I’ve seen a lot of great concerts in my long life, including Miles Davis, Steely Dan, Pat Metheny, Johnny Hartman, Bonnie Raitt, Chick Corea, Paul Simon, Ahmad Jamal, Los Lobos, Sting, Todd Rundgren, Wayne Shorter, Weird Al Yankovic, and many others.
As I prepare for a concert of my own original songs (!), I went to a concert last night of two wonderful singers and human beings: Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken.
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Ruben and Clay, who obviously love each other, showed a lot of love for the audience by inviting us to sing along, dance, and even take pictures and videos. Here’s a little snippet of last night’s concert:
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Ruben and Clay are not only superb singers but also warm, funny, and very engaging performers.
Sitting next to me at the concert were Ashleigh (who has loved Clay for 20 years) and her husband Adam, who prefers punk rock concerts.
As you can see, Adam is all in on Ruben and Clay. Ashleigh and I reminisced about the Clay concerts we’ve been to, and the very cold weather last night reminded me of driving in a dangerous snow storm many years ago to hear Clay sing Christmas songs. Ashleigh told me she was supposed to go to that concert but she was too young to drive, and her mother refused to take her, saying, “I am not going to risk killing us just so you can see Clay Aiken.” Ashleigh said she cried herself to sleep and I told her, “If I had known, I would have come by to get you.” I also showed Ashleigh and Adam this photo of me on a Broadway stage with Clay when he was in Spamalot …
… and they were very impressed.
Late last night I asked this question about concerts on Twitter:
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Here are my other images for today’s “Concerts” post:
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Apparently, I’m not too goddamn old for concerts.
I love concerts with great singers, so here is Clay with the amazing Hannah Waddingham:
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Thanks to all who are showing up, here and now, for this “Concerts” blog post, including YOU!
My first concert may have been a big band, whose name I can’t remember – keep thinking it was Duke Ellington, but I don’t think so – at a college in my town. But I am proud to mention that I have also been to somewhere between 200 and 300 Grateful Dead shows.
Great concerts, Barbara!
Also love opera.
Thanks for sharing!
You are famous! (For me, more famous than Clay Aiken) 💜
Thanks for your support, Maureen!
one day, someone will post a blog about going to your concert!
Wow! Thanks for this, beth.
Love music.. it’s good therapy.
It’s great therapy!
My first concert was Midnight Oil, unless you count the time I was on a camping trip on a farm near an amphitheater. I couldn’t see the band, since the venue was on the other side of a hill, and I don’t even remember who they were but I could hear the music so clearly under the stars. It was a great way to hear music, but so is something intimate like I think your concert will be.
Thanks, Chris.
Your concert list invigorates me, Ann. My very first — not-with-my-family concert was the New Riders of the Purple Sage with the Charlie Daniels Band at SUNY Stony Brook, which I and a group of high school friends talked our parents into allowing us to attend. But the first would be one of the polka bands that played at the various picnics my folks too me to while I was growing up. Sorry but I can’t peg an exact name … I was quite young.
I’mloving the music Anne! Awesomeness!
I love that you’re loving it, my awesome friend!