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Clay shines in city he calls `home'

Even tour partner Kelly Clarkson gets in on the fans' adulation of Aiken

COURTNEY DEVORES

Special to The Observer

"It's pretty close to a perfect day if I do say so myself," Clay Aiken beamed, as he finished singing "A Perfect Day" two songs into his set at Charlotte Coliseum Tuesday. "My first concert tour and I get to open it here, at home."

Aiken's appearance Tuesday in Charlotte wasn't just another concert. It was opening night of his co-headlining tour with "American Idol" first-year winner Kelly Clarkson.

For many area fans, the homecoming of last year's Idol runner-up and UNC Charlotte grad was an event. Two local fan groups, Charlotte Claymates and M'Aiken a Difference, gathered late Tuesday afternoon at area restaurants to share the anticipation.

For many the Charlotte date is just the first in a string of stops on the tour.

Lily Elkins, 14, of Durham and her mother plan on catching Aiken in Raleigh and Winston-Salem as well.

"I didn't watch the first `American Idol,' " Lily said shortly after Clarkson's set. "But I started watching the second one the night they showed Clay's tryout. I liked both Ruben and Clay, then Clay did `Grease' and I saw him sing in Raleigh and I was a Clay fan from there."

Clarkson, whose fiery voice rivals today's top pop divas, looked ever the down-to-earth country girl in baggy, ripped jeans, a vintage "Love That Country Music" baby T-shirt, and bare feet. The only hint of diva from the Texas native was her glitter eye shadow and the blue bustier and crop pants she later sported through Reba McEntire's "Why Haven't I Heard From You?"

Clarkson didn't seem to mind handing over the spotlight to Aiken. She even made her own "I Love Clay" tee. While she belted out gospel, jazz and pop numbers with energetic vigor, she saved the one-two punch of "A Moment Like This," her "American Idol" winner, and her No. 1 hit "Miss Independent" for last.

"I wasn't a big Kelly fan, but she was wonderful," said Amanda Garrett, 24, of Asheville, who wore a pair of homemade Clay earrings with two Clay faces hovering above her shoulders.

Spurred on by chants of "We Want Clay," Aiken surprised everyone by entering from the audience. His backup singers sang the first few bars of Mr. Mister's '80s hit "Kyrie," as Aiken joined in from the back of the arena followed by a swarm of security guards. Wearing a pin-striped blue shirt and tie, gray, striped slacks and white Nikes, Aiken soared through songs like "No More Sad Songs," and "Without You," a duet with backup singer Kiana Parlor, whom he met during his Idol tryout here in Charlotte. The duet is a new one, which Aiken recorded with former Idol contestant and roommate Kimberly Locke for her upcoming debut album.

When Aiken sang the lyrics "When you say you love me do you mean it" he was met with deafening cheers. Aiken played up his heartthrob image by pulling on his button-down shirt as if he'd tear it off during his current hit "Invisible."

Despite Aiken's local celebrity, the Coliseum was far from sold out. The top tier balcony was blacked out and second-row seats were made available the day of the show.

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This is another review from last night, do they even know Kelly performed too?

Devoted fans follow feats of Clay Aiken

By Sean Piccoli
Pop Music Writer
Posted February 28 2004

Jeanette Dessimoz is not a Grateful Dead fan. But she has a routine any Deadhead would recognize. Dessimoz is leaving her Fort Lauderdale home this week to follow her favorite live act on tour. She hit Tampa on Friday. Tonight, it's Sunrise. Monday, she'll be in Raleigh, N.C. Dessimoz, who works for a telephone company, is hooking up with friends and other fans along the way, talking set lists and comparing notes about every concert she attends.

"This is a first for me," Dessimoz says of her recent road-tripping, "and I'm 52."

The object of her new interest is not some legendary rock band with an old hippie legion in tow. It's Clay Aiken, tousle-haired star of American Idol. The rookie pop singer, 25, who talks softly and has a big, ballad-eating voice, plays the Office Depot Center tonight. He is co-headlining the latest Idol road show with Kelly Clarkson, winner of the popular singing contest's inaugural season.

Aiken, of course, did not receive the title of "American Idol." The second-season crown went to Ruben Studdard. But No. 2 in the rankings finished first in the hearts of people whose commitment only started with a weekly viewing habit.

Self-styled "Claymates" made Aiken's debut album, Measure of a Man, one of 2003's top sellers. Fans alone have raised $300,000 for a foundation Aiken started last summer to benefit children with developmental disabilites. That total does not include any album royalties or box-office earnings Aiken himself contributes to the cause. Combine the television ratings, record and ticket sales, foundation money and general devotion of people like Dessimoz, and the Aiken craze resembles a movement whose front line happens to be, as Dessimoz puts it, "a bunch of women in their 40s and 50s."

"I think he is the right person at the right time," says Fran Skinner-Lewis, who runs the Bubel/Aiken Foundation out of Chicago. "And I think what you're finding is that there has been a need in this country for a role model who is a real role model, not a manufactured role model."

Never mind that Aiken graduated from a reality program that manufactures sensation and entertains in part by showing us humiliated losers. Fox Television, whatever its methods, has done good in the view of Claymates: American Idol gave the world a kind and deeply religious young man who survived the barbs of Idol judge Simon Cowell, won't disrobe on national television and inspires a protective, almost maternal devotion.

"[Fans] have found something in themselves that has been awakened by Clay," says Skinner-Lewis. "I think it's really because the television show allowed him to come into his own in front of the country. And the more that people discovered who he is as a man, the more they were able to connect to him."

Pat Sicoli of Melbourne, considers herself a case in point. Sicoli works for an association representing auto dealers and spends a lot of time traveling. She first saw Aiken on television in a hotel room. She loved his voice but says she was "hooked" by his activism, which she learned of at the online discussion boards where Aiken fans congregate. Sicoli was expecting to see many of the board-posters in person this week as she prepared to attend the Tampa and Sunrise shows with her grandchildren and twin sister.

This is all very new to her. "I mean, I grew up with Elvis," she says. "I'm a very conservative, level-headed person and I've never been a fanatic about anybody. I don't know what it is, but there is something about Clay."

The essence of Clay will no doubt be plumbed at the first annual "Clay-vention," March 5-7 in Raleigh, a few days after the Aiken/Clarkson concert there. Sicoli might not make it. Dessimoz and others will.

"They need a Clay fix," Dessimoz says of her energized peers. "They need to talk and laugh and giggle. It is addictive, I think, in a way. I have never been so thoroughly entertained in my life."

Sean Piccoli can be reached at spiccoli@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4832.

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Miami Herald Review (claysession)
www.miami.com/mld/miamihe...072956.htm
Miami Herald He sang his unlikely selection extremely well, revealing the gospel roots of the tune by opening it as a ballad amid hearty piano chords, and then taking it to a rousing finish.

The performance Saturday night showed that the poised, charismatic and confident Aiken can handle more than the unchallenging, overproduced pop mush of The Way and When You Say You Love Me that his producers have saddled him with so far.
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Sun-Sentinel Review (ellenpoppy)
THIS is why I wish Clay wasn't paired with another AI alumnus--this woman can't look past AI. And she sure as hell didn't get what we all got from Clay's performance. But as always, compliments on the voice:

www.sun-sentinel.com/spor...-headlines

Aiken and Clarkson show off Idol mettle

By Jennifer Peltz
Staff Writer
Posted March 1 2004

MIAMI Clay Aiken isn't the type of heartthrob who gets women's underwear thrown at him. He's the type who gets women's cell phones thrust at him, with their mothers on the line.

And he is the type who talks to their mothers, as about 7,100 people learned Saturday at the AmericanAirlines Arena.

Even if it was a stunt -- and it didn't appear to be -- it's this sort of accessibility that helped make the careers of Aiken and tour mate Kelly Clarkson, two of the most successful graduates of TV's American Idol. Ask fans what they see in the two, and most will marvel that the populist-pop stars started out as unknowns. Never mind that so did most other stars. The Idols, explained Kami Churba of Plantation, "don't seem to forget it."

They made sure to send that message Saturday, whether by means of Clarkson's frayed jeans and bare feet or Aiken's confession that he wasn't quite sure how to look smooth while navigating his set's stairs.

But Aiken was more than able to sound smooth while reproducing Perfect Day, Invisible and much of the rest of his double-platinum debut album, Measure of a Man.

He managed to look mildly convincing making eyes at a backup singer during a cover of Prince's When Doves Cry, but the self-professed nerd's specialty is a squeaky-clean sincerity. With his loose-limbed walk, jacket-and-jeans wardrobe and half-shy stage moves, Aiken comes off like a John Cusack character, and it's impossible not to be won over by him. The average member of his audience didn't just like him -- she'd like to have him for a son-in-law.

Clarkson may not inspire whatever it is that makes grown women call themselves "Claymates," but she's a punchier performer with a wider-ranging repertoire. And she plays a bit of guitar -- if with a feather boa for a strap -- and shares writing credit on some of her own double-platinum disc, Thankful.

Clarkson proved equally at home with the r&b-flavored title song, Miss Independent's strut and the country-style takedown of Reba McEntire's Why Haven't I Heard From You. A piano-only version of her own album's Beautiful Disaster proved she has an ear for mood as well as music.

For all their ability, the Idols do little to harness music's power to challenge, advance the cause of human creativity or even stop listeners in their tracks. And the armchair democracy that creates them does little to promote it. As Aiken fan Carolann Bailey of Daytona Beach put it, she likes his record because you can turn it on while you're doing whatever you want to do around the house.

But to take issue with these duly elected celebrities is virtually to be branded unpatriotic. They are officially idols (despite coming in second on the TV show, in Aiken's case), and who's to say they shouldn't be? When ordinary people go on reality shows to prove they can be stars while stars go on reality shows to prove they can be ordinary people, the vanishing point where the sidelines meet the stage can't be far off. In the future, everyone will be obscure for 15 minutes.

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Clay, Kelly Rock RBC Center
Concert Tour Brings Aiken Home To Raleigh, WRAL

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Raleigh's Clay Aiken was in town Monday for stop No. 5 on his 30-city concert tour with "American Idol" Kelly Clarkson.


Clay Aiken performs in front of a sold-out crowd at the RBC Center.

Aiken and Clarkson sang their hits to a sold-out crowd at the RBC Center. A couple of fans hyperventilated during the concert, but were treated and are fine.

The excitement is a lot for Aiken, too. This time last year he was competing on "Americal Idol 2."

Aiken says even though he and Clarkson -- who won the competition two years ago -- just got to know each other three weeks ago, the two share a special bond.

"I've never really had anybody who's gone through the exact same stuff that I've been through," he said.

While in Raleigh, Aiken invited WRAL backstage, which included an exclusive tour of the tour bus he shares with Clarkson and bodyguard Jerome.

"[Kelly and I] both said that would be going to sleep as soon as we got on the bus and for the past three nights we've been the last ones to go to sleep. We sit up and talk for the entire night," Aiken said.

Aiken's trip on the road to stardom brought him back to WRAL, where he joined Lynda Loveland and Bill Leslie Monday on WRAL's Noon News.

Raleigh's singing sensation talked about about many subjects, including what fans can expect at his concerts, what the future holds and negative press.

"I take it all like I take ("American Idol" judge) Simon (Cowell). Kelly says Simon was the way to prepare us for the critics, because not everyone is going to like you every minute and sometimes they're just going to say things for the sake of being mean. If they were any better at it, they'd be doing it themselves," Aiken said.


Aiken is right at home on the set of WRAL's Noon News.

Aiken said he has enjoyed all the special appearances -- especially Saturday Night Live -- and music awards, but he refuses to let it all go to his head.

Monday morning, Claymates lined up at WRAL-FM Mix 101.5, where Aiken joined Bill Jordan and Sheri Logan on the air.

Some fans came from as far as Canada, Texas, Boston and New York for the Raleigh concert and a chance to see their favorite pop star up close.

Ginger Strazzulla, 70, of Boston, and her niece, Karlyn Fuller, were among those in the crowd.

"He has a wonderful voice. He is the type of voice for every generation," Strazzulla said. "I really feel as though he is a role model for the younger people of today. It is so refreshing to listen to him and not have to turn my ears away when some of the words come out."


Some fans came from as Canada for the Raleigh concert and a chance to see their favorite pop star up close.

Strazulla and Fuller plan to attend the shows in Long Island and Massachusetts.

Others in the crowd said they are among friends -- meeting each other in person after chatting with each another in Clay Aiken chat rooms over the past year.

The duo performs in Winston-Salem on March 13.

On March 16, Aiken's new single featuring "The Way" and "Solitaire" is scheduled for release.

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Triumphant Homecoming: Kelly/Clay Tour Hits Raleigh
by Sheri Liles (2004/03/03)
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It may have been billed as the Kelly Clarkson/Clay Aiken Independent Tour but to the sold out crowd at the RBC Center in Raleigh on Monday night it was "The Clay Aiken Show" with two opening acts.

It wasn't that the Beu Sisters weren't adorable. They were energetic, cute, and played to please the crowd. They tried to connect with the audience and their talent was evident though still developing. Their rousing rendition of their original song, Stop, Stay Away From My Sister was particularly remarkable.

It wasn't that Kelly Clarkson wasn't fabulous. Kelly possesses a wonderful voice, clear and melodious. Like the Beu Sisters, Kelly is energetic and cute. She graciously acknowledged that it was a Clay crowd and played that up as much as possible by wearing a I Love Clay shirt and mentioning his name numerous times during her set just to hear the screams. She particularly endeared herself to many in the audience by pinning on a "Raleigh Claymate" button handed to her by a fan.

Kelly sang many of the songs from her CD, "Thankful" including her classic American Idol winning A Moment Like This which showcased her beautiful voice, Thankful which revealed her songwriting talent, and the peppy The Trouble with Love Is. She also covered Reba McIntyre's Why Haven't I Heard From You and performed Timeless, a beautiful duet with Jacob Luttrell, one of the backup vocalists. It didn't take long for the crowd to acknowledge Kelly's talent with resounding applause and dancing, particularly among the floor seats. During Kelly's last song, her most recent hit, Ms. Independent, the entire audience was on its feet. She left the audience energized and happy and waiting for Clay.

For most of the audience consisting of Raleighites, North Carolinians, and many fans from across the country, there was only one reason for attending. The love between Clay Aiken and Raleigh is evident and enduring. Who can forget the minutes-long standing, screaming ovation Raleigh gave Clay during the American Idol tour and his tears of appreciation? Anyone in attendance that night still remembers the electricity in the air and the overwhelming feeling of pride in the hometown hero. As a result, Raleigh has become the Mecca of any tour involving Clay and many in attendance on Monday night traveled from other states to relive the experience. They were not disappointed.

On Monday night, when the lights were finally dimmed after intermission, a roar emanated from the audience in anticipation of Clays appearance. Fans that are active on the internet were prepared for Clay's grand entrance from the audience and many eyes were searching for his entrance point. Strains of the Mister Mister hit, Kyrie, were heard long before the spotlight shone on Clay, entering from the back of the arena. He and his security entourage made their way to the front along the side of the floor audience, a tidal wave of sensation. He finally reached the stairs to the stage and slowly climbed to the stage. Pausing, akin to a king looking over his kingdom, he soaked in the deafening screams and applause, before launching into the remainder of the song. He immediately followed up with a vigorous version of Perfect Day and then songs from his CD, "Measure of a Man," including I Will Carry You, I Survived You, No More Sad Songs, and his next single, The Way, to be released on March 16 on a single CD with the long awaited Solitaire. He enlisted the assistance of the adoring audience in singing his hit, Invisible.

For a slim man, Clay Aiken possesses a remarkable stage presence. He was all over the stage, from one side to the other, interacted with the back up vocalists and the band, confidently strode out on the catwalk in front of the stage, sauntered down into the audience, touched the hands of the ones in the front row, and bantered with the crowd. He grabbed the cell phone of a "cellcert" participant and talked to the female on the other end, telling her to "breathe, honey," further rendering her unable to breathe by singing his next song, When You Say You Love Me, while holding the phone to his ear. He charmed the audience by bringing a little girl on stage with him and singing to her on bended knee. His charisma, charm, and all out likeability was rivaled only by his soaring voice. The joy of the audience was rivaled only by the joy on Clays face during every performance.

The entire set was magnificent but there were several high points. In the absence of Kimberley Locke, Quiana Parler, one of the backing vocalists, stepped in to help perform Clays and Kimberley Lockes duet of Without You, soon to appear on Kimberleys debut CD. Quiana, as American Idol watchers will remember, won the Charlotte audition that Clay lost. She was outstanding and it would boggle any intelligent mind as to why she didnt make the final 12 during American Idol 2. Clay's acoustic set, along with one guitar player and three back up vocalists, struck a cord with the audience as he covered When I Need You, Sting's Fields of Gold, and sang his own Measure of a Man. Then he thrilled the North Carolina crowd with James Taylor's Carolina In My Mind while nearly everyone in the arena sang along.

The picture of Clay standing at the end of the catwalk singing Run to Me with a single spotlight shining on him was unquestionably memorable. Although he had mentioned in an interview earlier that day that he had trouble reaching some of the notes of the song, his rendition was perfect.

By far, the zenith of the concert was the sizzling cover of Princes When Doves Cry including a sensuous dance with Angela Fisher, the other vocalist, leaving the females in the crowd moaning, squealing, or hyperventilating or all three. It was a mesmerizing performance both for his patented hip shakes and the smoldering looks directed at the crowd and elicited the loudest screams of the evening. Clay out-Princed Prince and proved without a doubt his icon status.

There is no question that any self-respecting Clay Aiken fan must see this show. The only question remains is how many concerts to attend.

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AIKEN NOT FAKIN': HE'S THE REAL DEAL

By DAN AQUILANTE
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March 6, 2004 -- A POST reader - a devoted "American Idol" fan - has been calling me a jerk for months.
All because I said the debut album by runner-up Clay Aiken was a limp, sappy, mealy-mouthed exercise in bombast by a crooner whose only hope was the hype garnered as he was force-fed to America.

In other words, the album was a stinker.

She will be elated to learn that at the Nassau Coliseum Thursday night, Aiken, on a double bill with his "Idol" cohort Kelly Clarkson, played a concert that was startlingly good.

There's never been a question whether or not Aiken can sing. What this concert showed was that, when placed under the lights on a concert stage, the lanky Southerner is an entertainer.

Wearing jeans, a rugby shirt and a sports coat, Aiken was completely unpretentious.

His aw-shucks, between-song banter was natural and the program had a wide reach - from Sting's "Fields of Gold" to his own "Invisible."

While his album was a geezer-pleaser, the stage show's program was more well-rounded, catering to an intergenerational house packed with kids.

Take Aiken's concert version of "Perfect Day." In the live rendering, the singer infused the song with unexpected grit and power that was completely missing from the bland, milquetoast studio take.

Aiken complained that he's been suffering from a sore throat, but there was no evidence of it during the show.

Still, the show was far from perfect: The bass and drums were cranked way too high, and the bottom beats overpowered at times, especially in the latter half of his set.

Aiken used his hit-the-back-wall superpower sparingly, but he couldn't help but inject a full measure of ballad bombast and histrionics into his power ballad "I Survived You."

Still, he didn't rely on those tricks to melt the crowd and unglue them from their seats. Instead, the show's real signature was tunes with upbeat tempos delivered by Aiken's rock band, which was propulsive in its attack.

Where Aiken did wow with slower material was when he stripped the instrumentation down to classical guitar, piano and voice arrangements. That was how he set up an unusual cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry" and James Taylor's pretty country/rock ballad "In My Mind I'm Going To Carolina."

Kelly Clarkson, who won the "American Idol" talent show in its debut year, opened the concert, but she was only OK during her hour-long set.

Clarkson's set depended on too may pop ballads fueled with vocal runs and acrobatics. The crowd lent her strong applause to "Beautiful Disaster," "Some Kind Of Miracle" and "Anytime," but the lack of variety was snore-inducing.

She did get the crowd out of the seats when she asked them to do so, but they were soon sitting again. The rule in rock is: If ya gotta ask, it doesn't count.

Where she did hit all the right buttons with the house was on the fast-break number "What's Up Lonely" and her big hit "Thankful."

The latter was her final tune in her set, and for it she made a quick costume change into a T-shirt that said "Clay Rocks" across her chest.

Who would have thought a T-shirt and TV show could be so right?

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At MCI, American Idolatry For the Feats of Clay and Kelly
Monday, March 8, 2004; Page C05

Fox's "American Idol" may be just a karaoke contest wrapped inside yet another let's-laugh-at-people reality show, but its premise -- let America decide whom it wants to listen to -- has produced some actual talent. First-season winner Kelly Clarkson and second season runner-up Clay Aiken don't just have great voices, they've quickly become solid performers. During their co-headlining show Friday at MCI Center, they both cruised the stage comfortably, even signing autographs mid-song without missing a note.

Aiken opened, singing "Kyrie Eleison" as he walked through the audience. Fans, a mix of screaming teens and equally ecstatic middle-aged women, sat only when he did, during an acoustic medley that included Sting's "Fields of Gold" and James Taylor's "Carolina in My Mind." Aiken's love songs are predictable, but they kept the audience at full attention. When he paused to talk to a fan's friend on her cell phone -- coaching the hysterical woman to "breathe, honey, breathe" -- his geeky grin sent the crowd into further delirium.

Though she didn't get the thunderous response granted to Aiken, Clarkson delivered a solid set, belting out her ballad "Beautiful Disaster" accompanied only by a piano, playing guitar with her band on "Low," and whispering Betty Hutton's '40s torch song "Stuff Like That There." But Clarkson lost momentum through several unnecessary costume changes, and it was clear by the lukewarm reaction (and preponderance of Aiken T-shirts) that Clay was the main attraction.

Aiken and Clarkson closed the show with a powerful duet of Journey's "Open Arms," turning a saccharine '80s ballad into a vocal workout, bringing the crowd back to its feet. The pair's talent is genuine, and the crowd was ecstatic.

-- Catherine P. Lewis

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This newspaper was in the lobby of the Hilton Gardens which provides the scenic view of the Wachovia Arena from many windows. Didn't find it on-line, so typed it out on the hotel computer here. Mr. Choman seemed determined to find negative things to say, but in the end, he didn't quite pull it off. If Clay is a "work in progress", the end product will be amazing!

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Kelly and Clay dazzle in their return to arena

by Alexander Choman
Citizen't Voice Music Critic

American Idol alumni Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken returned to Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza on Sunday night. But unlike previous trips where they were hot off appearances of the most recent competitions on the FOX phenomena they were teamed together this night on the Independent Tour for a sold-out performance as favorites of America's latest infatuation.

Both have clearly matured since they came to town last (Clarkson more, of course). In each one's case though, the adjustments from winners on 2002's version of the Amateur Hour and playing in the big league as it were, are still evolving.

In Clarkson's instance her voice is adjusting and maturing admirably.

The problem comes in the songs that sounded cutesy as "Kelly the novice wanna-be" just dont translate as well to "Clarkson the evolving professional."

In Aiken's case, he is most definitely still a work in progress, results yet to be determined.

In either scenario, and like their cohorts before them (I dare you to name all 20!). Aiken and Clarkson still seem awestruck by the entire experience. And at $46.50 a ticket, the audience might deserve better, I'm afraid.

While they take turns headling on each tour stop, Sunday evening it was Clarkson's turn to open which she did admirably with a generous selection of songs from her hot selling debut recording, "Thankful."

Playing before a set decorated with floor to ceiling transparent linen swatches bathed in various hues throughout the show. Clarkson rendered admirable versions of the title track. "Thankful", "Beautiful Disaster," Anytime", American Idol show stopper, "A Moment Like This" and "Miss Independent."

Clarkson's voice seems to have matured significantly passed these overproduced tunes that her producers burdened her with. On the other hand, her intepretation of Reba McEntire's work was not without merit...perhaps her best song of the night.

For his part, cohort Clay Aiken was clearly this crowd's favorite of the evening. Security ushered him in through the rear of Wachovia Arena in a bit of a grandiose entrance. From the moment he appeared until and hour or so later, the screams of "Clay, Clay, we love you Clay" didn't diminish from one part of the Arena or another.

Versions of Mister Mister's "Kyrie Eleison,"Perfect Day", "I Will Carry You,"The Way", and "When You Say You Loved" all opened and ended with roaring approval from the sold-out audience.

Journey's 1981 power ballad "Open Arms" seemed a bit anti-climatic as Clarkson joined Aiken joined fro the finale.

Aiken was the comsumate showman playing in front of his competent five-piece band and three backing vocalists. Aiken has a cocky confidence that exudes charisma and a belief that he can cover any song and win over any audience. Judging by the reaction of the Wachovia Arena crowd, perhaps he can.

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Clarkson and Aiken live up to `Idol'atry
By Amy Amatangelo
Wednesday, March 10, 2004

In a match made in marketing heaven, Kelly Clarkson, the winner of the first ``American Idol'' competition, and Clay Aiken, the runner-up in last year's competition, took their joint tour to the Worcester Centrum on Monday night. Both stars clearly have not forgotten the reason they have a career.
Aiken performed a slew of numbers from his album, ``Measure of a Man.'' His effortless banter with the crowd was delightful. He signed autographs, took a cellphone from an audience member, and when he saw a 5-year-old girl with a sign that read, ``Clay, can I sing with you?'' he brought her on stage. To his surprise, the young fan knew all the words to ``When You Say You Love Me.''
``You know this song better than I do,'' he said.
Let's be honest - the idea of Aiken covering Prince's hit ``When Doves Cry'' seems preposterous. But as judge Paula Abdul likes to say, it's all about making the song your own. And Aiken owned the song. Whether it was during a power ballad such as ``I Survived You'' or his hit ``Invisible,'' the Raleigh, N.C., native seemed to be having a blast on stage.
``Idol'' judge Simon Cowell's rallying cry is that contestants not only need vocal talent, they also need charisma. That kind of charm can't be taught, and Aiken has a joyful stage presence that is downright contagious. That's one reason he's touring with Clarkson, instead of Ruben Studdard, who aced him out in their season's final vote.
Compared to Aiken, Clarkson did not seem nearly as comfortable in front of the crowd. Although they shared the same three backup singers and band, the two sets were vastly different. Clarkson's stage was layered with Oriental rugs and giant candles and her stage persona was more affected.
Clarkson was often drowned out by her band and, at times, seemed to be screaming the lyrics. She fared better on such numbers as ``Beautiful Disaster'' and ``Thankful,'' accompanied by just the piano, so her rich voice could be heard. The live version of her mega-hit ``Miss Independent'' was the highlight of her set.
Like Aiken, Clarkson remembers where she came from. She closed with her first hit, ``A Moment Like This,'' and signed autographs during the entire song.

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