FIRST POST AFTER CONCERT
I was at both the Seattle and Portland concerts. CLAY FELT MUCH BETTER in Portland, thank God!!!! The difference compared to Seattle was incredible. He had that spring back in his step, looked VERY happy, not in pain, no limping.

I had front row seats in Portland. There was no comparison to my level 1 seats the previous night in Seattle (which I had thought were good!).

Before Rube and Clay sing The Girl is Mine, they do that bit with the audience where they turn the house lights up to see the fans and all the signs, read them, joke around, etc.

I was front row on the left and was holding my sign:

Clay survived Seattle
Are you OK, honey?

Clay pointed at my sign, read it, and came over, leaving Ruben to converse with the crowd. He mouthed to me "I'm fine" and gave a thumbs up signal. Then he mouthed "thank you for asking" and then he rubbed his right thigh with his hand and made a pained look, as if trying to tell me it was still sore. (This was all off mic.) Then he went back to the center with Ruben. When he was with Ruben, center, he was all jokey and bantering, but when he came over to me he was very earnest and sincere, switching into "genuine" mode from his "on stage" mode.

Clay had been great the night before in Seattle-he performed so well despite being sick and injured. His voice was magnificent. But until I saw Clay in Portland, I didn't realize how subdued he really was in Seattle. He must have felt REALLY BAD.

MY CONCERT SEATS
I was in the front row on the floor near the left of the stage. A waist-high barrier was all that separated the "front rowers" from the stage. I was so close! And because Clay spends more time on the left side than right, my seat was ideal. As the Seattle concert had approached, my growing excitement had made me want to experience a concert up close, from "the floor." Starting a week before the Portland concert, I checked the Ticketmaster website once or twice daily for close-up seats to become available. All week long--nothing. The nearest available floor seats were way, way back--row 25 or so. Then the morning before the Portland concert, I checked the site again. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT when on the screen I saw the words "Row 1, Floor." I think I was shaking, and rushed to make the transaction in the allotted two minutes. After the purchase, I know I cried. I was going to see Clay from the front row!

THE ROSE GARDEN CROWD
The Portland crowd was not as big as the crowd the night before in Seattle. There were several large blocks of first level seats completely unfilled. Hardly anyone was sitting on the third level, and its back sections were blocked off. The crowd was also not as loud or enthusiastic as in Seattle, especially in the beginning. It was harder to warm them up. By the end, though, they were into it, with many people belting out God Bless the USA along with the idols. Behind me, there was a gay couple that was totally into Clay. Clay brings in folks of all ages and persuasions.

I saw Carmen's family sitting in the first row of level one just to the left of me. Mom, Dad, younger brother, and sister. At least I'm pretty sure it was them! They stood up whenever Carmen performed.

THIS IS THE NIGHT
This is the Night was incredible, just as the night before in Seattle (although I think Clay was a tad better vocally in Seattle). Clay was more active on the deep knee bends in Portland since he was mostly recovered from his allergic reaction and limp (straight from the Clay's mouth-see above). Great voice, wonderful. He has an incandescent glow about him when he sings this one (makes you wonder if he's plugged into a light socket somewhere).

AFTER INTERMISSION
During the second half of the show, Clay was just so dang lively compared to Seattle. He could do the dance steps instead of just hobbling around! He is a great dancer. He did the little hip action thing with Ruben but didn't finish it off (like the famous Toronto video clip). But he was clearly feeling his oats and wanting to shake his booty.

During the bit before The Girl is Mine where Ruben and Clay look at the audience signs, they read one sign that said "If Clay is unavailable, I'll take the guitar player" and made the guitar player (the one with the hair like Clay) come forward so they could rib him. This was right before Clay came over to me and my sign (see above for what he said to me).

At one point, Ruben was hassling Clay about the fact that he still didn't have a video out. Clay said something like it would be coming out, but that people would have to PAY for it. I'm not sure if I heard that right or not (Note: someone corrected me on this. Clay said we would have to WAIT for the video.)

Someone threw a golden, bejeweled crown up on the stage with red panties attached. Clay made as if to place it atop his head but didn't (no mess that fine hair!).

Ruben wore a Blazers jersey for one of his songs. It was number 50 and a bit tight! Clay did not wear any jerseys in Portland. He wore the striped shirt on Invisible.

CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT
As at Seattle and other concerts late in the tour, Clay paused at the end of Can You Feel the Love Tonight before singing the last word. We just about die screaming while waiting for that last note. He loves to do that to us. He just smiles-earpieces hanging freely so he can hear us-and waits for the screams to thunder around the arena and deafen him.

Here's another perspective on this moment from someone clearly not suffering from Clay fever:

His performance of one of those Elton John/Disney songs excited the crowd to the point where Aiken was able to pause for at least 15 seconds before bleating out the last note without being spat upon. (from the Oregonian)

INVISIBLE
Clay's performance of Invisible was incredible. So much more energetic than Seattle. So much more movement across the stage and bounce in his step. He seemed overjoyed to be feeling better and put it all into his performance. He gave us several jersey tugs including one that was a total tease, where he just put his hand up to his shirt and fingered it as if he was going to pull it in a clutch, but he just paused there and didn't. Everyone screamed in anticipation but he just smiled.

As Clay sang Invisible, the crowd sang with him--amazing how everyone knows the words to this unreleased song. I really felt part of something as I sang with the masses and with Clay--I'm not sure what, but something. I think that mass sing along is the crowd saying, "we love you, Clay." What must it be like for Clay to feel so much love directed his way? No wonder he glows when he performs. It makes me think of the halo on Jesus' head in old religious paintings. Is the halo nothing more than the glow of reflected love?

GOD BLESS THE USA FINALE
The idols lined the front of the stage for a group performance of this patriotic song, which they had sung many times on American Idol during the Iraq war. I had hated the song from the moment I heard it. Every time the idols performed it, I felt like it was boosterism, patting ourselves on the back for being so great, for being American, for taking it upon ourselves to solve the problems of the world. And I squirmed to think the idols had to perform that song no matter what their politics and views on the war.

But in Portland, the song drew me in, and I sang along with the crowd and the idols. It didn't feel political at all. More than anything, the communal sing seemed a way to share a moment with all the singers, to reminiscence about the unlikely roller coaster ride of a show that had captivated us all spring long, and to say good-bye to American Idol and its unknown young stars.

Well, not all of them will remain unknown. As bound-for-glory Clay sang, standing center stage, he was throwing out winks, smiles, and outstretched arms to people in the crowd at a frantic pace. Everyone singing in the crowd wanted a piece of him--"my own wink"--and he was doing his darnedest to satisfy as many hungry fans as he could. During the last line of God Bless the USA, I was the lucky one--he pointed right at me and winked. THUD. Good thing I could hold onto the barrier between me and the stage to keep from falling flat on my face.

CUTE STORY: EN ROUTE TO PORTLAND
I drove down from Seattle to Portland the afternoon of the show. Several times I was thinking, "Just hours ago, Clay drove this very road to Portland. My tires are going where his tires went. My body is passing through the same physical space that his was." OK--that's kind of weird and not the cute part.

The cute part:
I stopped at a rest stop along the freeway about halfway to Portland. I went to the restroom, then got a cup of tea, and sat a few minutes on a bench. I was staring at my car parked in the lot and noticed it had a sign taped to the window on the driver's side. Two people walked up to the car to read the sign. Then I went over. Someone had taped up a sign reading "Thanx for being a Claymate!"

I have no idea who did that. I was looking pretty normal at the rest stop, wearing a plain red shirt and jeans, not even my red shoes on yet. I think they must have walked by my car and looked inside. On the front seat, passenger side, were my red Puma shoes. On the back seat was my bright yellow sign, lying face up, easy to read: "Clay survived Seattle. Are you OK, honey?"

Anyway, getting that sign taped to my window really made me feel the Clay love! Clay fans are a great bunch, aren't they?

AM I A CLAY GROUPIE?
What is a groupie? I've always thought they were fans who traveled from town to town to see a band while it's touring. Am I now officially a "groupie" since I drove three hours to Portland to see Clay after seeing him the night before in my home town of Seattle?

I did meet several people at the concert who are much worse than I am. Three separate people or couples had been to five or more concerts each! They are Clayheads.

TO SUM IT UP
Portland crowd: so-so, improving as the night wore on
Portland Clay: fantastic, energetic, my hero, he talked to me! THUD!!!!!

Clay is so sweet. It's a good thing there are barriers up between row 1 and the stage. I just wanted to hug that poor boy after all he went through in Seattle. So wonderful to see him hopping around, happy and recovered in Portland.

ENDURING PORTLAND MEMORIES

• the day before the concert, when "Row 1, Floor" seats suddenly became available at the Ticketmaster website
• mysterious Clay fans leaving the "Thanx for being a Claymate" sign on my car window at the rest stop en route to Portland
• during the show, when Clay came over to me and answered the question on my sign, "Are you OK, honey?"
• screaming for Clay to sing the last note of Can You Feel the Love Tonight
• his energy and happiness on Invisible, no, during his every moment on stage (in contrast to his pain in Seattle)
• singing in unison with the crowd (and Clay) on Invisible and God Bless the USA
• my own personal "point and wink" from Clay during God Bless the USA
  

MY PORTLAND PHOTOS
My front row pics here: http://photos.yahoo.com/elfe350

last updated 9/17/03