Tag Archives: concert

Zac Brown Band Live!

I recently went to a Zac Brown Band concert. I’ve been to a lot of country music concerts in my time ranging from obscure Texas country to big name country stars and I have never had as much fun at a single live music showing than I did when I saw Zac Brown. I actually went only a few days ago so I heard everything that they have put out thus far including “Chicken Fried”, “Toes”, “Day of the Dead”, and Keep Me in Mind”. However, that wasn’t all they played. They did awesome covers of “Ride the Lightning” by Metallica, and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by Charlie Daniels and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.

Everything about their show was fun and lively. From the hard core jam sessions in the middle of a song to launching t-shirts into the crowd. Everything they did was fun simply because they looked like they were having so much fun. At one point Zac Brown brought a little girl on stage, signed his guitar and gave it to her. She did what I probably would have done as well, burst into tears right on stage. Furthermore, towards the end of the show they came out in glow in the dark skeleton suits and masks to perform their new single “Day For The Dead” successfully surprising the entire crowd, including myself.

Overall, the concert was a good portrayal of their playing style and the energy that they exude. Every song they played had emotion and heart behind it which made it easy to jam and sing along to. They got the crowd up and out of their seats and dancing in the aisles with beer and nachos livening up the festivities. They are crowd pleasers and their music allows for a lively and energetic atmosphere. Better yet every song they played sounded just as good if not better than the studio recorded versions. Its hard to do that. It tough for artists to carry over successfully from the studio to the stage but they do it so seamlessly as if each show is their first show exuding confidence and a respect for the crowd.
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.

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Filed under Live Music, New Country

Two-Steppin’ in Texas

They say that Austin, Texas is the Live Music Capital of the World, and I certainly can’t disagree. With concerts on every corner and live music in every bar, it’s hard to deny that Austin has earned that name. And although I’ve lived in Austin all my life, I’m sad to disclose that I really never attended any of those concerts or lingered long enough on an impromptu jam session to really appreciate them. However, since I started classes at UT, I’ve been more interested in experiencing the unique scene that is Austin, and that desire has driven me to places that I never expected to go. Now, mind you, I’m not really the kind of person to be that adventurous, so this feat of mine really only stretched as far as to go listen to live country music.

Ever since I was little, country music was the only genre played in my house, so I always had a soft spot for the nostalgic love song and the George Strait twang. I’m not sure why, but my parents never took me to a concert in my youth (disappointing, I know), so I had to venture off on my own to figure out just how great music is when played live.

So for my 20th birthday, accompanied by my best friend and my boyfriend, I visited Midnight Rodeo, a country dance hall in South Austin. Even on their website, they announce, “It sounds just like Texas in here!” And boy, are they right. As soon as I walked in, I knew the night was bound to be special. The atmosphere was absolutely amazing, completely unlike any place I had ever been before. There were boots and cowboy hats everywhere, and if you weren’t wearing boots, you could bet that you’d stick out like a sore thumb.

Midnight Rodeo in all its glory.

Midnight Rodeo in all its glory.

In the beginning of the night a DJ played mostly Nashville country, so we two-stepped to the honkytonk beat and had a great time. Eventually, though, it was time for the live music and soon Texas country artist Roger Creager took the stage. Before that night, I had never heard of Roger Creager before, mostly because I really wasn’t ever a fan of Texas country; it just has a completely different sound than your typical “radio” country. But the longer he played, the more I found myself dancing along and loving it. He played “The Everclear Song” (a popular crowd favorite, as I could tell) and “Love Is Crazy,” which brought all the couples out to the dance floor to enjoy the love ballad. By the end of the night, I was completely in love with Roger Creager’s music and the whole idea of live Texas country music.

My best friend and I with Roger Creager!

My best friend and me with Roger Creager!

The whole experience really opened my eyes to the world of live music, and also the subgenre of Texas country. Now I can’t help but sing along to “The Everclear Song” and linger a little longer when I hear live music being played around town. I’m so thankful for the experience and I’m excited to pass on the love of live country music to others.

Feel free to reply with a comment below about your favorite country music experience or respond to mine!

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Filed under Dancing, Live Music, Reflection

My First Country Concert

Luke Bryan ConcertMusic is a big part of life and people who know me know that I enjoy many genres but country music has not always been one of my favorites. While growing up I did hear a couple country songs here and there but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I actually started to listen to it. Ever since, I have come to love the style of music and it’s definitely one of my favorites now. There are so many different artists that I like now and would love to see live but I never bought tickets to see them, until just recently. I wanted to wait to see Luke Bryan first.

Luke Bryan was definitely the first country artist that I liked. I would look up videos on YouTube of his concerts and I would think to myself that it would be amazing to see him live. Unfortunately, he doesn’t really come to Austin much so I hadn’t had the chance to see him. A couple of months ago, I went on his page and saw that he would be in Texas this month and I knew I had to go. I bought tickets to the Houston concert last Friday and let me say, it was the best concert I have ever been too.

So ever since buying my ticket I was way too excited to go. I even asked for Friday off and spent the entire day in Houston. The drive there felt so long. I just wanted to be there already and for it to be 7p.m. so I could see him. Once the time came, I made my way to the venue, which was one of the nicest I’ve been to (the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands) and I found a place in the lawn towards the back of the pavilion. Yes I had to sit farther back compared to others and the grassy area was muddy because it had rained there the past days and the day of the concert but I didn’t care. I finally got the chance to go see Luke.

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

I was a bit nervous yet excited to be there. First of all, I was really looking forward to my first country concert. It would be a new experience for me. I had been listening to this great music for years now but I would finally get to hear it live. Now some people might think that country music is usually for Caucasian people but it was actually a diverse audience there. There were people of different ethnicities there all just to enjoy a night listening and singing country music. It made me happy to see so many different people there that all had one thing in common.

So first up was Cole Swindell and I enjoyed his performance. He definitely started the night well. Next came Lee Brice, one of my other favorite artists. He sang all my favorite songs by him like “Hard to Love”, “I Drive Your Truck”, and “I Don’t Dance”. But everyone couldn’t wait for the next person to come on stage. The lights went out, we heard Luke come on stage and the audience went wild including myself.

The concert was great, more than great. I knew every single song Luke would sing and I didn’t care if I did not have a great voice. I was singing my heart out. I loved how he sang his newer songs and also older ones, like “Do I” which is my favorite song by him. What I liked a lot was that everyone there were was singing and dancing to the songs that were sung and it was one of the best things that I have heard. It might sound like an exaggeration but to me it really was one of the best feelings ever. But out of all of the songs, there was one song that he sang that is very personal for me.

Once I heard him start singing “Country Girl”, I knew that it would be the last song of the night so I made sure to enjoy the last few minutes. Everyone went crazy during that song and I did as well. By then my boots were muddy and even though I had just recently bought them, I didn’t care if they got dirty. I felt like that was part of being there and the country life, which I grew up in. Then the concert ended and I was still in some sort of shock because I really couldn’t believe that I had actually been to a Luke Bryan concert. I guess that’s why I had post concert depression the next day.

http://www.vevo.com/watch/luke-bryan/drink-a-beer/USUV71302435

Out of all the concerts that I have been to, this one is definitely be the best I’ve gone to. Being with all those people there was amazing and I will never forget that night even though I was losing my voice. Now that I have been to a country concert, I plan on going to lots more and I have a feeling that they will all be great. Being in a class where we talk about country music will hopefully give me the chance to hear about concerts that other people have gone to. So if anyone would like to share his or her experience about a country concert, Luke Bryan or any other artist or band, I would love to hear about it. I need to start a list of other country concerts that I should attend.

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Filed under Live Music, New Country, Reflection

Up Close and Personal

Luke’s Opening Number

I think we can all agree that concerts are pretty awesome. I think everyone can also agree that the closer you are to the artist(s) during the concert, the better the experience.

Luke Bryan has been traveling and performing on his “That’s my Kind of Night” tour. He played in San Antonio at the AT&T Center on September 18th. My friend was so generous and asked me to go see him along with Lee Brice and Cole Swindell. Not only were these floor seats, but these were aisle seats. This meant that we did not have to worry about squishing through other people to get to our seats. This was the best concert of my life and I am very fortunate that I was able to see a few of the hottest country artists up closer than normal.

The first song he sang was “That’s My Kind of Night” which makes sense because this was the name of his tour. My friend and I were both pretty amazed that there was a giant truck in the middle of the stage. How they got it up there is still a mystery to us.

Luke Bryan on the pier

Luke Bryan on the Pier

It was amazing how many props they were able to bring out. For anyone who has not heard the song “Drink a Beer” by Luke Bryan, here are a few lines of the song to make sense of why they used this prop.

So I’m gonna sit right here

On the edge of this pier

Watch the sunset disappear

And drink a beer

And if you look really close he also has a Coors Light beer can next to him.

Dance Moves

Any up tempo song that Luke Bryan performed you best believe he got his groove on. Anyone that has seen him perform before knows that he loves to dance. I mean even though he has a song that says he wants a country girl to shake it for him, I’m pretty sure that he loves to shake it for those country girls more. I mean from all the screaming that was going on in the stadium it was clear that everyone enjoyed his dance moves. And just in case anyone was wondering; No there was no zoom used to take this picture.

One of the parts I enjoyed the most was when Luke Bryan and Lee Brice sang “Crazy Girl” that is originally performed by Eli Young Band. Everyone in the crowd was singing along and the two of them together sounded pretty amazing.

Luke Bryan and Myself

Luke Bryan and Myself

Now I know it seems pretty impossible to tell, but in this picture LUKE BRYAN IS POSING FOR MY CAMERA. Let me explain exactly what happened. Since we were so close to the stage, people were standing next to it and taking pictures with Luke Bryan in the background. I decided to take it upon myself and do the same. Well when I was walking toward the stage Luke Bryan saw me! He nodded his head at me and struck a pose. I turned around as quick as I could and this was the picture that came out. Because the lighting was so bright on him and dark on me, it is kind of hard to see. But I promise he did. This was the best part of my night. I will never forget this night. Being the huge country fan that I am, I feel that this concert will top any other country concert that I go to.

Comment below with your thoughts about my night or about your personal experiences!

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Filed under Live Music, New Country, Reflection