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2004-04-01 - 11:16 p.m. Salt Lake City - 3/26/04 So... I attended the concert in Salt Lake City last Friday night and being, as far as I knew, the only Broad who would be in attendance had really planned on (and looked forward to) sharing my solo BEVR with all of my Sistahs. I figured it would be a challenge as I've always had assistance with my BEVR in the past, but as my "use to be" hubby, aka "love of my life" **sniff** ('tis true) use to say "You're a game girl." However, I never imagined that the evening would turn out to be one which would be this difficult to put into words...or to share. To start, some of you may know that Quiana Parler is a very close friend of the aforementioned ex-hubby (as she's been performing in his show in Charleston, SC for the past 6 years.) My daughters who spend their summers in Charleston with their dad have gotten to be very good friends with her as well. Given that, and the fact that I would be seeing the concert WITH THEM in SLC, I anticipated at least a sliver of a chance that I just might be blessed with a Clay Encounter of a Close Kind. But I wasn't absolutely sure it would happen. I didn't share this with more than just a couple of Broads as I thought this information might make it appear as if I had a *connection* in some way, which I really didn't. Karen 'eh and Lila, who I just happened to be "chatting" with the morning my daughter came downstairs announcing that Quiana had just gotten an audition for the tour, can attest to the fact that my "connections" weren't worth "squat" in Uniondale. You see, even after much pleading and groveling on my part, neither my children nor Mr. X seemed to sense the urgency of my appeals and, being the prideful person I am, decided following Uniondale to just forget about it, and that if it were ever MEANT to happen, it would. Anyway, what follows is my SLC experience. Of course my heart wants to share it with ALL the Broads but my head tells me to keep it close to home. There are some things that I don't feel comfortable sharing publicly and there is also the privacy of my children and others to consider. So anyway, if you are reading this, please consider yourself a close and trusted friend. I would very much appreciate, no, IMPLORE your assistance in keeping this little story quiet and to yourselves... In other words... SHOW A LITTLE RESPECT FOR MY BEVR PLEASE! Here goes... The day began just like any other day... any other day that you're going to see both a Clay concert AND a daughter you haven't seen in over four months. This is already sounding like a life story that begins with "I was born"... Moving on. We (me, my sis and daughter #2) meet the shuttle bus from her college in Idaho to pick up daughter #1 around 3:00 p.m. at the single drop off location in SLC. Conveniently, we are camping out two blocks to the north at a condo Sis had decorated. The Delta Center looms a couple of blocks to the south. We didn't plan it that way. It just "worked out" somehow. It was perfect! After exchanging full blown hugs we all pile into the car to go grab a bite to eat. Four hours till the concert and we are very much on schedule. In the car I allude to the fact that it would be nice to order flowers for Quiana (no ulterior motive here, PLEASE!) and I hand my cell and the phone number of a local florist to daughter #1 (hereafter referred to as Whitney) who readily takes on the task of deciding the floral genre and card verbiage. Just as she is hanging up from the florist HER cell phone rings and we hear the following one-sided conversation. "Hey!" "Yea, we're here. We were just gonna get something to eat. Where are you?" "OK, we'll probably be there around... Whitney: Mom, what time are we planning on getting to the arena? Jannet: Wa wa wa wa wa (ala Charlie Brown's mom.) "Um, probably sometime between 6:00 and 6:30." "OK... yep, I'll call you. Bye." My sister, who is driving, asks me who she was talking to, and when I whisper, "I think it was Quiana" she almost runs into a pole. We grab our bite to eat. I don't ask a thing. I know Whitney has it under control. I have raised her well. We arrive back at the condo a little after 5:00 and Sis (Carol Ann) and I begin the task of trying to "tastefully" adorn ourselves without appearing to be too "enthusiastic". But before the buttons, baubles or beads are out of the bag the phone rings again... "Mom, Quiana just found out that Clay's Meet and Greet is at 5:30. Do you wanna go?" "Really sweetheart? "(fighting the urge to simultaneously throw up and wet my pants!!!) Of course I do! What a wonderful surprise!... And then PANIC!!!... it's already 5:15!!!! I am confident there is no need to waste time explaining to any of you the pandemonium that next ensued. We arrive at the Delta Center at 5:35. No Quiana. Now what? Whit calls her to say we're in the downstairs lobby near the ticket office and asks her where we're suppose to go. She tells us to wait right there. Meanwhile, an official looking somebody announces that anyone who is there for the "Meet and Greet" needs to put their stickers on and line up NOW. Still no Q. The stickered group follows the man through a door.. it closes... and they're gone. I get a nagging, sinking feeling that we've just missed our chance. Another five minutes, and Whitney's phone rings again. "Hey, this is the most I've talked to you in MONTHS. Where are you?" she asks. OK, so we're in the wrong place... or rather Quiana is in the wrong place. She's UPSTAIRS by the Will Call window, with "a friend." We run up the stairs and suddenly hugging and squealing erupts between Q and kids who are now jumping up and down. (Really!... I had NO IDEA!) Anyway, not knowing what else to do, I hug "the friend" and tell him I feel as if I know him. This is a picture of us after everyone has finished hugging, squealing and jumping up and down...
Picture courtesy of Carol Ann... Jacob and Quiana have given each of us a Backstage Pass. These aren't "stickers" but official looking tags on black leather cords, which we hang around our necks. They also remind us that we'll need to get them back to them after the concert or they'll be charged $100. My first thought is of my "Clack Shrine" and I think to myself "Couldn't I just GIVE you the hundred dollars???" But of course I don't say it. Now to find the "Meet and Greet," and this is where things begin to get foggy. I've actually had to consult with my kids and my sister several times to put the details of the next half hour or so in order. This will not be very articulate so forgive me. We follow them to a service elevator, which takes us down a couple of floors. The girls are chatting with Quiana and sis and I have NO problem chatting with Jacob. He is awesome! Anyone who's met him knows what mean! But do I remember what we were chatting about??? No friggin' way! The Twilight Zone takes on new meaning. All I remember is how nice everyone we passed seemed to be and how very far we seemed to walk in that cement underground which seemed to go in circles forever. I asked Q how she knew her way around this place after only one day and she told me she had no idea where she was but thought we were going in the right direction towards the M & G. We pass a room, which appears to be set up as a buffet and I smell food and remember thinking "I hope he's eaten something." When we have finally walked the full underground circle Q finally spots the tour manager and asks for directions. She's not sure either but says she thinks it's one floor up... so we head back to the elevator. We stop into another room on the way and Q says "Hey" to the people in the room, but I don't know who they are or what they are doing. Have you ever felt like you were on hard drugs? Me neither... until now. Next floor up. I think we took the elevator... we must have. We pass a wardrobe rack which is crammed with clothes hanging in drycleaner bags and my eyes are immediately drawn to a very familiar shade of chartreuse which is hanging right in front. Maybe it was the look on my face, because I don't think I swooned, but maybe I did. Anyway, Jacob says to me "Do you want to touch Clay's shirt?" O. M. G!!!! Busted!... Fangirl. So do I touch it? I'm embarrassed to say that... I DO. And not only that, but I reach under the bag and I put the palms of my hands right on the fabric where his clipples would be if he were wearing it... and I stroke them, I mean it... gently... in outward circles. Gaaaaaaahhhh! As I TORE myself away I noticed something dark blue hanging right behind it, but there just wasn't anymore time. And then suddenly there is a very, VERY LARGE man walking towards us and rather than feeling intimidated in any way I feel nothing but a HUGE, almost overwhelming, amount of love for this ONE who's job it is to protect. He is so sweet and we all talk for a minute (about what? GOD only knows... I only hope I never have to stand trial as a witness!) He points us the way to the M & G and he's on his way... to get... HIM. Walking into the M & G room is a bit of a blur (duh). Quiana explains to security guy that she is in the show and he doesn't seem to question it but DOES still bark out his orders. "Line up here by this post, you can get one autograph, NO CAMERA! There will be a group picture when it's over!" Meanwhile, we are the only one's besides him in the room. The other Meet and Greeters must have gotten a REALLY LONG LECTURE!.. wherever they are. As we're waiting I say something to Quiana like "Is it hard work doing the tour?" and I think Whitney asked her if she gets nervous before a concert. The response I remember was that it really isn't that hard and that she doesn't get nearly as nervous for this show as she gets for "your dad's" show because he's such a perfectionist. Here, they just have fun and if they mess up, like they do all the time, they just laugh about it. I also think she gave us a rundown of all the tour crew's personalities but again, I'm in the O-zone. And then the door opens and in bounces a pert little brunette who I immediately recognize as Kelly and then a couple of others trail in behind her. Not sure who they all are but one of them walks oddly at 10 and 2. It is obvious that he's just woken from his nap. His hair is sticking out every which way and his eyes still look a little glazed and puffy. Fresh from bed Clay he is... and a part of me wants to say "You can go back to bed Clayton. It's OK... you still have an hour. Just take me with you..." But before I can spit it out he approaches our little group and says something to the gist of "What's going on?" He looks around like he's thinking, "Is this... it?.. This is really...different than usual." My sis finally says something to break the ice (because I'M just staring at him) like "We didn't come down here with everyone else, and we kind of got lost" and he says "Well you guys broke the rules so I'm gonna have to leave"... and pretends to go but then turns back and smiles and says "I'm kidding!!! But seriously, who ARE you people? Finally Quiana comes to the rescue. REALLY Q!... where have you been for the last 10 seconds which has felt like 10 minutes???!!! So she introduces each us and tells him that she has known these kids since they were "this high" and that she works for their dad. While she's introducing us he shakes our hands and says "Glad to meet'cha" I guess... anyway that's what Whitney says happened. Kelly is chattering non-stop (which is a GOOD thing at this point) and then daughter #2 goes up to her and tells her about this audio tape that a little girl in our neighborhood made for her where she tells her how she is her BIGGEST FAN and that it is SO ADORABLE, but in our rush she forgot to bring it and it's back at the condo. Kelly says she'd love to hear it and tells her to she should send it to Quiana. Meanwhile Q and Clay are kind of playfully hugging and touching each other while we're all listening to Kelly chatter on about something else and then he starts sort of rubbing her back with the heels of his hands. I don't know why that is one of the few things I remember except that I also distinctly remember the twitch I felt in my stomach when I saw it, even though my gut feel at the time WAS that they were just goofing around. But STILL... Whitney tells Kelly that she can't believe she is so tiny and that she looks so much taller on TV and Clay pipes in and says that everyone says he looks taller on TV too. *snickers* I finally add my two cents and say that I know my "tall" and I think he looks taller in person. How that came outa me I'll never know! So now, I believe it's Quiana who asks us if we want to get a picture and Sis says they have told us we can't take any. Clay does a little thing with his lips and eyebrows and says, "We'll fix that. We can do anything we want." I don't remember the next part too well, but he says something to Jerome about holding off bringing everyone else in for just a couple of minutes cause "We're were gonna take some pictures." And now for the moment that will haunt me FOREVER... Everyone kind of grouped together as I took our cameras over to Jerome to show him how to work them and when I walked back to get into the group both of Clay's arms were already occupied. Now I have to explain my thought process here. I look at my daughter, who gives me SUCH a very hard time about Clay, and he's got his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. So I just kind of step between them and say, "Oh No, I think I need to be here." But his arm doesn't budge.. and when I suddenly realize what I'm doing I feel as if I want to just sink right through the floor. What could I have been thinking??? It certainly wasn't premeditated, it just happened. But then he saves face for me by saying, get this... "I think I have another arm." Oh my God Clayton H. Aiken... I LOVE YOU! Except that THAT one isn't free either as he has that one wrapped around my sister. So I just kind of stand in the back between them with my arms slung across both their shoulders. All of a sudden I feel Sis step slightly to the right and an arm from the left goes around my waist (except it slides down a little bit till it's hand is resting somewhere in the general vicinity of my right hip) and pulls me into the group. And then Jerome snapped this picture...
OK, so it doesn't LOOK like he's got his hand on my a** but I sure as heck FELT IT! Then Quiana joins us and we take another one.
(Check out the downy ankle!) (This pic also could make one wonder about what he meant when he said "I think I have another arm. But TRUST ME it's there! And I think I even felt his hand clutch me a little tighter as he started to fall over. Is gaaaaahhhhh a word? If not, it should be.) Picture session's over and I go to retrieve my camera from the Big Guy who asks me if I've gotten all the pictures I want. (Am I dreaming?) Well, as a matter of fact, I do want one more. And this would be it...
I've titled this one "In Good Hands." It's time for the "Meet and Greet" to begin and Clay and Kelly take their place at the table as the group is ushered in. I've never wanted an autograph, I've never asked for an autograph from anybody before, but Sis pushes one of the two CD's she has in her purse into my hand and suddenly I am standing in front of him and he takes it. "How do you want me to sign it Janet?" (How the H*LL did he remember my name?) "Just, Jannet", I say. Then I somehow find the presence of mind to spell it for him, except that I could SWEAR I say J.A.N.E.T.T. and I start to kick myself again... but then he hands it back to me and smiles. Somehow he got it right...
Later, when I asked Whitney if he had said anything to her when he signed her promo pic she said he had asked her if it was "Whittney" with two t's. I've stopped asking questions. The concert was awesome, but then we've all been there... most of us multiple times. A MUCH better crowd than I had anticipated for SLC though. Carmen was in attendance but was sitting somewhere up in the nosebleeds. I really didn't get THAT at all. But thanks to Karen W, Sis and I we were in row three ON the catwalk. Sometimes all the stars align at the very same time I guess. Meanwhile, in less than an hour he had transformed himself into the GLORIOUS SWAN that we've all come to love and lech over. I actually took this picture with my very own camera.
I didn't take many but the few I did take seemed to turn out pretty good. It would appear that Camera God was with me as well. My only wish is that I had had my cell phone in his face at THIS moment... instead of my camera!
... sorry Jill. I sent this next one to Quiana.
I don't think I will ever be able to go back after having these seats. I am spoiled for life and it's turning out to be an expensive habit. I blame Clay. One week ago I had never experienced the heat that accompanies a glance from the stage. I can't even call it an EF. It is so much more than that. I've heard about them.. and imagined them, but OMG!... when his eyes stick and stay locked with yours through a whole measure of a song, it's like being in the path of lightning. You can never possibly be the same again. So who IS he anyway? After the concert we start to head out consumed by the familiar after concert fog but then remember that we need to return our passes. Jacob is standing on the right side of the stage behind the barrier... you all know the place. And as we start to take them off from around our necks he asks, "Don't you wanna come back?" Really? Um, sure!.. if it's OK.!!! While we are waiting for the girls to show up I ask him how he thought the crowd was tonight and he says he thought they were incredible. I agree. It was beyond my wildest hopes for this conservative Utah Valley. And then he says, "You had really great seats!" Jacob is an awesome and aware person. More signs for him please! Meanwhile people are handing him things left and right to take backstage to Clay and he just kind of looks at me and laughs and shrugs and says, "I'll give these to him, but he really doesn't want them. He gets so much." I asked him if Clay ever keeps ANYTHING he gets and Jacob says, "Oh, yea. He keeps a lot of stuff, and he gets some really, really neat things sometimes." (wink wink Karen, eh?) The girls show up and I learn that in the course of the evening they have been offered $1,000... floor seats for another concert and various and sundry other bribes and offers in exchange for their backstage passes. Fortunately, for all involved, they have ethics. There was also something having to do with a blind person who just HAD to see Clay, but they sensed that she was fibbing about her condition. As it turns out, Clay is in his dressing room with Carmen so we don't see him again. I am actually relieved because I am beginning to feel like a stalker and I already have enough to digest for one evening. But we did spend quite a while in Quiana and Angela's dressing room and it was just too cool. Got to see up close and personal the white leather stiletto heeled boots that Q wears, while making her way down those stairs in "Without You." Yikes! I asked her if she gets "hazard pay" for wearing them. The flowers we had sent were there on her dressing table and when I mentioned them she said, "It was so NEAT to know I had friends out there." And I fastened a choker around Angela's neck just because I happened to be standing right next to her when she needed some help. They are both very excited about Vegas. We say goodbye. I hug Quiana and tell her that she has no idea how awesome the evening has been for me. I hug Angela and tell her how great it was to meet her and she hugs me back and says, "I'm so glad you came." (She's a Broad... definitely.) We make our way (unescorted) through the underground to find our way out. The cleanup crew on the floor is in full force and the aisles up to the main concourse are inaccessible due to the steps having already been folded away. The venue shows little resemblance to what it was a half hour ago. We finally find an out but I allow myself one more moleculous inhalation before exiting. Here are a couple of things I learned last Friday night:. ~ Clay is smart. He knows how much we are able to handle. He senses instinctively that to bring "TITN Clay" or "Dom Clay" or "Prime Time Clay" or "Leno Clay" or "Solitaire Clay" or any Clay other than "Sweet 'n Geeky Hometown Clay" to the "Meet and Greet" would create just TOO much of a mess... and he's got a schedule to keep. ~ Clay is shy... he just hides it well. And a change comes over him that is hard to explain when he comes into close contact with someone whom he loves and trusts. Compare group picture 1 and 2... or maybe it was just a "feeling" I had. ~ Clay has absolutely beautiful skin. ~ Meeting him doesn't make it hurt any less. And at the risk of sounding totally ungrateful for this experience am I allowed any regret?.. Because I am SO aching for another chance to turn my head and take in the sight of those freckled ears (which were only inches away!) and to catch a glimpse of those three little freckles just beneath his right eye... and the one on his upper lip too... and then while I'm in the neighborhood... Oh gawd! How could I have forgotten to look at those lips???... up close!!! I missed SO much! But how can one possibly take it all in when it happens so fast? Next time I have to remember to ask him how many pairs of sneakers he has, and to remember to say "Thank you"... and if I ever get the chance to have him sign anything for me again I hope I can find the courage to say, "Just sign it, 'Clayton'. Parting Shots... Thanks to Clay's open yet resistant arms plus, perhaps... a little foresight, I not only have this picture... But I have THIS one too... Is there just no end to my delusion??? (Too bad that's MY hand on his shoulder...) heh... Jannet
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