Thursday, Aug. 12, 2010

Aiken, Studdard bring energy, chemistry to the Beau

Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken will be at the Beau Rivage on Saturday, wrapping up the 18-city summer “Timeless” tour that has brought the two “American Idol” alums together for the first time since “Season 2.”

With a few minutes between sound checks somewhere on the road, Studdard took time to share a sneak peek of the show for Sun Herald readers.

So, what can guests expect when they see “Timeless”?

The two singers share chemistry on the stage, and to some degree, will forever be linked together in the hearts of “American Idol” fans and music fans in general.

For many of us, when we hear “Clay Aiken,” we think of “Ruben Studdard,” and vice versa. We had to ask Studdard — do you love that or do you hate it?

“Well, you know, you can try to fight that, the record labels can try to fight that, but it is what it is. With the two of us, I mean, that was a huge part of the driving force behind the second season of ‘American Idol.’

“But we have both been wanting to do something like this (tour) together for a long time, since the beginning even, but we’ve just both been busy doing our own projects.

“And coming to Biloxi, well, we love Biloxi. My wife and I, we have family in Mobile, and we go to Biloxi all the time. In fact, we spent our last anniversary at the Beau Rivage. Didn’t win much money,” he added with a sound something between a laugh and a groan, “but we had a great time, so I am really looking forward to getting back.”

The show is Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Beau Rivage Theatre.