up-tempo song, sounded good from what I could hear. I glanced up when we were listening to be being stared at by those beautiful green eyes (Dies)

  So we all sat back down and then some one asked him what his feelings were on all the “clack” (both video and Mp3), did he think it was a good advertising tool. He said, “He didn’t mind it but that it was in no way advertising.” To which there was a small argument between them over it. Clay said, “That if people weren’t already interested they wouldn’t be looking for it and that only his fans know where to find it.” To which the lady said she thought it was good advertising, but he stood his ground and said “no it was not good for promotion, that he doesn’t mind if people take pictures and long as there are no flashes and that he doesn’t mind if they take video as long as they don’t block other peoples views and that as long as its OK with the venue and the orchestras.” He said, “he has no say, but it is illegal but if the venue doesn’t mind then he doesn’t, as long as people weren’t complaining about, and if Jerome feels that some one is being inconsiderate or inappropriate while they are video taping or taking pictures that even if the venue allows it he will tell them to stop, that its Jerome’s choice. He said, “Just don’t be rude and stand up to tape when people are sitting.” Which was nice to hear that he cares because I have had people do that to me. I love my “Clack” but I also pay decent money to see him live too, and that what I want more than anything is to see him live!

  Clay was then asked, “How did he learn that he could turn his feet around backwards?” He said, “he always had crows feet, so one day he tried to see how far he could turn them.”

  Then he was asked about the hair on his arms. I never noticed he didn’t have any until the girls said that. Then as I’m sure we all know Clay “told us to keep it a secret” but really y’all knew anyways before hand, due to the pictures out there. So everyone should stop being so “upset” that “Clay told the Canandaigua meet and greeters a deep dark personal secret.” It’s just hair ladies lol. Not something personal about family or friends, to which that I could understand if it was asked to be kept private that it stay that way, private. He was probably just kidding around with us because he knew that all of us were already discussing it like he made a life altering decision. JMHO!!
  

  Next question was, “Will he blog more quotes?” Clay said, “probably not, he thought it was a fun idea but he is to lazy to do it, which he thought he could have some one else do it but decided not to.”

  Would he do a movie? Clay said “sure but no one has offered him a role, but if he was offered and he liked it he would possibly do it.” To which we said Disney and he said “ he would love to do something like ‘Beauty and the Beast’ but Disney doesn’t really do those anymore, they don’t have a lot with music numbers in them.”

  He was then asked, “What it was like to work with the symphonies?” He said he “enjoys it, that some are more fun than others, like Rochester’s was fun, and a few previous ones really didn’t think the music was ‘funny.’ But he enjoys the sound of the singing and the symphonies together so he would love to continue work with them.” He also said “he asked one of the violinists at one of the concerts if she had a chance to look over the sheet music?” to which she replied “yes, and I see I have a solo on ‘she thinks my tractors sexy’ and he made a face showing that the violinist really didn’t have a sense of humor.

  The next question was, “Why not more tour merchandise?” Clay said, “he doesn’t like to have a lot of people working for him so they keep that stuff limited other wise he would have to hire more people and more trucks to move and sell the merchandise, that He wants it simple.” He said “they had run out of shirts, and they had ordered more but didn’t know how to get it all to the next venue. That it might not all fit on the bus and teased about having us fans take them to the next venue for him”, which we all said we would and he was like “no” and laughed. He was then asked about “why we weren’t getting any more calendars?” Clay then said that “they need to be done so far in advance (by like February) in order to get it out the following year and they just kept missing the deadline.” He also said “that by the time the calendar came out that his look would have changed anyway.”

  Then Jamie stood up and said he needed to start signing our items so we passed them over to Jamie to hand to him to get signed. As he took the item he asked who was it for and how to spell the name. I printed my favorite picture of Clay to have him sign.

  After he signed all the items, he stood up to take pictures. Mary called out the 1st name on the list. It was my name! She said “Angela is first” and I sat there and Clay said, “come on over here Beautiful” (I swear that’s what I heard unless my mind played tricks on me lol) and I stood up and said “oh yeah that’s me! I almost forgot my own name” and Clay laughed. He then asked, “How I’d like to pose?” and I said “ I want a hugging pose, I promise I won’t squeeze ya to tight.” I then looked at Jerome who gave me a thumbs up when I said that. But as I was looking at Jerome all of the sudden Clay caught me off guard by pulling me closer to him. He took my left arm and put it around his neck and then he put his right hand on my lower back and pulled our faces together and took my other hand in his. Jamie took the picture. He then gave me a small hug and I said, “Thank you so much Hun” (I know I can’t believed I called him that) to which He said, “thank you darlin”(I almost died hearing him say that!) Then as I was going to sit back down Jamie said that is such a cute picture clay said “ok good” (he wanted to make sure neither of us had blinked) and the security guard lady said that it was gonna look awesome and I said “did I blink?” and Jerome said “no, it looked very nice.” Then I sat back down and squealed with Tammy (Gotclay) about how awesome Clay smelled. The picture taking went by so quick! He then thanked all of us and then said good bye and left.

  We were then taken back to the elevator and out to the venue, where all the people sitting there were like “look those girls just met Clay Aiken.”

  It was the best day ever! It was amazing! Clay is such a sweet heart!

  (All quotes are direct quotes from the people involved, as much as my memory would allow me to be direct.)

  ~Angela

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