Texas has a strong stereotype. For some reason people think we all ride horses to school, live on ranches and wear cowboy boots. However, out of all the myths and falsehoods floating around one that I can proudly say rings true is the term southern hospitality. I never really thought much of it until I went to a Keith Urban concert in Boston this summer.
The calm before the storm
In July, I visited one of my roommates here at UT in her hometown of Boston. We thought it would be interesting to experience a country concert outside of the Texas atmosphere. Right away I was pointing out differences. There were hot dog vendors and popcorn stands scattered throughout the parking lot with people eating in lawn chairs and having a good time. Unlike my usual country venue, the Cynthia Woods Pavilion, which is strategically placed near a highly urbanized area of town, this venue was in the woods with beautiful trees filling out out the landscape. We found an area in the lawn, set out our blanket and waited for opening act Brett Edredge to start. Slowly, our area was infested with swarms of young people in fake cowboy boots. The buzz was so loud I couldn’t hear Brett at all. People were standing and yelling throughout his entire set, something I was not familiar with at the Cynthia Woods. My personal bubble was popped within a matter of minutes with people stumbling all around me.
When Keith Urban came on the place exploded with excitement while he sang a few classics like “Days Go By” and “Kiss a Girl.” Before the show they had set up a stage in the lawn, so we sat near the rail knowing Keith would walk out to the stage to sing a few songs. As he walked up to the stage, I was tossed around like a rag doll, pushed and shoved and squeezed up against the railing. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t worth it just so I could see him perform “Cop Car” up close and personal. When he got off stage several people decided it would be fun to jump around the stage, dance around and flash the audience. Fifteen minutes and a few security guards later, the scene was thankfully over. Apparently, I did not get the memo that class and country do not co- exist in Boston.
Even though the atmosphere was unlike any in Texas, Keith Urban was worth the price of admission. His guitar skills and swoon worthy Australian accent make him a must see.
Sometimes we take things for granted. We have no idea how good we actually have it until it’s gone. Texas may have many stereotypes, but no one can deny that sweet southern hospitality. When it comes to country music concerts, I think I’ll stick with my Cavender’s boots and take my chances!
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.
The summer going into my senior year in high school my dad surprised me with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw concert tickets that he had gotten through his work. They were playing at Angel’s baseball stadium and our tickets were sitting right on the field in front of the stage. They weren’t exactly seats, they were just a general area that you could stand it right in front of the stage so it was a little weird being in the mosh pit with a bunch of intoxicated young people while I was with my dad, but it was worth it for how close we were. We only caught the last few songs of Jake Owen (who was the opening act), which I was a little bummed about because I love a few of his songs. But then after that, Tim McGraw came on who is my favorite country music artist by far. He played a perfect mixture between his old and new songs, which was great because I knew pretty much all of them but my dad only knew the older ones so he got to hear the new songs he’s come out with. He was really interactive with the audience, which I thought was exciting and towards the end of his performance the sun was setting over the stage so it was a picture perfect moment for me.
As I am now looking back into my photo albums from the concert I realized that every single picture I took was of Tim, and I didn’t have a single picture from when Kenny Chesney performed. I think that was partially because it was dark by the time Kenny came on, and also maybe a little bit because I am a bigger fan of Tim McGraw. Kenny was an amazing performer however; he entered the stage on a blue chair while singing “Old Blue Chair” that was lowered from above the stage. Kenny explained to the crowd that his favorite thing in the world to do is travel to different beaches around the world, which explains why a majority of his music videos take place on the beach. His whole performance revolved around the paradise that he finds when he goes to exotic beaches so there were videos of gorgeous sunsets and waves constantly playing while he sang.
I just want to point out that the Zac Brown Band may not be entirely original in their predominantly southern sound but they are fresh and welcoming and their shows certainly are of a high caliber. They have a great knack for moving the crowd and giving the people what they want… One hell of a show! If there was ever any doubt in my mind about the Zac Brown Band before its certainly gone now. They have a “feel good sound for hard times” as Zac Brown says himself. I am grateful I got to see them live and I hope everyone else gets a chance to do so because its truly an incredible show to see.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was the official charity partner of the event, and this altered my impression of country music. We all know the stereotypes: beer chugging, short shorts, and cut off t-shirts. This concert was different. It shifted the spotlight to an important cause, and the crowd loved it. I have never heard of a rap or hip-hop concert that had a charity sponsorship.