I think one of Clay's between song patters captures it best. He talked about how amazing the past year and a half has been, the support the fans have provided and his inability to articulate his gratitude for all that he's been given and achieved. He felt it was summed up best in one song: "The Way", which talks about all those little details that make you love and appreciate someone - a look in their eyes, the way it feels to see them smile, getting nervous when they're around. And as I listened to the lyrics, I realized they also applied to how we, his fans, felt about him. If you want to know why the fans love Clay Aiken - it's in the way that he moves us.

There are a tremendous amount of talented singers, performers and genuinely nice people in the world. But it's in the way that it's all put together in Clay Aiken that makes watching him so emotional and compelling. Every fan of every singer feels proprietary and protective about their favorite, but with Clay, many of us DID participate in his emergence as a star. We discovered him on American Idol, we called in the votes to keep him in the contest, we made his single a hit, his album number one and voted him the Fan's Choice at the American Music Awards. Clay Aiken fans actively participate in his success, be it in calling in votes for his videos on MTV's TRL or sleeping overnight to get a spot in the audience when he appears on The Tonight Show. Whether or not he won a talent show, Clay IS our American Idol.

And not just because of his talent. It's in his class, his graciousness, his humility, his integrity. His kindness, his generosity of time and spirit make him an incredible role model for an untapped audience starved for goodness, starved for sweetness, starved for purity of purpose, values and behavior.

While rap stars sport bling bling, encouraging their fans to adopt the fashion of jewel-encrusted crosses with no true connection (or modeling of behavior) to what that symbol stands for, various kids in the Staples Center audience sported Clay's constant accessory: a What Would Jesus Do? bracelet. And they understood the significance of it.

It's this 'vanilla' flavor, mocked by the elite music and critical establishment, that is so beloved by the fans. It is this 'family entertainment' that brought children, parents and grandparents out to a pop concert at L.A.'s Staples Center - the largest concert venue in the area. There is so little these days that can bring families together to enjoy an experience - Clay does that.

A typical concert audience in L.A. fills an arena with the smell of pot smoke and cup after cup of beer. Needless to say there was no haze hanging over this crowd and the only alcohol I saw during the entire show was in the hands of one VIP who came out from the green room behind the stage after Clay's set was over to watch the other performer on the bill. Clay's fans (of all ages) seemed to stick to water and soda.

A typical concert audience in L.A. holds no regard for other patrons' enjoyment of the event. People stand on their chairs, act rowdy, push each other, shout rude comments and spend more time distracting each other and everyone around them than watching or appreciating the show. Clay's fans were there to see Clay and to enjoy the show. I haven't had this pleasant a concert experience, in terms of other fans around me, in years. Everyone was polite, no one was shoving, people stayed at their seats (standing in front of them, but not ON them, not blocking others' views as happens at many other concerts). People were conscious of the others around them and behaved respectfully of others' space. Personally, I think that reflects on Clay - the qualities that he manifests being mirrored in the majority of his fans.

As to the show itself? The relatively simple setting of the stage provided an intimacy between singer and audience that's hard to imagine in the immense Staples Center arena. Perhaps because of the amazing seats a wonderful friend of mine managed to get (third row floor!!!), I've never felt so close to a performer and so connected to their show before. A typical rock/pop concert in L.A. would normally involve mountains of speakers blaring, drowning out the singer and blasting one's eardrums so that your ears are left ringing for several hours afterwards. Clay's acoustic levels were perfectly set. I sat very close to one of the speakers and didn't even consider putting earplugs in. The music could be heard distinctly and most importantly it didn't cover Clay's exquisite vocals.

And of course they were exquisite. Every note was sweet to hear, delivered in his polished, charming way. His only flubs (losing the lyrics) were when he deliberately attempted to join his back up singers in their choreography - trying to concentrate on that he'd lose track of the song, laugh at himself, give up the moves and go back to singing and all of it was charming. His ability to mock himself and know his limitations (choreography) is part of his charm. And even though choreography isn't his forte, he has a natural body rhythm that shines through as he moves to the music. And although this is definitely a G-rated show (which all of his fans love), he takes a few moments to show his 'sexy' side when he performs a 'suggestive' duet version of Prince's "When Doves Cry" with one of his backup singers. Though his moves are tamer than the hip-swinging Elvis did fifty years ago, they still caused much screaming and raised the temperature of all his female fans in the venue. Yes, including me. That performance and his trademark "Clay Clutch" of his shirt during another song were definite THUD moments (moments that make the female fans want to faint from romantic overwhelm)!

Clay worked the audience like an old pro, which was extraordinary considering he only started touring last summer - as part of the second American Idol ensemble concert tour. He had his patter, his rapport with the audience, his gimmicks - such as the cell phone moment. Clay fans often spend his concerts on their cell phones - so other friends who couldn't make it to the concert can listen in. Knowing this, in between songs at one point, Clay teases the audience about spending all their time on their cell phones instead of paying attention to the concert. He then leans over and grabs a fan's cell phone and hushes the crowd while he talks to the screaming fan on the other end who can't believe Clay is really talking to them on the phone. It's a very cute moment and he plays it well.

But this connection and ability to so smoothly handle his fans and this whole experience of fame and fortune may be due in part to one of the reasons for his appeal: Clay seems to have an 'old soul'. He's just one of those people who seems much older, wiser and kinder than his years would predict. There's an old-fashioned quality about him that is part of his attractiveness - he can work a suit and tie like no man in Hollywood currently can. It suits him, if you'll excuse the expression. He performed this concert in a button down shirt and matching tie, and entered with a fedora on top of it all - and it utterly worked.

Musically, during the concert he wisely mixes his hits ("Invisible", "The Way") with other songs from his album "Measure of a Man" including my two personal favorites - "No More Sad Songs" and "I Survived You". The boy can rock a power ballad! He also throws in a few cover songs and as a perfect commentary on his audience, a song that got one of the biggest roars of approval was his version of James Taylor's "Carolina In My Mind". As someone who's seen JT perform that song in concert more than a few times, I'll say Clay did JT proud. But the unusual musical arrangement, plus the sexy performance made "When Doves Cry" the most... entertaining cover song in the show.

It's a cliché to say that the only thing wrong with a show was that it was too short, but that's all I can say to criticize. I would have liked at least another half hour - well, I could listen to Clay sing 24/7 and never get tired of him, but in terms of a decent concert length of time, another half hour (and another few songs from his CD) would have been very welcome. Oh, and one other tiny complaint: the concert ends with Clay performing a duet with the other co-headliner. Unfortunately the musical production during that song (at the end of the other singer's set) was muddy and loud and tended to overwhelm both singers which was frustrating. As I said to my friend afterwards, what's the point of have two belters belting out a power ballad if you can't hear either of them?

Still, the most extraordinary thing about the concert to me was how I felt when it was over. Normally at the end of a concert there's the usual letdown of 'oh, darn, it's over, and I already miss being in the middle of it'. But with Clay's show, all I felt was happy and fulfilled. He makes me so content when I listen to him; he fills my spirit so completely that all I felt at the end was satisfied.