Concert Review: Ruben Studdard & Clay Aiken @ Troy Music Hall, 04/12/2023

This past Wednesday night, I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard’s opening night on their tour: Ruben and Clay | 20 Years | One Night. If you’ve been living under a rock for the last 20 years, you might not have heard of a national talent competition called American Idol, where Ruben and Clay both skyrocketed to fame in 2003 as one of the highest-viewed live broadcasts at almost 40 million viewers! 

Troy Music Hall was filled with nothing but love and excitement to see this duo hit the stage again. The band started with a rendition of the idol theme song as the pair made their way to the stage in matching get-ups. “We look exceptional”, Clay noted to Ruben as the crowd hushed to listen. To my pleasant surprise, not only did I get to experience an amazing concert, but I laughed for 95% of the show, too…Aiken and Studdard’s friendship is truly something special.

The duo serenaded the audience with a wide variety of musical genres, starting with their first week genre on Idol: Motown. Ruben and Clay compose a beautiful, seamless sound between shifting from song to song, each of them taking their own turn. 

We made our way from Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” to the BSB (Backstreet Boys) “As Long As You Love Me” to all the way to Ruben’s original ballad “Flying Without Wings”. And, somehow, they managed to change at LEAST three times throughout the entirety of the show (and you bet your bottom dollar those denim jackets were ON for BSB). 

In between songs the two would go on to talk about each of their experiences on American Idol, what it was like to go through the competition, how their friendship started and flourished, and how they got to where they are today. 

The two cracked constant jokes on stage between songs, and even went “off script” for a number or two, the singing, clapping, snapping and laughing in the crowd did not end! 

Studdard’s riffs were like butter melting on hot toast. Aiken has one of the strongest tones in this industry. Put the two together, and you have a one-of-a-kind show that just makes you feel good inside. 

Aiken took time to recognize and thank Studdard for igniting a spark within him to perform again. He admitted it had been close to 10 years since he was on tour (Aiken). This all happened because of a trip Aiken took to see Studdard perform his Luther Vandross set. After seeing Studdard live, he was inspired to get back into singing and performing. The two would both go on to star in Monty Python’s Spamalot together. 

So, we all have Luther Vandross to thank for this tour happening! 

At the close of the show, the two looked to the audience and sincerely thanked them for allowing their dreams to truly come to life. Ruben said it was his lifelong dream to perform. The love was definitely felt in the audience as several women screamed, “WE LOVE YOU!” 10/10, I would attend this show again.