Arts & Entertainment writers offer capsule comments on this, that and the other thing ...

Clay Aiken

Fans plunked down more than a few quarters to hear Clay Aiken on his Jukebox Tour Sunday night at the Chevrolet Amphitheatre. And they got their money's worth.

The evening was a musical walk through the history of rock 'n' roll, beginning with the 1950s: a 12-song medley of such staples as "At the Hop," "Great Balls of Fire" and "Unchained Melody."

Representing the '60s were songs by the Beatles, Petula Clark and even the Archies, much to the delight of the multi-generational crowd who sang along and swayed to the upbeat set. Fan favorite "Solitare" brought a chorus of screams from the "Idol" fans in attendance.

A side trip to explore Motown rhythms brought "Midnight Train to Georgia," with Aiken posing as a Pip while his background singer took center stage. He shared the spotlight like this several times, without at all compromising the show since the other singers' voices matched the power and poise of his own. It was a delight to see the entire group perform the songs in a manner true to the originals and not jazz them up for the sake of showmanship.

For the '70s, Aiken delivered "Nights on Broadway" and Too Much Heaven" by the Bee Gees. The crowd roared when he performed Barry Manilow's "Mandy." If that wasn't enough, he went into "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and brought the house to its feet.

The short '80s set ended with "Sailing," and the '90s was an interesting blend of chart toppers "End of the Road," "Livin' La Vida Loca" and the wonderful surprise of "I Can't Make You Love Me."

A dark spot in the evening was sound trouble. At times, the vocals were drowned out by the music. But even plagued with feedback, Aiken graciously thanked the sound crew for their hard work.

The evening ended with Aiken's own hits from "Measure of a Man," beginning with "The Way," When You Say You Love Me" and a few new tunes he was testing out on the crowd. The final song, "Invisible," had the entire audience singing along in perfect harmony.

Aiken will perform at the Crawford County Fair, at Meadville, at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 21.

-- Review by Rosa Colucci,
Post-Gazette staff writer

Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson's first album, "Thankful," ranged from country to R&B. Her second, "Breakaway," came from the head-banging, belly-baring hills.

Friday's concert at A.J. Palumbo Center showed Clarkson swearing no solidarity to either approach. It took three guitarists to compete with her big, unbridled voice as she tore through three of her grittier, hard-rocking songs: "Walk Away," "Miss Independent" and "I Hate Myself for Losing You." Here, she mixed domineering vocals with fast riffs and heavy drums.

The second part of the show took the audience down Clarkson's earlier, more soulful path, segued by a performance of one of her first singles, the country-tinged hit "Low." With lilting, bouncy keyboards and an opportunity for Clarkson to demonstrate her full vocal range, it almost seemed like another performer on stage because, in a way, it was. These songs were from "Thankful," not "Breakaway."

Just when the audience got used to that tone, Clarkson unleashed the obligatory soul-baring repertoire of any bad girl with a good heart. Her musical director, Jason Albert, played a piano mid-stage for an overwrought rendition of "Because of You," a sappy lost-little-girl ballad about her family. The grainy home video footage of a young Clarkson playing upped the cringe factor.

She saved herself and smoothed out the mood with a beautifully subdued acoustic cover of Annie Lennox's "Why."

The end of her set allowed for a haphazard costume change into a wedding dress to reference her newest video. The last songs smacked of Evanescence-style Hot Topic rock. "Addicted," "Hear Me" and "Behind These Hazel Eyes" all have those familiar loud-soft dynamic shifts, the dark keys and wailing guitars. Clarkson had the most fun during these songs.

Finally, Clarkson returned to the sweet, easy demeanor that led her to her "Idol" win. She let the audience sing her last song, "Breakaway" while she piped in for the chorus and signed autographs onstage. She and her band made a goofy group bow at the end, leaving a memory of Clarkson as a crowd-pleasing chameleon -- a little bit salty, but a little more sweet.

-- Review by Jennifer Dionisio,
for the Post-Gazette

Chris Botti

Sunday at Hartwood, the atmosphere was perfect for a summer jazz concert -- a steamy evening, plenty of wine (though technically alcohol is prohibited) and a relaxed, respectful crowd there just to hear music.

The only oddity was that Portland, Ore.-bred trumpeter Chris Botti has never really considered his material jazz. But with the Mellon Jazz logo directly behind him and his band, what he was offering was apparently close enough.

Continuing his tradition of detached cool a la Miles Davis, informed by the moody atmospherics of, say, Peter Gabriel, Botti leaned heavily on his latest CD, "When I Fall in Love," a collection of rearranged standards.

He opened with a lush version of the title track. The funky "Streets Ahead" harkened back to the 1970s, with a fluid bass solo from Jon Ossman and even some mini-Moog (I didn't even know that instrument was still being used) from keyboardist Federico Pena.

"What'll I Do?" got stronger toward the end, with Botti and Pena trading off. Probably the best tune was the laid-back "Miami Overnight," with a bit of rubato country-style guitar from Mark Shulman and synth organ from Pena.

"Why Not" broke into some straight-ahead swing and allowed Pena and drummer Billy Kilson, who previously appeared in Pittsburgh with Bob James and Dave Holland, to stretch out.

It was appropriate that the show ended with an encore of "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)," which was made famous by Frank Sinatra. In the mid-1980s, Botti, left Indiana University early to tour with "Ol' Blue Eyes."

-- Review by Rick Nowlin,
Post-Gazette staff writer