WE Fest aka “The Biggest Event of the summer in Minnesota” has been the statewide country music gathering for years. WE Fest has been a yearly event since 1983. It is hosted in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, and can be a week long vacation depending on your love for country music and alcohol. More than 50,000 people go through the campground gates with RVs, pickup trucks, and makeshift tents to listen to some of the biggest names in country music. The 2014 lineup had Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Brad Paisley, The Band Perry, Zach Brown Band, and Brantley Gilbert as the headliners. The lineups for WE Fest are usually stocked with the biggest names in country.
What makes it so fun? Why do so many people go? It’s easy to explain. First, everyone has to figure out his or her sleeping arrangements. Usually, it’s like the Wild West when it comes to picking a camping spot closest to the concert standing area. There is a mixed crowd. Some WE Festers are barely into high school, and others have been going to the festival for over 25 years. There is a lake that the majority of people bathe in during their stay, and almost everyone has a drink in their hand. The A-list lineup causes country fans from different backgrounds to buy their tickets almost 9 months in advance.
The country artists in the lineup interact with the fans on a whole new level. There is a good chance that one of the performers will walk by your campsite and play beer pong with you and your friends. A few years ago, Darius Rucker stopped by my friend’s campsite and played a round of beer darts with them! During his previous appearances, Luke Bryan would try to disguise himself and blend in with fans only to remove it and get a great reaction. The rowdy atmosphere of WE Fest is half the experience because you have all these people that are in one location for the sole purpose of listening to country music.
WE Fest 2015 already has power couple Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert locked into the lineup and it is safe to assume that more stars will follow. Tickets are already on sale, and my guess is that the festival will be the biggest it’s ever been. In the past, WE Fest has been nominated for the CMA’s Best Special Event award, and I can’t wait to be a part of the festival when it finally wins it.
On September 4th, I visited Brad Paisley for the second time, this performance was at the Austin 360 Amphitheater. The first time I saw him perform was in 2011 at the Houston rodeo. Although I was not within spitting distance of him in 2011, I was still very impressed with his performance. That was my first time seeing him live and really listening to his music. Quickly after the performance I was downloading all of his songs and had them on repeat. Along with having a great voice, Paisley is just a very entertaining performer. He is always moving around the stage and keeps the audience engaged. At one of Paisley’s concerts you will be sure to hear most of his classics which include: “Camouflage,” “Then,” “Ticks,” “Mud on the Tires,” and then to end the concert of course he sings “Alcohol”. Along with many more of his greatest hits, these were probably his most popular songs and really got the crowd involved.
One interesting thing I learned at this concert was how much Paisley uses the violin in his songs. Besides Paisley strumming the guitar most of the time, I would say the violin was the second most used instrument in the band. The violinist also received the most solos, behind Paisley of course, and was very impressive during this performance. Overall, Brad Paisley always puts on a great show. You will never die of boredom or stop tapping your foot along with the rhythmic melody is his songs. I would strongly encourage anyone to get see a concert of his if the opportunity is available, you will not be disappointed.
It was a great show, from beginning to end. I camped out at the stage for an hour with six of my friends and it was well worth it because we were about 20 feet from the stage and right smack dab in middle. I swear I made eye contact with Evan, the lead singer, multiple times. He even looked right at my camera at one point. I had so much fun singing along to the songs, but I could tell the band had even more fun.
