Anything but mine.

As I alluded to in my last post, I attended a concert with over 68,000 fans last weekend. I shouldn't have been surprised at the amount of people. I mean, a country music concert in Nashville that featured both Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw (and opening acts Jake Owen and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals) was bound to have a good number of middle-aged women screaming over everyone...or really, not over everyone. Not over Jake or Kenny and certainly not over Grace. Just Tim. Wow.

The Brothers of the Sun tour was definitely a big hit in Nashville. Even though it was blazing hot and the smog was thick, fans still cheered long into the night all through McGraw's and Chesney's full setlists. Jake Owen opened the concert with about ten songs by my estimate. He played his main hit, "Barefoot Blue Jean Night," to wide acclaim (at least, it seemed to go over well with those grouped en masse around the stage. I was seated high above in the club seats of LP Field, where all those middle-aged women were located. And let me tell you, there were no designated drivers as far as the eye could see.) After Owen's last song, Grace Potter hit the stage with a surprisingly rock-driven sound. I hadn't heard much of her and the Nocturnals before the concert, but I had expected the band to have a bit more of a country vibe since they were obviously on tour with big names Chesney and McGraw. From what I could tell, they played excellently with a raw energy that the "I-clearly-belong-on-stage-with-my-long-hair-and-crude-references" Jake Owen did not quite possess (no offense, Jake. After all, I did sit through your entire set. You can't ask more for more than that). :)

After Grace Potter and the Nocturnals came the renowned Tim McGraw, who started his set with the catchy "Felt Good on My Lips." I'm no huge fan of McGraw or the majority of country music (George Strait excluded - that man is a legend), but this was a great opener. After plenty of years on stage, McGraw was unsurprisingly at ease before the crowd, shaking hands right and left. He exuded an aura of calm clarity, which was more than could be said for his rabid fans that nearly died when he started to sing a certain song. I could hear the feminine screams behind me: "Faith! Faith Hill! Faith! Faith! She's coming! Tim! Faith!" I could hardly believe it when Faith Hill strode onto stage to join her husband in singing one of their duets. After all, absolutely no one had announced that she would be there... :)

Finally, Chesney took his place on stage after a good twenty minutes of preparation in between his set and McGraw's. Chesney opened with "Beer in Mexico." Oh, and he also flew over the crowd and onto the stage in a bucket on a zip line. No big deal. After the composed McGraw, Chesney's exciting entry and clear love of his songs frankly exploded upon the night. The sun was down and the stage was well lit for Chesney to run around, singing happily and grinning all the while. He was able to tone it down a bit for a few acoustic versions of popular vibes and for his lazy hit with Grace Potter "You and Tequila." Chesney's best song of the night was probably "I Go Back," which was preceded by fond recollections of what music means to Chesney. However, the slow and sad "Anything But Mine" was also brilliantly executed.

The finale included performances by all of the singers; the last song of the show was a drawn-out version of "Running on Empty" originally by classic rock artist Jackson Browne. I was disappointed that no one around me appeared to know the song or even who Browne was (had they never seen Fast Times at Ridgemont High? "Somebody's Baby" was of course featured in the film. Did the name Spicoli mean something to me, a college student, but not to people ages forty and up?). But of course it was a good finale because it reminded me of country's ties to classic rock, which is one of the reasons I enjoy select country artists in the first place (thanks for referencing John Mellencamp, Chesney. Because he is one awesome man. "It's only...minutes to memories. Life sweeps away the dreams that we had planned. You are young and you are the future; so suck it up and tough it out and be the best you can." - "Minutes to Memories" by John Mellencamp).

Well, I hope you enjoyed my making fun of concert-goers and recounting the fun of my first real country concert. Until next post...

~

"And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you." - Philippians 2:16b-17