Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken team for 'American Idol' nostalgia show at Westbury

Back in 2003, singers Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard were presented as rivals on the second season of “American Idol.” But that was just on screen. The truth is these two southern gentlemen, winner Studdard and runner-up Aiken, have been the best of friends off-screen and they are currently celebrating their bond with the “Twenty Years / One Night Tour,” which comes to the NYCB Theatre at Westbury on Jan. 19.

“The competition between Ruben and I was hyped up for the benefit of the viewing audience,” admits Aiken, 45. “I don’t think we felt competitive against each other at all. We played it up on stage for the benefit of the joke, but we never felt that way.”

Studdard, 45, adds, “It couldn’t be further from the truth. Basically, everybody was competing with themselves. On ‘American Idol,’ your job was to be better than you were the day before.”

SHOW HAS LI ROOTS

Surprisingly, the seed for the current tour originated on Long Island in the venue the duo are about to headline.

“In 2014, I semi-left performing and wanted to try other things. I stopped singing from 2014 to the beginning of 2018,” says Aiken. “Then in early 2018 I went to see Ruben perform his ‘Ruben Sings Luther’ show in Westbury. It was at that show that I realized I wanted to perform again but only if I can do it with Ruben.”

Studdard says, “We have built a friendship on the show that we have continued over the years. When I say that I mean we are like family. Our current show is the 20th anniversary of our friendship. We want to share 20 years of great memories with the public, which is why we decided to go out on tour.”

TURNING BACK THE CLOCK

The current show is a nostalgia fest for “American Idol” fans featuring a revue of songs both Aiken and Studdard famously knocked out of the park on “Idol” combined with behind-the-scenes stories.

“The show is broken down into sections and it’s about the people that inspired us,” says Studdard, who recently released his 8th album, “The Way I Remember It.” “We tell stories about the things we did, the people that we worked with and we have songs that coincide with the people that we are talking about.”

Aiken adds, “Ruben sings by himself quite a bit and I sing by myself as well. We perform medleys together and reminisce. Our goal is to recreate the magic that was 2003 because it was a pivotal moment in our lives.”

What made “American Idol” stand out from other talent shows was that it was the first time people at home got to vote.

“This element created an ownership and competition among the viewers because they were devoting their own time to being on the phone after every episode trying to vote,” says Aiken. “I think that’s what made the show fun and created the 21st century variety show featuring a little bit of everything from country music to disco to Broadway to pop. Our tour celebrates all of that. We touch on every genre that we hit on ‘Idol.’ ”

Highlights of the show include performances of Aiken’s version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” as well as Studdard belting out “Flying Without Wings.”

“I love singing those big power ballads,” says Studdard. “It still makes the hair stand up on my arm when we sing those songs. I feel something special is happening.”

Aiken adds, “Those are the moments when people are most pulled back to 2003. I find myself even making the same arm motions when I sing.”

WHEN RUBEN MET CLAY

Aiken and Studdard first met at the Hilton Hotel in Glendale, California during Hollywood Week on “Idol.”

“I was holding court with a couple of people and in comes Clay,” recalls Studdard. “I saw he was the only guy around a whole bunch of girls. So I came over and introduced myself.”

Aiken, who came out as gay in 2008, notes, “He thought I was a player!” (laughs)

For Aiken being on “Idol” was quite an awakening because he had never been around people who shared the same musical interest as he did.

“Nobody in my world sang at all,” says Aiken. “It was sort of like this interesting, cool summer camp club where everybody was into the same thing and we all had that in common to talk about.”

'IDOL' LESSONS

Both men walked away from “Idol” learning some big life lessons that they still carry with them today.

“It was not as easy to be proud of the skills I had or develop confidence in myself until ‘Idol.’ Being on the show taught me to like myself for who I am and celebrate the gifts God gave me,” says Aiken. “I think it does that for a lot of kids that are on the show now. That’s something that hasn’t changed in 20 plus years. It gives people a chance to shine and build confidence.”

Studdard says, “The biggest lesson that I learned is that hard work and dedication pays off. The people that made it to the top 10 were extremely serious. We took pride in the work that we did and they made sure to get every ounce of energy out of us for sure.”

Although Aiken and Studdard are simpatico that doesn’t mean their fans are fully on the same page.

“Our fans were the ones that were competitive with one another and they continued that even after the show was over,” says Studdard.

Aiken says, “There are still people who come to our shows that are primarily there for Ruben or me, but they know how much we love each other and that there’s no animosity between us. They now come and enjoy the show with both of us. We’ve all matured a little bit.”

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.