Oman Arena
I'm back now from my highly-anticipated first encounter with Sara Evans! This was the next-to-last concert in the Kenny Chesney Fall Tour, and last night, Sara entertained a sold-out crowd of around 6,000 people at the Oman Arena in Jackson, TN.
As you may know from previous posts, Dan also made the trip from Orlando, FL, so this was my first opportunity to meet him as well. I'm sure his review of last night's concert will be posted as soon as he can complete his 16 hr. drive back to Florida.
Here are a few of my observations and musings from Friday night, primarily about the Meet & Greet. I'll let Dan fill in any gaps with his subsequent post.
I arrived at the arena at 6:40 PM, and the show was set to begin at 8:00 PM. I was directed to the will-call window where I was pleased to find an envelope with my name on it, and the backstage Meet & Greet pass inside, as promised by the Fan Club President. The M&G was scheduled to begin soon after 7:25 PM, so Dan & I just yakked until it was time to form the line to be taken backstage. I was surprised to see that only 17 fans had passes to meet Sara, so I knew that there would be more time for each of us to interact with her during the 10 minute session.
After everyone had assembled at the designated place, we were led into the meeting area by an assistant who said she would be snapping our pictures with Sara. Once we arrived in the room, we formed a line next to the wall, and the road manager said she would be back in a minute with Sara. As we eagerly awaited Sara's arrival, I became unusually quiet, and Dan was a chatter box. It was obvious that we were both dealing with a case of the butterflies-we just dealt with it differently. He handled it much better than I did. In fact, a girl in front of me turned and asked if I was going to be alright. From the way I was breathing, you'd think I was about to go into labor! Dan promised to catch me if I fell, but that didn't reassure me much because I wasn't convinced that he would be able to make it through the next few minutes without fainting also.
We stood in line at least ten minutes before the assistant finally emerged from the joining hallway, accompanied by Sara. When she walked in, all eyes turned toward her, and her presence transformed the atmosphere of the room. Sara has that kind of aura, where she can just walk in a room, and everyone immediately takes notice. It's the way she carries herself, her outgoing personality, and, of course, her visual appeal. However, I remember when I first became a fan, those qualities were not given as much weight as the auditory appeal of her music. I first became a fan because I was so impressed by her voice, and next by her looks. Now, having seen her in person, I must say that her beauty is every bit the equal of her musical talent.
Since it was so close to showtime, Sara already had on her makeup and thick eye mascara, along with the outfit that she would be wearing on stage. I was kind of hoping to see her come in with the famous flip-flops that everyone talks about, but she already had the platform shoes on, which seemed to make her about 5'11". The only thing left to do before being completely ready was to put on her black Dwight Yoakam cowboy hat that she seems so fond of lately. I've only seen two pictures of her in a cowboy hat: one in TV Guide and one taken a few days ago when she was in Dayton, OH. I am so glad that she waited until after the fan club photographs were taken before putting that hat on. (Sorry, but I just think it hides too much of her face)
Well, people began walking up to her, one-by-one to have their picture taken and an item signed. Sara stood in front of a blue backdrop that was placed there specifically for our "photo shoot". As people filed through, they had her to sign pictures, hats, CD's, and magazines. One girl even had her to sign the shirt on her back, and another had her guitar signed. Dan had his Born to Fly CD for her to autograph, and I chose to have her sign a little scrapbook of her early life. We were toward the end of the line, so we had some time to get our thoughts together and see what everyone else did as they met her. I was impressed that the group contained their enthusiasm as well as they did. I was almost expecting at least one person to scream upon seeing her for the first time, but everyone was surprisingly subdued.
I made Dan get in front of me so that I could take his picture with her too. But, when it came to our turn, I completely forgot to take his photo. In fact, I temporarily forgot HOW to take a photo! Luckily, I came to myself when it was my turn to step to the plate. I handed my camera to the assistant and then extended that same hand out to give Sara a handshake. I'm not sure if anyone else in the line shook her hand, but that was the first thing that I could think to do. Without being able to even look at her in the eyes, I told her what an honor it was to finally meet her. She thanked me, and for the first time, I looked up. I'm only 5'6", so she just towered over me. I handed her the scrapbook to be signed, and told her my name. While she was signing it, I began to tell her about a website that I will launch soon, in her honor. Then I presented her with a little children's book that Jeanette, from this message board, recommended that I give her. It would make a good night-time story for Avery. Sara had also received a little angel figurine from the girl who had been concerned earlier that I might faint. I believe she was very pleased with both of her gifts.
Finally, it was time to take the snapshot, so I stepped a little closer to her and turned to face the assistant. Sara put her right arm around my shoulder like we were old buddies, and we smiled for the camera. I've noticed that Sara is always very open and warm with her fans, and this is evident in fan photos. After our picture was taken, I took my autographed scrapbook from Sara, but almost forgot to get my camera back from the assistant. In all the excitement, it was an easy mistake.
There were only two more people behind me, and after they went through, Sara left the room. Someone said she was coming back to do an interview with the local radio station, so Dan & I hung around for about ten or fifteen more minutes with the group from the radio station. Sara never came back out during that time, and it was already a few minutes past 8:00 PM. We could hear the crowd roar as Phil Vassar took the stage, so we decided to go ahead and find our seats.
As for the actual show, I loved every minute of Sara's performance. In between singing along with every song, and cheering like I was at a football game, I also managed to shoot an entire roll of film during her performance alone. Luckily I was allowed to walk all the way up to the stage to take her picture, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how those turn out.
The songlist was almost identical to her other performances during the Chesney tour, except that "You Don't" was left out. The following was played, in this order:
(Drum intro to "Born to Fly" to alert the crowd that she was coming up)
After eight songs, I was still hungry for more, but she had to yield the floor to Kenny Chesney for the remainder of the concert. So, I just used the time he was on stage to do a little networking with the folks at Sara's product table. Most people at the show probably came for the main act, but for me, the headliner was Sara Evans. Thanks Sara for giving me my greatest concert experience yet! I'm sure there will be many more of your shows that I'll be seeing in the years ahead.
McKenzie Arena
We bought our tickets the very day they went on sale. In fact, my brother and I cancelled a trip to see the family on Thanksgiving, as to not miss the show! The arena is on the univeristy campus at which I attend. While attending basketball games, I would look over to section 210 where I would be sitting during the concert. The night of the concert, the rain was so bad the streets were flooding. My brother and I stood in the entrance line, huddling under a tiny umbrella. Before getting to our seats, I purchased a Sara picture (one from BTF shoot with pink background) and a black Sara t-shirt. My brother bought a Sara ball cap. When we arrived to our seats, two ladies were sitting in our spots!! I knew they were the right seats, because I had been dreaming of this day for a while, including having our seat numbers memorized! We were sitting up from the floor, on the opposite end of the stage, thus it was hard to see the performers. The opening act was Rascal Flatts and the last act was Kenny Chesney. When Sara took the stage I was in a trance. I peered through the binoculars, wishing that I was sitting in the front row!! Before the show had started, I talked to one of my friends working security. I jokingly asked him for permission to jump up on stage when Sara came out :) Even though I seemed so far away, Sara looked beautiful and sounded spectacular. I couldn't understand why everyone wasn't yelling and singing along with Sara? I had purchased Sara's first two albums prior to the concert, because I didn't want to miss anything during the show. As several S&A had told me, I would love Sara more after hearing her live. When I heard ICNAFM (my intro song to Sara) and NPTF, my heart melted in her voice. It was disheartening to see Sara leave the stage, but she came out during Kenny's act to say good-bye (just for me I think). As described in my Sara tribute, my move back to TN was a new beginning. I had worked so hard to start school here, and I had just heard Sara perform in the arena where I will graduate one day! The rest is history now, but that cold, wet day in November will always leave me with the warmest memory.
Jackson, TN
November 23, 2001
Submitted By Chuck
Go Your Own Way
Show Me the Way to Your Heart
No Place That Far
Every Little Kiss
Saints and Angels
I Could Not Ask for More
Born to Fly
Long Train Running
Chattanooga, TN
November 24, 2001
Submitted By Robert
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