Clarkson, Aiken are focus of idol worship

Spencer Patterson

Monday, March 29, 2004 | 8:07 a.m.

When: Saturday.

Where: Thomas & Mack Center.

Rating (out of 5 stars): ***

Amazing how a sense of empowerment can energize music fans.

After months of observing semi-apathetic Las Vegas concert audiences, I witnessed quite the opposite Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

A wildly enthusiastic crowd of 5,668 was as much a part of the experience as the performers onstage. Fans held up homemade signs, shouted protestations of affection and danced fervently. A few even cried during the ballads.

The object of so much unbridled adoration? "American Idol" alums Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken, of course.

Odds are good the two vocalists received lots of call-in votes from those in their Vegas audience during their televised journeys from anonymity to superstardom.

And those loyalists seemed determined to validate that support, cheering Clarkson and Aiken like proud parents watching their kids in a school play,

Before I go on, let me first state for the record that I've never actually watched a full episode of Fox's hit reality talent search series.

The show's populist concept -- that the average music fan knows what he or she enjoys listening to more than some big-wig record executive -- is a good one.

But "American Idol's" trainwreck-as-television approach, one that serves up would-be celebrities wells for judge Simon Cowell's mean-spirited takedowns, simply doesn't sit well with me.

I also find it hard to believe that out of nearly 300 million Americans, the show's three biggest success stories -- Season 1 champion Clarkson, Season 2 champ Ruben Studdard and Season 2 runner-up Aiken -- were the nation's top undiscovered vocal talents.

That trio can sing, to be sure. But none brings anything unique to the table, apart from the non-traditional path to success.

From the moment Clarkson stepped onstage to begin her set, until the conclusion of her duet with Aiken at the end of his performance, fans of all ages treated the event as if it were a second Beatles invasion.

The 21-year-old Clarkson acknowledged her admirers often, pausing between songs to chat and shake hands with those closest to the platform extending from the stage into the center of the floor area.

"What's that?" Clarkson asked one fan upon spotting a necklace featuring glowing "K-E-L-L-Y" lettering. "It says my name really fast. Two points for you."

Clarkson and the 25-year-old Aiken both commented on the array of signs devoted to them. A sampling: "Kelly, we love you in Vegas," "England calling," "Drove 800 miles to see you smile" and "Clay, I conquered my fear of flying just to see you."

Aiken also spent a few minutes chatting -- and then singing to -- a woman on the other end of a cell phone held aloft by a friend in the audience.

"She's gonna hold the phone up the whole time for you?" Aiken said into the receiver. "What if her arm gets tired?"

While the concert worked well as a pop-culture experience, it wasn't exactly memorable musically.

Clarkson served up material from debut album "Thankful," along with a couple of tracks from her "From Justin to Kelly" film soundtrack.

The Texas native showed off a voice similar to Christina Aguilera's, though nowhere near as flexible in its upper range.

Though Clarkson's vocals weren't always perfect, credit her for even trying, unlike pop stars such as Britney Spears, who charge fans for lip-synced performances.

Aiken, a North Carolinan, did a bit better job constructing his set list. Along with his own songs, such as hit single "Invisible," he sprinkled in several well-known covers, opening with Mr. Mister's "Kyrie" and including Sting's "Fields of Gold" and Leo Sayer's "When I Need You" in an acoustic medley.

Aiken even took a shot at Prince's funky classic "When Doves Cry." The song demonstrated that while Aiken certainly has the ability to project and possesses a decent range, his vocals lack the emotional quality that have made his musical heroes so successful.

After the Prince number, Aiken poked fun at his dancing ability.

"(Comedian) Kathy Griffin is in the audience tonight," Aiken said. "She would have like two year's worth of stand-up material if she had her video camera with her."

Then, he wisely paid homage to the folks responsible for helping Clarkson and him reach such unexpectedly lofty heights.

"My album ("Measure of a Man") is triple-platinum," he said. "And that's really just the tip of the iceberg as for how much you guys have done for me in the past year. Thank you."