Kelly Clarkson - Live in New York City

Kelly Clarkson at the Beacon Theater in New York City

It was last minute. I began thinking about going yesterday. Called a couple of friends but they were not available, then I called Raymond this afternoon and he had nothing to do, so I bought the tickets while we were on the phone: Mezzanine Row B, not bad. I learned something from Tolen from the American Idol Tour: buy your ticket day of... it worked! Got good unobstructed seats.

It was great to spend time finally with Raymond, since we had planned to do something in the Summer, but I never found time to do it. He's a recent transplant (not sure if this is a good description) from the Philippines, and I hope I was able to make him feel more at home in the big city. I was unsure, but random stuff almost always turn out wonderful. I certainly enjoyed his company.

The Concert:

Kelly Clarkson was awesome. I wanted to cry like the girl in front of me being consoled by her boyfriend, but I thought better of it. I realized that Kelly Clarkson was the first Idol that I ever saw in real life. I wasn't even a fan of hers then, but I randomly saw her in front of the Louis Vuitton store on Fifth Avenue, and had a picture taken. After all that I've gone through because of this TV show for the past 3 years, I found myself full circle, now watching Kelly Clarkson -- the girl who started it all -- on stage, singing her lungs out like there was no tomorrow. The audience loved her. I loved her. It was a great show. If Kelly is coming to your neighborhood -- go see her!

I realized however that there was some wisdom in Clive Davis rejecting Kelly's new CD "My December". You need some hit singles to get new people to buy your CD and watch your concerts. A smaller venue like the Beacon Theater can be filled for three days by loyal fans (and Kelly has a lot), but to fill Madison Square Garden for example, you need more than "Since You Been Gone". There were a couple of songs during the show which I felt that a casual viewer may not have been able to tolerate. Also, the audience was more receptive to Kelly's older material compared to the new ones. The most loyal fans of course knew every song like "Chivas" and "Be Still" (the favorite of Kelly's mom).

Oh and there was one great line that Kelly said in her concert -- she said that some people might think that all the songs she composes are against boys, but it just so happened that she's been getting some jerks lately, but eventually she'll get to the good ones. Nice.

Here's a couple of videos from the show. I've been traumatized for life with all the security checks and whatnot from the Idol tour so I don't take long videos anymore -- perhaps with a bit more stealth practice -- but these clips were quite good:

Because of You:

Since You Been Gone: