House of Blues
My girlfriend Lisa and I got to Las Vegas Sunday evening, having directions from Kaelin that our M&G would be before the show, on Tuesday evening. We should just go to Will Call as always. As this was not the usual show she had written that if things changed she would contact us. Sure enough, Monday afternoon my cell phone rang and it was Kaelin calling to say that things had changed and we would be meeting Sara after the show. She said we should find a security guard to the left of stage and ask to page Sara's publicist as she, Kaelin, wasn't going to be able to make it to the show. We were to be two of only four people to be meeting Sara! Talk about getting the blood pressure up!
Fan Fair - Adelphia Coliseum
Hello all,
It's been a while since I've posted, but a week in Nashville away from the PC will do that. I'll try and be brief, but no guarantees!!! :)
Monday, June 2: My wife and I leave for Nashville. No set plans for the day, if we make it to Nashville fine, if not we'll stop somewhere along the way. Actually stop in Franklin, TN about 30 miles south of Nashville for the night. Eat at a neat little 50's themed Diner next to the mall and then retire for the evening.
Tuesday, June 3: Visit my wife's parents in Franklin that day. Real good visit, enjoyed their company. Had Wal-Mart chicken for lunch. Yes, Wal-Mart has everything. My son flies out of Ghana in Africa about 2:30 that afternoon. Keep checking CNN headline news throughout the day and evening to make sure of no reports of plane crashes or hijacking. Go into Nashville and get checked in for the week. Our hotel has GAC on cable, and the first thing I see is Sara...I love GAC :)
Wednesday, June 4: We go down to the Gaylord Center and get checked in at Fan Fair and pick up our tickets for the CMT 100 Greatest Songs Show that night. We wander around downtown Nashville for an hour or so and go over to the Country Music Hall of Fame. They are having some of the up and coming artists come through that day and we get to see Buddy Jewell, Nashville Star's winner. He is very nice and humble. Rebecca Lynn Howard is also appearing later, but we need to leave before she gets there. Go back to the hotel and check the status of my son's plane (it's over 24 hours from Ghana to Atlanta). Talk to his girlfriend on the phone to see if she's heard from him yet. Finally get a call from one of his friends saying they've landed and Daniel will call when he gets settled. Thank the Lord for a safe trip. My wife and I get ready and go to the CMT show. Pretty good seats, stage right, about halfway up the first level. Good show, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, LeAnn Rimes, Chris Cagle, Ray Charles, Deanna Carter, George Jones, etc. But the highlight of my evening is seeing Sara for the first time since September. Breathtaking is all I can say. Sara and Deanna did a very nice job on "Mama's Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys." As I hear Sara later say, "It's a chix song anyway." Man I can't wait for Friday's RCA show...Finally talk with my son late that night, it's good to hear his voice.
Thursday, June 5: Fan Fair officially starts!!! Kenny Chesney kicks things off at the Riverfront Stage with a 35 minute set. There are people everywhere. We get in line about 8:30 for the free show, and we are SO far back it is unreal. People were lining up as early as 2:30am to get front row seats (but nobody ever sat down). After the Kenny show we went to the convention center to get some autographs, pictures, etc. Lot of people, but very few big stars. Did get pics of Trace Atkins that day. That night at the coliseum, got to finally meet Jon and renewed my friendship with Dan and Robert. We had a good time talking about Sara and of course more Sara. The concert that night was good and got some pics of Jessica Andrews.
Friday, June 6th: Sleep in just a bit and reach the convention center about 11am. First thing I see is Robert hugged up to a pretty young girl getting his picture made. I think he's happy. Again, a big crowd, but not many big named stars. Heidi Newfield of Trick Pony is there, Marty Stewart, Lila McCann, Buddy Jewell, Neil McCoy, Jo Dee, and a few others. But no Kenny, Tim, Faith, Toby, Martina, or Sara. Then the unthinkable happens....my camera malfunctions. The auto rewind won't rewind...and I can't get the film out. And tonight's Sara's night!!!! I leave to find a camera shop and hopefully get some help. Found a camera shop, but no help. His advice is to send the camera back to the manufacturer and get the film out. So I think about buying another camera, but can't find one to match the film I already have...I end up buying several disposable camera's. They work OK, but no zoom lens. Get to the RCA show and I'm still upset about the camera. Brad Paisley opens the show followed by Phil Vassar and then Diamond Rio....and then Sara Evans!!! Jon and Robert are in the front of the line together, and Dan and I are a little ways further back together. Then I realize Brittany is right in front of me as Sara is about to come on stage. I speak to Brittany for a minute or so, but face it, we both are looking forward to seeing Sara. I catch a glimpse of Sara backstage and point her out to both Dan and Brittany. I also catch a glimpse of Kaelin. Then we are herded like dutiful little sheep down in front of the stage in the photo line. I get right in front of the microphone. Gooood spot, only if I had MY camera. I get a couple of pics of the girl in Sara's band that sang backup and played fiddle and guitar. And then Sara comes out and all the troubles in the world are forgotten. She sings IKL and I do keep looking at her and snapping pictures. Finally we get herded out and I run (OK, walked really fast, for me) back to the photo line. Sara is just now going into her second song, BOAGB. But the photo line is already closed. UMMM, I DON'T THINK SO!!!! So Me, Dan and a few others just go under the ropes and head on to the field again. I used all 27 exposures on the camera in my two trips through the line. At the end of her set, like Robert said, our little group stood together and sang with Sara. It was so nice to finally see Sara on stage again. The four of us , Jon, Dan, Robert and myself, talked for a long time about Sara, football, fishing, and a lot of stuff. They said it was raining while Sara performed, but I don't really remember the rain.
Saturday, June 7th: My daughter and her husband stopped in Nashville Saturday morning to have lunch with me and my wife. After lunch at Joe's Crab Shack, we are standing outside on the sidewalk when Karen Fairchild of the group Little Big Town walks by. She stops and talks with us for awhile, she actually remembered me from last year. If you've never heard of Little Big Town, check them out. They are signed with Sony. Two guys and two girls with a lot of harmony, ala Abba.
Later Saturday we go to the Coliseum show and it's a real bust. They feature two acts I never heard before, and also had Brad Martin as a headliner. Not in the same league with RCA who pulled out Alan Jackson, Brooks and Dunn, Sara, Martina, Brad Paisley, etc. The crowd Saturday was also fairly small, but a lot of people went to see Kenny Chesney in Knoxville about two to three hours away. 61,000 people attended the Kenny show in Knoxville that night.
Sunday, June 8th: That morning, I get to see Lila McCann and have my picture taken with her and Little Big Town. I also see Crystal Gayle (my daughter is named after her), Neil McCoy and Trick Pony. The Sunday night show was also very good with Neil McCoy, Jo DEE, Trace Adkins, Keith Urban, and closing with Wynnona. The big news of the night was when Naomi Judd joined Wy on stage to sing a couple of songs.
All in all, a good Fan Fair. Weather was mild by southern standards. The crowds not too bad, and the busses moving people around were pretty much on time. Things that need to be better/fixed....have more stars signing at the convention center. When Buddy Jewell is one of the biggest names signing on a daily basis, it's not very appealing. Use the Gaylord for the daily concerts and not just the riverfront stage. Heat, humidity and rain can make for some uncomfortable days. Have the bigger artists perform longer at night and give people more of a chance to take pictures. Sara sang four songs, but after two they stopped letting people take pictures in front of the stage. But for Brad Martin the next night, he sang five songs and nobody was asked to leave his photo line (all 20 of them). The photo lines were pretty strict this year. But they cut the lines for some artists way too early to get ready for the next group, who ended up with front row to the artist they were in line for as well as the previous artist. I was disappointed in that.
A big concern, the Country Music Association (CMA) announced a change for next year, instead of calling it "Fan Fair", it will be called the "CMA Music Festival". They are not ruling out inviting other artists who are not "country". People like James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, and a few others were mentioned as possible artists who might come. EXCUSE ME??? Is this supposed to be Fan Fair?? Several of the artists, including Neil McCoy, Montgomery Gentry, and Billy Ray Cyrus were openly critical of this decision by the CMA. Fan Fair is about a celebration of country fans in the home of country music. I know I'm holding back my plans for next year until I see what's going on. Maybe I'll just become a Sara groupie and follow her around for a week or so next year instead.
One more thing, as I made the 500+ mile drive home yesterday, I NEVER heard a Sara song anywhere on the radio. I heard Brooks and Dunn several times, Toby and Willie several times, Martina a few times, and Joe Nichols three or four times. His song just came out, and his video just hit CMT and I've seen it twice since I've been home. Unbelievable!!! I did see BTF today on CMT, but the RCA folks are really dropping the ball with Sara. No video for IKL, and now no video for BOAGB??? Unreal!!!
Well thanks for listening. I'll check in with ya'll later. Looking forward to Jacksonville and some more Sara!!!
Fan Fair - Adelphia Coliseum
I missed all of you while away in Nashville :( In remembering those that couldn't attend FF, I took some notes to keep you updated (about 4 pages of notebook paper, front and back). So, please forgive me for the length of this post and Dan, Jon, and Don can fill in what I left out.
Thursday June 5, 2003
We checked into the Marriott Courtyard in Brentwood around 2pm, then left for the Coliseum in downtown Nashville. We made it into parking lot A around 2:30, and guess who we see?? Here's a hint...I met him the first time at the parking lot in Huntsville, AL?? That's right, it was Dan!! After meeting his sister, we followed them onto the shuttle bus to go across the river. I wrote while on the bus, "Hearing the rumble of the diesel engine reminds me of a familiar song??" Thankfully we met Dan when we arrived, otherwise that first day would have been very confusing. He was so kind to escort my brother and I around the first day!! We had lunch with Dan and his sister at the Hard Rock Cafe...at the end of Broadway St. Finally, we reached the Coliseum (where nightly shows are held) and checked out our seating arrangement. I called Jon to see if he was on his way, and by then he was still walking across the bridge. It was so great to finally meet Jon in person!! Sometime during the show, Don came out to meet us...he was sitting in section 235, next to our 236. I gave uncle Don a big hug :) With Dan as my personal tour guide and Don as my photo journalist mentor, how could I go wrong?? :) I was doing my best to get one of them to take my camera through the photo line for me :)
Most of the acts were great on Thursday, especially Darryl Worley. He was awarded his first platinum award on stage! He was totally speechless for that honor, so he simply thanked those who made it possible...the fans. My favorite moments were when he sang "I Miss My Friend" and "Have You Forgotten." During HYF, everyone stood up in support of our country and the troops. (This patriotic theme carried on throughout the concerts at FF). I missed Jessica Andrew's performance on account I went through the photo line for practice. I also enjoyed Vince Gill's set and he sang my song "Someday--Love Will Come."
Friday June 6, 2003
My brother and I woke up early to get to the Convention Center, where the autograph sessions take place. We had to wait about 45 minutes before they let us downstairs at 10am. We got some autographs from singers who weren't famous, thus the lines were very short. I took photos of everyone famous; of course, everyone looks famous at FF!! My brother kept asking me if so and so was famous :) We waited in line about an hour to meet Buddy Jewel (from Nashville Star). He was very considerate and genuine. After milling around the convention center until 1:30, we headed over to the 24/7 memorabilia shop. (She's the one who sells great Sara stuff on Ebay). I bought a Sara scrapbook and baseball card. I paid way too much for the card, so don't ask, but the scrapbook was $30. The last time I saw the scrapbook on Ebay it went for $20. The owner of the shop knew Jon from his stop in yesterday and she remembered Chuck from the emails!! I was elated to finally own the Sara scrapbook!! The lady was telling me how it was a promotional item...yadda, yadda...and I was like, "I KNOW!!" My face was a glow like a child on Christmas morning, as I thumbed through the box of Sara stuff!! The shop owner also tried telling me what the baseball card was from, and again I was like, "I KNOW!!" By then she must have realized I was a HUGE Sara fan :) The scrapbook had some great photos I've never seen before!!
As Jon pointed out, it rained the rest of the day :( We had lunch again at the Hard Rock Cafe. I think the music was too loud inside, plus it wasn't Sara. The day before we ate outside, so obviously the rain wouldn't allow that again. It was good to spend more time with Dan and Jon again. In the process of crossing the bridge and to the parking lot, I became wetter than I cared for!! My brother and I sat in Jon's white Cherokee, while he showed us his Sara scrapbook and the Vegas photos. I also showed Jon the Sara plaque, which he gave his approval :)
Finally, we got into the Coliseum, and the first thing I checked was the photo line schedule. (They post the performance set for your convenience). Sara was up after Brad Paisley, Phil Vassar and Diamond Rio. Jon and I got into the newly formed Sara photo line while Phil Vassar was up. I was so nervous and excited!! I hadn't seen Sara in 15 months!! I was excited to see her again, but nervous that Sara would do well and that I would be able to get some good photos. Jon was the 3rd in line and I was the 4th. At the beginning of the line, the ladies in charge write down the performers name on the dry-erase boards. I was going to take her photo holding the little sign with "Sara Evans" on it. Instead, she handed it to the first two ladies in line, so I asked Jon to step next to them, and I took their photo with the sign :) After the line moved into the stadium and down the bleachers, we came to rest at the end of the stage, while Diamond Rio was still playing. I kept looking to the back of the stage to see when Sara came out. I didn't catch Sara, but I did see Kaelin come out with Matt. As Diamond Rio was finishing up, the line was moved directly in front of the stage (on the ground level now). Jon is so tall, he could see Sara at the back of the stage. I took two pictures of Matt, at one point yelling his name, hoping to get his attention. I'm sure Matt was too busy to hear me, plus he's not used to getting attention from the fans. All the while, I had to keep checking my lens to ensure no rain drops had fallen over the eye. Then the big moment arrived, like a gun firing at the start of a race, Sara came out singing IKL!! I started firing away shots of the camera. I had to wait for the flash to recharge everytime, plus check for rain on the lens :( The security people are constantly telling you to keep moving, so that just adds pressure!! I missed the rest of IKL, because I ran up the bleachers and across to get back into the photo line. By now Sara started singing BOAGB and it was like heaven!! I couldn't see her then, but her angelic voice just called out to me :) The second time through the line seemed more productive. At one point, I was jumping up and down, trying to get Sara's attention!! I saw her waving and smiling at others though :) As I made my way across the stage front and away from Sara, I turned around one more time to capture this moment in my memory...and what a sweet memory it was. As Chuck mentioned, I called him several times, so he could hear Sara singing :) When I reached the other side of the stadium and up the lower level of bleachers, Jon and Dan's sister & niece were waiting for us. Then came Dan and Don, so we sat there for the rest of Sara's performance. I took 18 photos before my film rewound. So, I am hoping among the frenzy of the photo line, some good shots came out. I actually enjoyed the show better in the photo lines, than if I had stayed up in my seat. The rush of excitement in getting photos, combined with the rush of seeing Sara again was great!! As Sara closed her set with BTF, the four of us S&A were singing along with her, that was great! Sara looked amazing, even with the rain, and there was no sign of the blister that was on her vocal chord. For those who missed the set, Sara sang (in this order): IKL, BOAGB, ICNAFM, and BTF.
Now, some notes from my brother that I missed while taking photos. David said that Sara was waving and smiling to the fans more than any other performer that night :) Before she sang BOAGB, she said Restless was coming out August 5 (no news there, but good for the audience to hear). Somewhere in there, she said her hair was falling down because of the rain, but it looked fantastic to me! Also, she dedicated ICNAFM to Olivia Margaret.
Just before the show ended, Don's wife took a picture of the 4 of us (Jon, Dan, Don, and Me). As you know, Jon took off for the Smokey Mtns.
Saturday June 7, 2003
My brother and I didn't do much today. We slept in late, because we were both tired from the past two days. My muscles were sore from all the walking, and my voice was sore from all the yelling!! I don't have much good to say about the show that night...it really sucked!! The only good things were Buddy Jewel and Montgomery Gentry. I really just wanted to go home and sleep!!!
Sunday June 8, 2003
Today we slept in late again, leaving just 10 minutes before check-out at noon. The total bill for the 3 nights was $132 (with my Marriott employee discount :) We were both still too tired to walk around, so we opted for napping in the truck. Chuck would have called around this time. I don't know how he knew I was napping?? :) I had my phone turned off and charging then. Frankly, after the great line-up of performers at the RCA show on Friday (and the disappointing Saturday show), I wasn't expecting much tonight either. The show started off slow, with a few disappointments. Billy Ray Cyrus didn't know when to leave the stage, even after his set was done! (Someone please tell his "achy heart" it's over!!) Trick Pony was a big disappointment, not that I liked them much before hand. Finally, Keith Urban took the stage and gave a wonderful performance. That was followed by Jo Dee Messina and Trace Adkins. They both were exciting to watch and sing along with. Jo Dee performed an inspiring rendition of the National Anthem which was great. Before Wynonna took the stage, my brother and I considered leaving. After hearing Trace and Jo Dee, we weren't tired anymore. The best moment of the night was the guest appearance by Wynonna's mother, Naomi!! They sang the song about Grandpa and the good ol' days. By now, the crowd was pumped (those that were left)!! It was a nice end to FF, after some disappointing performances on Saturday. Of course, all the shows would have been better with Sara!! :)
We arrived home at 2:45am (eastern). This was my first FF, and I have to say it was a worthwhile experience. It was sad we couldn't talk to Sara though :( Kaelin promises next year that the Sara fans won't be disappointed :) Nonetheless, it was great to see Sara again and I'm excited to see her in Jacksonville!!! It was especially rewarding to see Dan, Don, and Jon!! Sorry I didn't get to say good-bye to Dan and Don, but I'll see you guys in Jax :)
Thank you everyone for reading this, my now longest post!! I hope that many of you can make FF next year, especially since Kaelin will be planning something special for Sara's fans. If anyone has any questions about FF (hopefully I can answer), just let me know. It's now 5am, so I'd better get some rest soon! Take care everyone and God bless you this week.
Wind Mill Festival
First let me tell you that Sara Evans is awesome in person. Second let me tell you that Kaelin Evans is EQUALLY awesome in person. Third, that Sara did NOT sing the REO Speedwagon song, so I was not the first to hear it, and lastly, Comstock is not in the "middle of nowhere", it is a good 2 hours past the "middle of nowhere".
OK, let me give you an idea of how my day started. At 8:15 I was in the Doctors office having 4 moles removed and a biopsy being done on a cyst on my face. The night before Lincoln had a very noisy T-storm so I had little sleep. After my Doctors appointment I go in the basement and find some water coming in because the downspout had come disconnected so I fix the downspout and clean up the basement. The whole time saying to myself, "Do not forget the binoculars," which I forget.
The trip to Comstock was uneventful and I got to the grounds at 4PM and ask where the "will call" gate was to pick up my M&G pass. NO ONE KNOWS where the will call gate is!. I make my way over to where the tour busses are parked, hoping to see Kaelin and on the way over a Security Guard stops me and tells me where to get my pass.
After getting the pass I again head to the house to see if I can attempt to get the guitar signed by the Oak Ridge Boys and I speak with the head of Event Security. He turns out to be a very pleasant guy and after bribing (hehe) two of the security people with autographed Tom Osborne Sports Illustrated's that I brought along with me (Tom Osborne is GOLD in Nebraska) I am in the house that is used to feed the artists and is used for the meet & greets.
The best the Security can do for me is to leave the guitar and they will mention to the artists, as they come in that they can sign it if they like. I was thrilled.
I left the house and I was standing outside the house talking to the Security Guard when a gentleman walks up to us and asked what the guitar in the house was for. I explain and he replies "very cool, we will do what we can to get everyone to sign it" then walks away. Later while watching the little bit of the Oak Ridge Boys show I recognize this gentleman as one of the Oak Ridge Boys!!!!.
The meet & greet people were to meet near the house at 6:30 at a specific place. The Oak Ridge Boys started playing at 6 so I couldn't see much of their show. I get to the sight and I am the only one there at 6:30 so I'm thinking "cool". Eventually 56 people show up for the 7:00 meet & greet so I did the math and figured that was about 30 seconds to have an autograph a quick pic, and out the door. I would note that many of these in line were local disc jockeys and winners of Radio Promo's. Nice people, really enjoyed talking to them and one of them was a disc jockey from my hometown that I new years ago. She had nothing for Sara to sign so I gave her an extra pic that I had. I got a kiss on the cheek for that.....
I had been in the house so I knew the layout already for the meet and greet and I worked my way to the rear of the line. I figured if I was only getting a minute in the house, I'd rather sit back and watch, than get done early and out. My friend with security saw me and asked why I went to the rear and I told him my thinking. Oh, he said, then come with me. I went with him on the porch and got a clear view of 50+ meetings with Sara.
My turn, I walk in and present both Kaelin and Sara with one of the Sports Illustrated's (Thinking Sara's husband, being a Republican would get a kick out of it since Osborne is now our Congressman as well as in the College Football Hall of Fame). Sara gave me a sincere Thank You and Kaelin seemed openly excited about it. They ask if I had anything to sign and I point out the guitar sitting in the corner. Kaelin holds it and Sara signs it. After signing it I tell Sara what the guitar is being used for and it brings a big smile to her face (I can die happy now, I made Sara Evans smile), and Kaelin says "You must be Tim". We quickly snap a pic and I am out the door after commenting to Kaelin about the Sunday night chat and Marteen's singing to which Kaelin responds "Marteen is awesome"....
OHHHHH, One comment on something that happened earlier. As I am talking to the Security Guard, near the house (the time that involved the bribe) I watched Sara's fiddle player and one of the others from the band "jamming" about 6 feet away from us. That was "way cool"....
I leave the house and find a place in the "mosh pit" area near the stage to try to get some pics of the show. I am about 8 rows back in the pit with 10 minutes before the show, so I am thinking I have it pretty good, and then the crowd starts pushing in. The show starts and I click about a dozen quick pics and head back to my seat.
The show started with one of her new songs. I don't have the list of songs in front of me, so I will go through later and try to list the songs she played. But this one was awesome. Very hard driving beat, almost Rock like. I was very impressed. I am not a music critic, but a lot of the new stuff was excellent.
Two songs really stuck out. BOAGB and S&A were simply OUTSTANDING. I hope someday Sara does a live album because BOAGB deserves that! It literally stunned the crowd, that's how good that performance was. I rank that as the second best single song performance of any artist I have ever seen (I saw Kansas do "A Song for America") in Wisconsin when they were at the Top, and it was simply stunning. The weather I think had something to do with it. Behind the stage you could see these huge thunderclouds. I mean awesome sight. I think that and the power of the performance just mixed sooooo well. Talk about an electric performance!
Sara sang "Without Love" by the Doobie's (I am a huge Doobie Brothers Fan. I've seen them in Concert 8 times prior to the Michael McDonald era (which stunk as far as I am concerned.) I really think the Doobies would approve of Sara's rendition, in fact the guitar player that played the signature riff of the song, in my opinion, outdid the original.…at least I thought he did and I know the crowd did. It was a pretty subdued crowd, and they went nuts when he played that riff.
Sara has such a grace on stage. She simply "flows". And that was most evident in those two songs.
A funny note, Sara commented about "giving up her Redneck past" and the crowd all laughed.
After Sara performed I left and went to the house to get the guitar. The security guy went to get it and when he came out he was with the Owner of the ranch who told me I could just leave it with him and that he would make sure that all the artists have a chance to sign it over the next 3 days! I was thrilled. As I left the house I saw Sara and Kaelin signing some autographs over a fence so I watched for a minute I waved at them and yelled "Thank you".
That's about it. Had a great time, but I was exhausted even before meeting Sara and it really shows in the pic.
Metropolitan Park
Holy cow! I don't think I can say much more than that. My friend, Christina, and I left Tallahassee this morning at 8:30, not knowing what the day had in store. And what a day it was! First, we found out, like the KC show, you weren't supposed to bring in cameras. (Yeah, right.) Anyway, so Christina and I sat from 11:30 until the gates opened at 4 to wait for our close seats to Sara. While waiting, Christina, the child at heart she really is, ran off and got her arm airbrushed, rode the train twice, and collected a number of American flags along the way. I, on the other hand, sat patiently on my Target-bought lawn chair for the security to open the gate. Robert called me at one point and said he found my car. I had written "Sara Evans' Saints and Angels" on the back window and put "Hi Avery and Olivia" on the passenger side and "Kaelin ROCKS!" on the driver side. During my wait, I got the incredible privilege to meet Robert, Steve and Anna, Don and his lovely wife, Brandon and his friend Rickie (I think). I also bonded with a lady sitting in front of me in line (a great thing that produced something wonderful later in the day). At this point, Steve did something so nice: he gave me his extra copy of the song list from the Austin, TX show. Robert was also very kind in not fighting me for it. I think we may have seen some actual bloodshed there if that had transpired. (J/K). So, we all battled the crowd and once the gate opened, Christina and I sprinted toward the stage. OK. Well, she sprinted; I did a half-"I swear I'm running" type deal. Either way, our entire group was able to sit together just two rows from the guard gate that sectioned off the VIP part of about ten or fifteen rows. I was so excited to get such great seats! The stage was in perfect view and we were just a tad off center: the perfect seats. So we hung out again for the next hour or two before the show started. During that time we also collected our M&G passes and found that the M&G was after her show. Not a problem for anyone. The first two acts, Dean Miller and Amy Dalley were decent. Then it started to rain during Amy's show, but quite shortly there after. The anxiety grew however, for Sara was next on stage. The radio people kept teasing the crowd about Sara's arrival on the stage. Brandon kept yelling at them to just bring Sara out. It was very funny to watch! I actually have a picture. I'll let you know if it comes out. So, finally Sara comes on stage about 7ish, looking as beautiful as ever. At the beginning of her first song, that lady I told you about comes up to me and grabs my hand and said, "Come on!" She had a VIP pass for two and wanted to take me closer to the stage! I was right under Sara! I got some amazing shots and hopefully they'll develop! If they do, I'm talking EBay quality! Heck yeah! (This lady would, by then end of the night, have gone back stage and met Lonestar because her poster won the radio contest! Talk about karma!) So, Sara did her thing for about an hour (Robert has the actual list of songs). She brought her kids on stage and introduced them to everyone. Avery said he didn't want to sing and Olivia didn't say much of anything, but boy is she cute!
It was then time for the M&G. (This is where it gets really good!) So, we get in line for the M&G and are taken through yet another gate, at which point I FINALLY met the wonderfully cute Suzanne! I really wish I could have chatted with her longer! They take us to a trailer (a semi-truck trailer) that is divided into three rooms. All the fan club go into one room. There we find little bottles of water and Pepsi ONE (although not Sara's favorite any more...now it's caffeine free diet (she couldn't have it because of the baby -- a fact Kaelin told us). There were also Goldfish but no one was that brave (or hungry). It was during this time that Kaelin joined us! Of course, I shrieked her name when she entered the room. I knew exactly who she was even though we met only once in a dark parking lot in KC. We did introductions and when we got to me, she said she remembered me from KC! How cool is that!?!? I was psyched! We called Chuck in the middle of all this and Robert presented Kaelin with her plaque at this time. I'm going to let him fill you in on that since it was his project. Let me just say she was very appreciative. I had also made a shirt for the concert. Not very artistic, but it went over well with Kaelin and Sara. The front said "Sara Evans' Saints & Angels July 4, 2003, Jacksonville, FL." The back read, "Three cds from Target: $36; Fan club membership: $12; Gas for two hour trip from Tallahassee: $25; Cost for show: FREE; Getting to meet Sara Evans: Priceless; There are some thing I'll spend my money on; for everything else, I email Kaelin." So, I showed Kaelin the shirt. Then it was time for Sara. No one wanted to go first in our crowd of about 13. So, I had to because I was closest to the door. Instantly, I confessed to Sara that we took her water, which she didn't really care about. Immediately after that, she said, "Hey, I like your shirt." Kaelin then said, "Sara, you have to read the back." So, I stood there as Sara read my shirt. For an autograph, I brought a poster I got from the show in Nashville that was cancelled at the church. I told her that I hadn't gone to the show and she said that neither did she because it was cancelled. My response to this was, "Oh that's right. That's when you met Tiffany at Cracker Barrel!" She obviously remembers Tiffany well because she said, "Yeah, that's right." That was all for my little section. So the road manager told me to leave and as I was Kaelin pulled me aside and said, "You wait here." This was because she knew about the plaque and who it was from. However, the security guys were constantly telling me to leave. She had to say right to them, "No, she's fine." Then, the one suggested that I just go to the back of the line and wait there for the rest to finish. So, I did. However, not without two more security people first telling me no. They all had to hear directly from Kaelin that it was OK. I'm glad, though, that these venues are providing Sara with such good protection. Then it was Robert's turn and he used that time to give Sara the plaque, which she commented several times that we were going to make her cry, but again I'm going to let Robert tell you about that. Standing there, however, I realized that Craig was in the room, too! I hadn't even noticed him standing next to Kaelin! (I got a really funny picture of Kaelin, too, and I can't wait to see if it comes out!) So, once everyone was finished with their M&G, Kaelin invited us all in for one group picture. We were thinking that one meant one camera. Nope, everyone's camera got a shot on it! I got to stand right next to Sara again! Yeah! And, shhhh! Chuck was on the phone the whole time! So, that was it! Sara left then and we followed and returned to our soaking camping chairs. My spirits, however, were and still are on cloud nine! This has to be the BEST M&G ever! This was my third and by far the most memorable! Kaelin is awesome! Sara is awesome! All of y'all are awesome! This has been a great Fourth of July! I'm so tired now my eyes are literally closed as I type this. If I missed anything, I'll let you in on it tomorrow. For now, I really need some sleep.
Metropolitan Park
Hey all of you Saints and Angels!!!!! Let's see if I can put into words last nights show and Meet and Greet....
SHAZAM....HOOTIE HOO....HA CHA CHA....OH MY GOD....TOUCHDOWN AUBURN!!!! (Oh yes Chuck, it WAS that good)
I'll try not to duplicate what Julie said, so here goes...
My wife, Cathy, and I arrived at the show about 12:15 pm. We were able to form the line under one of the roadways overhead so we were in the shade all afternoon, which was great. In a short time most of the board buddies were there: me, Julie, Brandon, Robert, and Steve, talking about Sara and sharing photos and stories. I want to say it was the first time I had met Julie, Brandon and Steve and I was impressed with all of them...good people and great fans of Sara (so what else is new??)
Everyone kept talking about the no camera policy and the security guards said that disposable cameras would be allowed in...I didn't come this far to use a disposable camera, so like literally hundreds of others I did the only logical thing...I stuck my camera in my back pocket and pulled my shirttail out. I'll let Robert tell you where he hid his camera at....I'm NOT going there. (We all broke the law for Sara...how cool is that??)
So when the gates open we all run, sort of, to the front to get the best seats possible....halfway through my "sprint" to the front someone passes me and grabs my chair out of my hand...good ole Robert, he's thinking about me. After getting situated my wife goes looking for the restroom and comes across Dan and tells him where we are all sitting and so we have our own little section sitting together. First up is Dean Miller, Roger Miller's son, but no one seems too concerned with him...it looks like it's fixin' to come a gulley washer (heck yes I'm from the south). But the darkest clouds with some lightning pass over...then Amy Dalley (Love's Got an Attitude) comes out. Brandon was impressed with her, right Brandon :). And during her set, it started to rain, and rain, and really rain!!! We were all soooo wet it was unbelievable. But, Who Cares??? Sara is NEXT!!!!
By the time Sara is ready to come out, it has stopped raining and looks good to go. As Sara is about to take the stage off to the left of us, I see her scanning the crowd so I immediately put my hand up and wave to her...and she sees me, smiles and waves back...This is Great. As her band takes the stage the background music is "Sara, Saarah" that old rock/pop song (can't remember the name of the band that did it) and then Sara hits the stage and performs a great, great show. Robert was very meticulous writing down the songs and what order, so I'll leave that to him. Sara did her hits and some new stuff off of the yet-to-be-released "Restless". All during the show Sara played the crowd....you could tell she was having a lot of fun. She smiled, she waved, she flirted, and she laughed. She was the Sara we all love. During her set it started to rain again, but we were all so wet already that we didn't care. It never really rained that hard during her set, just a little extra love being called down from the sky.
We sang, we danced, we high fived each other, we took picture after picture....and some of us (Brandon) jumped up and down like a pogo stick. Let me say a special thank you to Steve for taking my camera down into the VIP section and taking several shots of Sara from the first row. You are a true gentleman for doing that. (I'll let Steve explain how he got VIP seats.) Sara sang by my count 11 songs, which was right at an hour. Also during the set, as Julie said, Sara brought Avery and Olivia on stage for a moment. Sara sang until 8pm, and she had the crowd enthralled with her; even the folks there to see Lonestar were on there feet the entire time. The show was very, very energetic and upbeat. It was great...but the best was yet to come. It's meet and greet time baby!!!
As soon as the show was over we made our way to the gate to go backstage...everyone had their pass and their name on the list to get backstage. They let the radio winners go first, thank you Kaelin, and then the fan club members. Other than those of us from the Saint's and Angels, there was my wife Cathy, another gentleman and a couple of kids...one of whom was also named Olivia, Sara got a kick out of that. As we sat in our room waiting our turn, we took photos of each other, talked with Chuck on the phone, and I think Jon also at one point. And, drumroll please, it's our turn to meet Sara....Oh how breathtaking she looked. Short skirt, sheer pink blouse, her hair down...WOW!!! I had my wife go first and I took her picture with Sara. She told Sara I, repeat I, was Sara's biggest fan!!! She told Sara I wear my Sara shirt everyday, come home from work and into my Sara shirt. Sara was impressed to say the least...and I think Craig was also by his reaction. Sara asked Cathy if she has to wash my shirt often to which Cathy replied, Oh no...he washes it himself...Sara was REALLY impressed with that.
And then it was my turn...oh to put my arms around Sara....what a feeling!!! I had her sign the photo of me and Sara that Dan snapped for me last year in Jacksonville when my camera died. (Me and cameras don't get along very well) She was so charming and pleasant and not hurried at all. I asked Sara what would be her next single and would there be a video....and the next single will be PERFECT!!! My favorite song off of the new CD!! I told Sara how much I loved that song...reminds me of my relationship with Cathy. And then Sara says there will definitely be a video for Perfect and that they will shoot it later this month. How's that!!! A video before the song is released, or about the time the song is released to radio...about time!!!
After my turn we go back around and wait in line for the group photo. When we get to the group photo, someone, I think Steve, gets next to Sara...DRAT!!! So I do the next best thing....I reach around Steve and put my hand on Sara's shoulder and give her a little massage while all of the pictures are being taken. Kaelin tries to use my camera but can't figure it out so Craig steps in and takes my camera and gets a great shot of all of us with Sara and her plaque. How cool is that??? Sara's husband uses my camera to take the picture!! Absolutely the best Meet and Greet ever!!!! I mean THE best. (Jon, yours doesn't count as a meet and greet in my book....that was just an extra special event)
Some final thoughts.....Sara is even better than ever, if that was possible. Kaelin is the bomb!!! Craig must think we are a bunch of lunatics....but he seemed OK with how we acted, but he did keep a closer eye on Brandon. Speaking of Brandon, he is a nut when it comes to Sara. Julie, your friend is also a nut...Chattahoochee may be in her future :) Steve is a true gentleman; thanks again for the up close photos. Robert, you are the best. Dan as always was friendly, nice and fun to hang out with. Suzanne seemed like a very sweet young lady, didn't get a chance to talk with her other than to say hello. That's it, seven of us at one show...it was an absolute blast. Most fun I have ever had at a concert ever, and I mean EVER!!! You guys ROCK.
Well, thanks for allowing me to indulge myself...now it's off to Wal-Martssss to get my photo's... can't wait for Perfect to hit the airways and CMT!!!!
God Bless everyone.
Metropolitan Park
This is one of the rare occasions, when I am not exactly sure how to begin describing what was an extraordinary day. I shall begin with the few notes that I took and go from there.
As many of you know, preceding my trip to Jacksonville for the July 4th festivities, I spent 10 days in the Iowa & Illinois countryside (That entailed some 2,500 miles of travel). I arrived back home on Wednesday, with enough time to rest and prepare for the big trip to FL. On Thursday afternoon (after some grueling hours of installing my new hardrive and drivers), I spoke with Kaelin online. Not only was it a pleasant conversation, it was beneficial for the events to follow. Among the highlights of that chat, I reminded Kaelin about the Sara plaque and expressed my desire to have a group photo made with the S&A and Sara. She quickly added, "And the plaque also!" Kaelin also said they would be leaving Nashville at 10pm that evening for FL. Since the buses would take the interstate that runs through Chattanooga, she jokingly said I should hop on the bus! I quickly replied that I would if it was possible, and she agreed that I would (then assured me the buses were already crowded). Needless to say, that was a nice introduction into the Jacksonville trip.
I woke up bright and early at 4:15am Friday morning! After a quick stop at the bank, I was on the road by 5am and heading south on Interstate 75. With very little traffic, I made the stretch to Valdosta in 5 hours. Somewhere between those hours, Brandon called me to confirm our meeting location. In another hour, I had reached Interstate 10 and headed towards Jacksonville. Brandon and I played phone tag at 80 mph, finally meeting up at the highway rest area. After pulling into the parking area, his bright red Chevy truck was easy to locate with the Auburn tag! A few introductions (meeting his friend) and we were off in search of food. About 30 miles outside of Jacksonville, we dropped into a Hardees. Brandon and I reminisced about concerts' past and what we could expect from this new show. I am sure Brandon's friend thought we were nuts with all the Sara talk. Brandon also expressed his desire to see Sara again was giving him anxious nerves (which was funny to hear from a Sara M&G pro like him). I followed Brandon into the city and eventually to Metropolitan Park. I just have to say, thank you Brandon for taking the lead, because I would have gotten lost!! By estimation, it took 7.5 hours to reach our final destination (it was 12:30 by then), but the journey had only begun.
On the walk towards the gate entrance, I spotted Julie's car immediately. I just had to call her and express my enthusiasm for her creative talents! As we near the gate entrance, it was great to see the line wasn't that long. I quickly spot Don and his wife Cathy in line. Once again, Don was wearing his famously faded Sara t-shirt (we really need to pitch in and get him a new one). Don greeted me with a big hug :) Immediately after that, I spot Julie chilling in her Target-bought lawn chair (to use her words). It was exciting to meet the famous Julie :) After settling in for the long 3 hour wait to enter the park, Steve shows up!! He says, "You must be Robert!" as he introduces himself. The next few minutes were spent chatting with Brandon, Don, and Steve. Sometime later, I walk with Julie and her friend Christina to the car. On the way back, we indulged in a trip on the train (it was just making passes around the parking lot). I enjoyed Christina's enthusiasm for life and outgoing personality. On the way back, we met up with Steve. I just didn't have the energy to fight Julie for the song list, but she was kind enough to return the favor with a 45 recording of Saints and Angels. In returning to our places in line, we learned about the no-camera policy. I was certainly annoyed by this policy, but my spirit was not deterred. I simply used the long camera strap to hang the camera from my neck (under my shirt and slightly tucked under my belt). I don't suggest you take this line of action, because it's very uncomfortable waiting in the hot, crowded line this way. Finally, the gates were open and the mad dash to victory lane began (actually to the stage). I saw Don winding down in his dash, so I grabbed the chair from his left hand on my final sprint down. As Julie alluded to, our seating location was fabulous!!
Next, it was time to locate the "Will Call" window, and yet another adventure began. Brandon and I found a little shack of a place called "Will Call" but no one was inside. We asked several security people, until we ended up at the entrance of the production lot (the buses and trailers are parked there). A police officer directed us to another lady, who gave a ride on her cart, and we finally ended up at the production lot again. By now we were both rather ticked off, but we soon found the security lady holding the M&G passes. Upon returning to our seats, I lead the others to pick up their passes. Now, I had to walk back to my truck and get the plaques. On the way out of the gate, I asked a security guard what would be the best way to bring them in. Yet again, I ended up at the production lot. The security lady wasn't cooperating. As I turned towards the guy with the communication device on, an angel appeared from nowhere...it was Kaelin!! She recognized me and came out of the bus to help me out!! We chatted for a few minutes about the buses and her trip down. She took the plaques with her, and would return them at the M&G. I told her not to look at them, especially the smaller one (her surprise) and she agreed not to. Later, Julie said Kaelin really wanted to peek at them, but hesitated :) With a renewed spirit, I returned to the seats. I believe it was here that I met Dan again.
I don't remember much about the opening acts, except the rain and hiding under the bright orange poncho. Sara took the stage around 7pm and played a full hour (as pointed out previously). Her performance was incredible, from the awesome sound (she's had microphone problems in the past) to the instrumentation. There was a young lady substituting for Bethany (guitar and fiddle player), but I don't recall her name. All of us were on our feet (except the few occasions Brandon was in the air), clapping, yelling, waving, singing, and flashing cameras. It was by far the best performance I've seen from Sara!!! The special moment came when she introduced Olivia and Avery to the crowd. I was able to get about 5 photos, as Sara held Olivia and Avery waved to the crowd..it was precious! Sara had the crowd in the palm of her hand (so to speak). She was the only performer I saw who waved to the military families sitting behind the stage. Here is the official set list for this performance (actually I took notes, Steve has an original copy of the song list):
1.) I Feel It Coming On - From Restless
After such an exhilarating performance, the best was yet to come...the meet and greet!! As already mentioned, the fan club members were separated and directed into a room at the back of the trailer. It was great to mingle with the S&A, take photos, and drink Sara's water! I called Chuck before Kaelin arrived, when he spoke with Julie and Suzanne. When Kaelin came inside the room, I called Chuck back on my cell phone. Don suggested I hand Kaelin her plaque then, while the setting was still intimate. She couldn't read the plaque (I guess due to the cursive font) so I offered to read it to her. It was a very special moment for me, as I'm sure it was for all the S&A there. Kaelin reached out to give me a big hug, and I warned her I was wet from the rain. She didn't mind at all..that was great!!
Then, it was time for the fan club members to meet Sara. By now I was so nervous and excited, I felt like a bumbling idiot..juggling my notebook, camera, and Sara's plaque. I was towards the back of the line, which only made it worse!! I noticed Craig standing next to Kaelin in the little room where Sara was. At one point I waved at him. When I was a few places away from meeting Sara, I asked Kaelin whether I should hand the plaque to Sara first or wait until everyone was back in the room. Finally, after months of anticipation, it was my turn to meet Sara (this my second time)!! Even before I walked up to Sara, I walked over to Craig and shook his hand!! Then I went to the single chair in the room, and placed the plaque down. I pulled out the Sara scrapbook for her to sign. I promised a guy from the audience I would say hi to Sara for him, which she really didn't catch. I came totally unprepared as to what to say to Sara, but I knew the plaque would say all of that and more! I also remember handling Kaelin the plaque covers..I wouldn't want them to be scratched in the bus! I remember some of the S&A taking photos as I handed Sara the plaque. I pointed out that I had wrote the verse, and then asked if she could read it. So, there I stood, like a lost, helpless child as Sara read the plaque to herself. Time seemed to stand still, as I watched her smiling face glow with beauty. All I can remember Sara saying, is how she almost cried. Next, everyone came back in for the group photos. In the meantime, I spoke with Craig again. I told him he has a wonderful lady..while sorta touching his shoulder. Okay, so I didn't know what to say to him :) Then, everyone was huddled around Sara for the grand finale!! I was on the far right (from my point of view) next to Brandon and Julie. I noticed that Don had his arm around Sara..and wondered if Craig was watching him :) Kaelin was trying to use Don's camera, but the shutter wasn't open. Then Craig stepped in and rescued her! As we were braking away from the group photo, Craig personally thanked me for Sara's plaque...that was very touching. Like I said earlier, I was so focused on getting the plaque to Sara, I really feel like I missed out on so many details!! I am relying on you guys to fill in the gaps. On the way out of the trailer, I said good-bye to Kaelin and thanked her again.
The M&G was far more exciting and memorable than I could have imagined!! Kaelin was so gracious and giving. If you ever get the chance to meet her, you will find her presence to be warm and sincere. Sara was so kind and considerate. During the group photos, she commented on how great it was! I could tell Sara appreciates her fans and still finds joy in their praises. Lest I forget, I want to thank all the S&A for making this moment possible!! All of you have supported the plaque project from day one, and that truly has touched my heart. I am so thankful that so many S&A were able to share in this experience, representing 5 states! Julie - thank you for your generosity and your fabulous breakfast! It was also great to meet Christina! Brandon - thank you for leading the way and bringing lots of energy to the concert. Dan - thank you for giving Julie your rain poncho and it was so great to see you again! Don - thank you for your support and hug and I really enjoyed spending time with you and Cathy again. Steve - what a wonderful surprise to meet you, can't wait to see you again in December! Suzanne - sorry we couldn't talk, but it was great meeting you! Ashley - welcome to the S&A!!!
Despite my desire to return home Saturday afternoon, it was hard to leave..I wanted this experience to continue forever!! I want to thank Kaelin again for reaching out to the S&A and allowing us the extra time with Sara. Thank you again everyone for allowing me to represent the S&A with the plaques.
During the 6.5 hour ride home, I was able to hear Sara perform the national anthem on the radio. The whole experience was amazing, and still hasn't sunk into my soul. For those who haven't seen the plaque or don't remember what was engraved here they are again:
To our lovely Sara,
To Kaelin,
Six Flags Great Adventure
Hey Everyone:
Back from the Hannity Freedom Concert this past Friday! Considering that there was not a Meet n Greet at the show, it was a fantabulous day (is that a word?) Got to meet a bunch of people....famous or otherwise. Some of the things I will mention will probably be familiar to only those who listen or watch Sean Hannity's shows.....I want to recap the whole day.
First, got to Six Flags in Jackson, NJ (seems Sara is always playing somewhere w a "Jackson"....Jackson, TN, J-ville, FL, Jackson, NJ.....Andrew Jackson is my hero!). Nice amusement park.....and not as crammed as the Orlando parks are. Didn’t have time to ride any rides..oh well.
Around 2 PM the festivities began. Before the show they played a lot of Sara's songs thru the speakers (along w Darryl Worley and Charlie Daniels). Around 2 PM Sean came out and talked to the audience, giving us a lowdown on what was happening today. At that time Ann Coulter and Oliver North came out and started signing their books. Ann Coulter looks just as nice in person as she does on TV.....and a real nice lady, too. Hopefully her arm did not fall off as she must have signed for over 10,000 people (her first and only book singing). Ollie North is also a real nice man......when I told him I was from Orlando he mentioned that he will be in the area next week. Also got to meet Neal Boortz, who does a nationally syndicated show from Atlanta and took the day off to be his buddy, Sean. I also met Flipper...Sean's producer.....Flipper is a total hottie, and a nice lady too...she signed my Sean t-shirt for me. And, I met…MMMMMMMARTY....Sean's most popular caller to the show...Marty is a decorated vet who served in WWII....real nice man, too. Others there were Gary Sinise (Lt Dan in Forrest Gump), Morgan Brittany, Curtis Sliwa (Guardian Angels and radio-show host....and definitely type A personality)
Sara came out during the last part of the live radio show.....I got some photos but they were at an awkward angle as the stage area was very crowded (geee...I wonder why?..LOL). Did you all hear Sara sing during the segment? She sounded great...and acapella. But, I missed seeing her doing it because I was waiting near the backstage hoping to get an autograph (Sara was unable to sign..she and Craig did wave at me....Sara was in a hurry as she was to be the first act on stage)
On to the concert......Sara was up first (originally DW was to be first...but somewhere it changed). Sara looked gorgeous in her jean jacket and red-pink-purple pants (what is that mix of color called? I'm not GQ on that stuff). Her set was about 30-35 min long and songs performed were:
Feel It Comin' On
This may have been Sara's best performance I have seen! Lots of energy and she was just so cool. Her audience interaction was the best ever that I can remember (and in front of a crowd that was not necessarily a country-music crowd....and many who are seeing Sara for the first time).
I was fortunate to get real close to the stage....and of course I had my Sara shirt on (which a lot of people asked "where did you get that?") I think Sara knew who I was because she waved at me and also later she gave me the "peace sign" (she did the same just later towards where Avery, Olivia, and Craig were at backstage). And, she brought out Avery and Olivia.....Avery was a little shy but full of smiles...and little Olivia I think is ready to perform.....when Sara lifted her from her nanny Olivia went straight for and grabbed Sara's mike. Can’t wait for the debut CD from Olivia Schelske! During her set, Gary Sinise came on stage and gave Sara a hug. She mentioned that she and Sean and Gary had dinner together the night before in NYC.
Darryl Worley was up next. First thing you notice when DW is on stage is that he is one big dude. He played his big hits (I Miss My Friend, Second Wind, Good Day To Run...but no Family Tree...awww DW didn’t play my fave) and closed w Have You Forgotten (which got the audience wild). During his set DW mentioned that "Sara can really sing...and she is good to look at too....gosh even if she couldn’t sing...she would be just great to look at". Of course I howled in concurrence ;-)
Charlie Daniels was up next. If you haven’t seen Charlie perform live...you are missing a living legend. His show is great.....a mix of country and southern rock. CD is a maestro on the fiddle and electric guitar.
The show ended w Devil Went Down To Georgia....with Sara, Sean and Darryl joining Charlie. Sean did alright w his lines......but Darryl forgot the words (Sara was audibly coaching both Sean and Darryl with the verses....Darryl needed more help). I couldn’t believe Sean said the line "devil just come on back if you ever want to try again...I told you once you son of a b----, I’m the best there's ever been" (he said the line heard on classic rock stations...not the "son of a gun" the country version uses).
After the show..it ended w a great fireworks show....along with some holographic montages of America. Nice cap-off to a great night. I was bummed out it had to end. It was a great day and a great concert. The concert area was cozy but you had a great seat everywhere.....and I was so clooose to the stage.
Hope that Sean does this again...even with the slight glitches it was a great show! Of course any show w Sara is great....woo hooo
Saratoga Raceway
I just returned from Countryfest in Saratoga Springs, NY and thought I'd give y'all a little rundown on what went on.
First, it was my first (and possibly only) experience at a major country music festival...very, very large crowd. Not that I am 'anti-social' mind you, but I prefer a smaller venue. We arrived a little late, so the spot we settled for was way off to the side of the stage. The view was a bit obstructed but it lessened the chance of being stumbled upon by some drunken fool...and there were plenty of those to be found. On the positive side, it was a beautiful day, for the most part, and the nice looking gals were out in droves...guys too, from what the mrs. tells me.
Anyway, on to Sara...She followed Steve Azar and Mark Wills who both gave very good performances. Sara was untouchable, though. I'm sure it was the same set she did at Jacksonville, so I won’t bore you with the playlist. I will say, though, her new material is fabulous. She again 'wowed' the crowd with her "Long Train Running" finale.
Our seats, as I mentioned, were off to the right of the stage and luckily that’s where the Meet and Greet folks met us. While waiting, I ran into Jonathan Kui and his girlfriend...what nice people. Took a photo with Jonathan and had a nice conversation. When we were ushered into the M&G tent, we were separated by radio and comp people first, then fan club members.
Sara arrived by golf cart (driven by Kaelin) and was as charming as ever. I had my 5-year-old son (Ian) with me and he had drawn her a picture...of Sara singing onstage. She thought that was so cute. I first introduced my son to her and then told her who I was and said, "I'm one of your Saints and Angels". Boy did her eyes light up! She couldn't thank us enough for the things we do, then she turned around and introduced me to Kaelin. We finished the picture thing and said goodbye and I went to speak with Kaelin. I thanked her for her work...one of her bedrooms is now an office, where her new plaque hangs proudly. She mentioned how much she appreciates the 'Saints and Angels' and what a great group we are. I said there were a few key figures that get the ball rolling on different projects, but we all join in.
As I left, I mentioned that today (Saturday) was Chuck and Tiffany's wedding, and with a twinkle in her eye, she remembered. I got some good pictures of Sara's performance and I will share them with Chuck when he returns. We stayed for a little of Charlie Daniels show, but were long gone before Lonestar took the stage (remember I have a 5-year-old).
I hope I haven't bored anyone.
Finger Lakes Race Track
Hi Fellow Sara Fans,
This is my report from the Finger Lakes Country Fest, which I attended yesterday.
It was a beautiful sunny day. The acts were: Maximum Country, Sierra Lynn, Double Cross, Ashley Gearing (being billed as the 12-year old singing sensation), Steve Azar, and get this...Sara was the headliner!
I had bought 6 tickets for my wife, kids and father-in-law. Well, dad could not go so I thought I would try to sell the extra ticket at the gate. I asked the guard if it was ok to sell it? He said,"No, unless I don't see you do it." Then he said, "But since you are bigger than me, I don't think I'll stop you." So I am standing there right next to the security, trying to sell this ticket. Funny thing is that people were showing me their hand-stamps to get back in the gate. They thought I worked there. Sold the ticket in about five minutes for what I paid for it, because the guard was referring people to me if they needed to buy one!
Went to the will-call desk, and there was my name on the list...and an envelope waiting for me. Kaelin is so efficient.
Another funny thing, as I was walking around to look for the Sara merchandise booth, (I bought 2 new Sara shirts) a guy walks up to me and says,"Excuse me, are you with Sara Evans' road team?" (I was wearing a Sara shirt with the fan club tag on it and a Sara baseball cap). I told him no, but that I am a fan of hers. He shook my hand, like he just made a new friend.
The local talent was Ok, Ashley Gearing was very good. I think she will be the next LeAnn Rimes. Steve Azar did a nice job, talking to the audience throughout. It was a long wait to get through all these acts...but finally they announced Sara. She came out with a white jacket and pants and a pink shirt. She looked unbelievable! (Ed, you would have been drooling, you too Brandon) She sang 12 songs in total. I wrote them down in order:
1. I Feel It Comin' On
My kids and I were the only ones who were singing all the words to her new songs. (Thanks to our board buddy...you know who).
The meet & greet was immediately following the concert. There were a whole group of us standing in the dark, with mosquitoes biting our legs. I brought my framed newspaper cover of Sara's Nashville Scene, 2001 Swimsuit Edition. The security guards were eyeing it up. Even Sara's road manager (Mark Chamberlain, a new road manager who has only been with her for three weeks) he couldn't stop looking at it! He told me, "That's a keeper." Well, I finally got up to the door of a camping trailer where Sara was. Inside I could see Kaelin. They were letting 2 or 3 of us in at a time. I said "hi" to Kaelin and introduced myself. She seemed happy to meet me. Then I turned and saw Sara. She had changed into a grey t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. She never looked so good. Sara shook my hand and said, "Nice to meet you." I gave Sara a card which I wrote to her, thanking her for her music, which is a gift to me everyday. I also planted a seed asking her to consider doing a Christmas album sometime. Kaelin took our picture with my Polaroid camera. Sara told Kaelin that they should buy one of those cameras. Sara signed her swimsuit picture for me. I just thanked her, because I couldn't think of anything else to say. I asked Kaelin if I could get a picture with her. She asked me to wait outside and she would. About five minutes later, Kaelin and Sara came out. The guard asked Sara if she wanted to take the picture. She did! Sara took the camera from me and snapped the picture of Kaelin and myself. Kaelin asked me to e-mail her a copy of it.
Other note-worthy things to report include: Sara told us that her next single off the Restless cd will be "Perfect." Also, Sara brought Avery and Olivia out on the stage. Avery said "hi" into the mic. Sara asked him if he wanted to sing Davy Crocket. He said "no" and Sara jokingly told him, "then you're grounded." She also joked that Olivia needs to go on Jenny Craig's diet. I saw Craig walking around holding Avery at the m&g, but did not dare get out of line to say hello.
That's about it. Hope you enjoyed sharing in my experience. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Jamboree in the Hills
Hi Sara Fans,
Here is my report from the Jamboree In The Hills (JITH) also called "The Superbowl Of Country Music," from this past Thursday, July 17th, in St. Clairesville, Ohio. Apparently I was the only S&A who attended.
For those of you who are not familiar with it, JITH is an outdoor, four-day country concert. It started in 1977 and is the biggest country concert anywhere. Well over 100,000 people show up for this. There are about 25 acts during the 4 days. Sara was 3rd in the lineup for Thursday. It was Cledus T. Judd, Marty Stuart, SARA, Keith Urban, George Jones and Travis Tritt on Thursday. This is really not a place to bring kids if you ever plan on attending. It is a lot of fun for adults, however. You will get wet, as everyone has spray water bottles. The guys spray the girls and the girls spray the guys. Lots of great food available. I tried crawfish etoufee, alligator tail, Cajun sausage with peppers & onions, London broil sandwich, and a strawberry shortcake crepe. All were very good.
This was our first time at the Jamboree. My wife, Nancy and I dropped off our 3 kids at my sister’s house in Pittsburgh, PA. Then the two of us went on to Ohio, for a 3 day getaway. We had a great time.
Sara came out on stage wearing a white halter top and what looked like jeans with a "worn" stripe down the front of each leg (couldn’t tell if they were jeans or velvet). She looked fantastic! She sang the same set as she did in Rochester, NY. The only difference was she switched 2 of the songs around in the order. Five of the songs are from Restless: I Feel It Comin’ On, Rocking Horse, To Be Happy, BOAGB, and Perfect. She finished the set with Long Train Running. By the way, this is officially called the "Restless Tour." I bought a t-shirt last Sunday in Rochester that says "Sara Evans, Restless Tour, 2003." Sara sounded great and as I was telling Chuck, I believe this is Sara at her best. Her vocal skills are so good. She really outperforms all the other acts. I also believe that when Restless hits the stores, it will be a big hit. You should see how the crowd reacts to her new songs. They really get into it. Several people walked up to me (since I had a Sara t-shirt on) and said they never realized how beautiful Sara is. I think she really impressed the crowd and made some new fans that day.
Sara is now doing meet & greets after her performance, instead of before. The only negative thing (if there could be a negative) is that she has a lot of makeup on her eyes. I know this is so she can be seen from the stage, but I think it distracts from her natural beauty. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining! This was the smallest m&g I have seen so far. There were 9 of us there to see Sara (1 of the 10 did not show). As Mark Chamberlain, Sara’s new road manager was reading our names off the list, he looked up at me and said, "Didn’t I just see you a week or two ago?" I reminded him it was four days ago. The girl next to me had nothing for Sara to sign. When I asked her about that she said that a friend of hers gave her this m&g pass about an hour before. Apparently he has seen Sara so many times that he offered his pass to her. He must have been a very generous person to give that up. I don’t know if I could do that. While we were waiting for Sara to come out, I saw Cledus T. Judd by the fence. I waved to him and said "Hi Cledus." He came over and I asked to get a picture with him, which he did. Cledus was very nice and spent about ten minutes with the fans around me.
Well, we finally got to go under a private tent where we baked in the heat for about 10-15 minutes while waiting for Sara. Then security took us to a parking lot behind the stage. Sara came walking out of her bus with Kaelin. Sara had changed into a tight green t-shirt, with thin straps, a short jeans skirt and black high heels. Need I say more? She just knocks my socks off. Luckily, I was second last in line (a tip I learned from Ed…thanks Ed) so I got to watch her sign items and take pictures with the other fans. This allowed me time to snap a couple of shots of Sara before it was my turn. I saw Kaelin standing there so I waved to her. She came over to talk with me while I was in line. When it was my turn to walk up to Sara, Sara said, "I like your shirt." I said, "Thanks, I do too" (it was the Restless Tour shirt). I reminded her that I saw her four days ago in Rochester, NY and she seemed to remember me. Also, this time I remembered to tell Sara that I am one of her Saints & Angels. I cannot exactly recall what her response was to that, (there was so much to soak in, I can’t remember every detail) although I know it was a good response. It was funny that Sara jokingly asked if I wanted her to take a picture with Kaelin and myself (she did that in Rochester for me). I guess she remembered that too and made the connection with me! We did not take that picture as Kaelin felt she was not looking her best. I had Sara sign my 8x10 of her where she is reclining on a couch with her cowboy hat on. She signed it "To Joe Love Sara Evans." This was my 4th Sara Evans concert and my 3rd meet & greet with her.
Hope you all enjoyed the report. I look forward to reading yours.
Muscatine County Fair
Hi Guys,
My wife, brother and his girlfriend attended the West Liberty, Iowa show of Sara's on Saturday night. It was my second Sara concert and she just knocked me out. It was great knowing Sara would have the stage all to herself and she sure didn't disappoint us! My first Sara show she was with Kenny Chesney, Phil Vassar and Carolyn Dawn Johnson. It was great! The grandstand was packed and they let us set up our own lawn chairs on the track right in front of the stage. (This was a nice surprise; our fair doesn't do that). We were about 15 feet from the stage. For the price, $15.00, and the atmosphere, I recommend her county fair shows to all of you guys. Anyway, I didn't keep track of the set order, but she sang IKL, S&A, BTF, NPTF, The Go-Go's We Got the Beat, Doobie's Without Love, REO Speedwagon's Take It On The Run and four Restless songs, BSOAGHB, To Be Happy, Perfect and Niagara Falls! Sara was so cute when she told us that our show was the first time she was singing NF live and that she was scared to death because it is a difficult song to sing live. She said "Sorry guys, no handshakes or waves during this one, I've got to focus!" Everyone just starting rolling. She said this would be her third single released on Restless and she honestly believed that it would end up being her biggest hit ever! And she absolutely nailed it! What a song! She was right. In this fan's opinion, NF will be a smash!
After the show, there was only one other fan clubber besides myself and some radio contest winners and we had to go last behind about 80 fair board family members and friends! Talk about small town politics! :-) Anyway, I was actually happy we would be last to see her so we could watch her with other fans and take more pictures. When I finally got up to her I said hi and told her what a great show it was and she said thanks. Just as she was signing my shirt, Avery ran up to her and informed his mom that he was hungry! :-) So I got to meet and say hi to him too. During the show, she introduced the crowd to Craig, who was at the sound control board and then brought Avery and Olivia out on stage. Olivia is sure a cutie like her mom. She tried to get Avery to sing the Davy Crockett song that Brittany heard, but Avery said "Mom, I'll sing Davy Crockett tomorrow night!" :-) Everyone roared! It was too cute. Anyway, sorry for the long post but wanted to share as much as I could. Also guys, I've never met Kaelin, but is she the one who helps Sara at the M & G's by taking the pictures? I think it was her but don't know for sure. She was a really nice lady. Still on my Sara high! Take care all.
Porter County Fair
Last night was Sara's concert and it was the best I have seen of her yet. I am going to try not to leave out anything.
My mom, my friend, Kelcey and I left early Sunday morning. We went to the fair around 6:00 to pick up the M&G passes and it said to meet Sara after the concert, north from the grandstand. Which was a big tent where they sell merchandise but we learned by talking to Sara's merchandise people that they would be taking us to her bus. O.J. Hassen had his merchandise sitting out way before the show started but everyone was saying, "Where is Sara's stuff?" The guy running the merchandise was late so they lost some money. He was so nice and he had us watch his stuff so he could run back to the bus.
The concert started at 7:30 and O.J. was on for about 45 minutes and then Sara came on! I brought my backpack full of equipment :) A nice zoom camera, a professional camera made for concerts, digital camera, a video camera with a backup battery and tape, and 10 rolls of film. My friend thought I was crazy, she brought 3 throw away cameras. Sara started the show with "I Feel It Comin' On"! She had a black shirt on with white jeans and he looked gorgeous. Sara seems so much more confident, happy and she is soo funny! She is dancing a lot and when she sang the "We Got the Beat", she showed us a dance step she wanted us to do with her. She introduced the band and I screamed really loud for Matt and Sara said wow because of all the applause he got. There was a winner of a beauty queen contest walking around and she walked up to the stage and got a picture with Sara and Sara made a "sexy pose", it was really funny. I could see Avery to the side of the stage with the nanny. He had a sword and when Sara brought him out she told us not to be afraid LOL. He sang ALL of Davy Crockett and it was sooo cute and Sara said it was the first time he ever sang the whole song and when she told him to take a bow, he started singing again! I didn't get to see Olivia because she was sleeping. Sara said that she gets up every hour and pointed out the bags under her eyes LOL. She finished with Long Train Running and Avery came out again with his sword and Sara told him to pull it out for the ending of the song and they walked off together holding hands. Everyone thought it was over but I didn't remember her singing Born to Fly and then she comes back and sings it and told the security to let everyone come up to the stage. We all went up there and shook her hand. I think I pinned an old lady against the stage but Sara touched my hand twice LOL. The whole time she sang Born to Fly, she was shaking hands. The crowd really loved her! The concert was AMAZING! I took 6 rolls of pictures and my mom filmed the WHOLE concert.
Now the M&G! We went to the tent and there were about 4 Fan Club people there so Sara's manager let my mom and Kelcey in too! Sara took a while getting ready before she came out of the bus. She had on a no sleeve black shirt and a skirt. I was meeting Sara and I gave her an angel bear with a necklace and she said it was gorgeous and showed it to Kaelin. I told her I was one of her Saints and Angels and she said thank you and introduced me to Kaelin. Sara gave me a hug! Then my mom comes and like told her my whole life story lol. She told her how big of a fan I am and told her about my scrapbook and Sara told me to e-mail Kaelin my address because she wanted to send me something. It seemed like my mom talked to her for 5 minutes. I got 3 chords and the truth and No place that far signed so now I have all her cd's signed! I got 2 pictures taken with Sara, one with just us and another with my mom in there. It was the best experience and my mom said she felt like she could have talked to her for hours because she is so down to earth. My friend ended up loving Sara and is going to join her fan club! She doesn't even like country either. We drove home listening to Sara cd's all the way and got home at 4:00 am and I watched the video of the concert and went to bed around 6:00 am.
I hope my review was ok. I will send pictures when I get them developed.
Westfair Amphitheatre
Well, I’m back to tell you about the Council Bluffs show. I really can’t go through the whole thing. I would defer to Rich’s comments about the West Liberty show a couple of reviews above this post. Almost identical to his review with a few exceptions that I will go through.
First, It was sweltering hot. This was a show that had 4 groups play before Sara, 2 local and 2 nationally known before her. My wife (one of the newest Fan Club members) and I arrived a 4PM and Sara’s show didn’t start until 9:30 PM. The temp got up to 103 that afternoon, so you can imagine that, until the sun went down, we were pretty uncomfortable. We staked out a spot to leave our lawn chairs, probably about 50 feet from the stage and went and found a shady spot to be in until Steve Azar performed at 7:20. He was awesome. Really enjoyed his show and he said some very nice things about the Families of our Military. Made me pretty proud.
As I said earlier, Rich’s show and mine were very close to the same except that Sara didn’t sing Niagara Falls. But I wasn’t the least bit disappointed because she, and the band were OUTSTANDING. They came out in the heat and humidity and put on a show that I did not think was possible under those conditions. Those that read my post regarding Comstock know that I was very disappointed in ICNAFM. Not this time! It was GREAT, as was Backseat, I Feel It, Rocking Horse, Perfect, BTF, and ALL THE SONGS. They simply were fantastic.
It was the funniest thing I ever saw when Sara introduced Avery and got him on stage. She asked him if he wanted to sing a song and was so excited that he grabbed at the mic. After a few restarts he got through the first verse of “Davy Crockett” and stopped. Then asked if he could sing some more which Sara, with the encouragement of the crowd allowed, and he sang it again. When he was done Sara said “He would sing all night if I let him, so we better stop now”. I think Avery disagreed and wanted to keep singing. When Sara said that maybe that was enough, Avery slapped at Sara’s leg and fell to the floor. (As a parent that has raised three kids through Avery’s age, I know how Sara must have been feeling……….EXTREME EMBARRASMENT. But it was about the cutest thing I have ever seen happen on stage, and reminded me that, that lovely lady on the stage is, after all, just another human being that faces the same trials that we all do. That was humanity at it’s finest on display).
After Avery left (not willingly), Sara comes back on stage and says “That will make the papers tomorrow!” The crowd roared. It was a little funny that quite a few left after that. I suppose that it was getting late, and many of the crowd were suffering from the heat by that point, but I was then afforded with the chance, with my wife to get all the way to the front, not 10 feet from the stage which was absolutely fantastic. Colleen & I got to see Sara perform 4 songs from right upfront, and from this vantage point you could tell that Sara was really enjoying herself. Geez that was neat the way she was interacting with the crowd up front. The band quit playing and the crowd started leaving. I told Colleen to hold tight because Sara hadn’t sang BTF yet, and that she would come out and do it as an encore. So many people had started to leave that we were able to move almost to center stage to see her sing her biggest hit. Very nice indeed.
The show ended and we headed for the m&g. Colleen had never done this before so I coached her on how it would work. When we got to the line there were nearly 100 people in it. I thought “my God, how many radio station winners were there?”, but soon after some security people came through and told the line that only Fan Club Meet & Greet ticket holders would be allowed in. (Note to Rich: I spoke to a security guy and he said that at a recent M&G so many county fair VIP’s used their passes to meet with Sara that they decided not to allow them in the M&G for this show). With that about 50 people got out of line leaving about 50 in line. Some Radio Disk Jockey made a comment that his station promoted the show and he should be allowed in. The security guy said in a kind manner that the station made money off the show, and it was the Fan Club members that support Sara 24/7 365.
We were waiting in line quite awhile and it was hot and uncomfortable when they brought out several tubs of bottled water that we could have while we waited. I figured we were waiting so long because Sara had to have needed a quick shower after that show in the heat and humidity. Finally security led us down to just outside Sara’s bus. Colleen and I were about 25th in line which was really neat because the meet and greet was being held outside, next to a nice retaining wall just outside the bus, so we could watch all the meet & Greets ahead of us. Sara came out and it was obvious that she had showered and was wearing a red and white checked top and had her hair pulled back in a tight pony tail, a look I had never seen before. Comment, she sure “cleans up nice” LOL.
It was about time for us to meet Sara when I first spotted Kaelin. She looked at me and started my way. I reached my hand out to re-introduce myself and started to say “We met before”, and Kaelin said “Comstock, you are Tim and this must be your wife”. I said “You remember?” She said she did, and that I was the guy with the Guitar that Sara signed. She responded “Yes, that’s right, a fundraiser wasn’t it?” I told her yes and that we sold it for over $600.00. She seemed really thrilled and introduced me and the Wife to Sara and reminded her of Comstock and the Guitar. Sara said that she remembered me and Kaelin told her that we sold it for over $600.00 to which Sara responded with a smile and “That is so neat, that is wonderful” then a short pause and she said, “now you have a son in Iraq, don’t you?” Talk about NEAT, she remembered that!.
My wife and her chatted about Avery’s antics on stage and Sara said he had never acted that way before. Colleen and Sara had a nice exchange about kids and how “cute” they can be at all the wrong times. Sara then signed Colleen’s photo and then Sara wanted to know what I wanted on mine. I asked if she would autograph mine to my Son in Iraq. She said “It would be an honor” and signed it “To Kyle, come home soon, Love Sara Evans”.
A quick picture with Colleen, Sara and myself and a nice thank you to Kaelin and we were off. On the way out I saw her fiddle Player Bethany Dick. I wondered over and introduced myself and thanked her for signing the guitar at Comstock. She said “it was yours?” I said yes and then she said that she hoped it raised some funds and I told her that it did, and that I thought it was great that she signed it. We chatted for a few minutes and Colleen and I left.
One last comment. I am sure that Restless is going to put Sara back on top. There is just no doubt in my mind. But I sure wish there was an ACM award for artists who treat their fans the best: Sara AND Kaelin would win it hands down.!!!!!!
Blue Note
While I have a little time, I'll do my best to give a review of the concert, adding to, but not repeating, the other reviews of Columbia. First of all, thanks to the Sara concert, Jon (via Ed) and the CD player in our van, I have the Sara Evans "Restless" concert going on in my mind almost non-stop, particularly, Feel it Comin' On! Wow!
1. I arrived about 3:20 PM. I was planning on getting there earlier, but I had to take a very important phone call that took about a half an hour. I don't know if that prevented me from being number one, but I don't know if I would have been able to save the number one slot for so many people anyway. A lot of big Sara fans in line with me, but none of them are "Saints and Angels", at least yet. I took the e-mail address from one lady and promised to e-mail her the address for the board. KCLR Clear 99 set up a table near us and served birthday cake (It was the Blue Note's birthday - had a cool cake with Sara's photo in the icing). Jason and I walked down to Booche's (my Columbia hang out) and brought back cheeseburgers for the group standing with us - aren't those good cheeseburgers guys?. Jacki and I brought three friends from Columbia to the concert too.
2. The seating was first come first serve. The Blue Note is a very old theater. They removed the theater seats in front of the stage to create a dance floor. In the back of the first floor is a bar and tables. There is also a tiered balcony up above. However, the worst seat is only about 60 feet away from the stage. Pretty intimate. I guess they had over 1,000 people in the hall, which meant we were basically sardines. We were all right up next to the stage, just not dead center, and Sara was within 2-3 feet of us whenever she went stage left. Jacki and our friends stayed back: two with a table back by the bar, and Jacki and Leyanna at a table in the balcony, right next to a special section roped off for Sara's family. I'm explaining all of this because Jacki and friends said that the group of us up by the stage were very obvious, particularly when Sara said " I want to dedicate this next one to my Saints and Angels who are out there!". Needless to say, we went nuts! Sara wore jeans, high healed cowboy boots, and a black t-shirt with #44 in gold (Petty?) and an American flag on the back.
3. Playlist (from Bethany, the fiddler) right from the paper, signed by everyone in the band but Sara:
Feel it Comin' On
4. Trust me - Sara was GREAT and the band was great, all the way through! Never missed a beat! Her voice was Perfect, she was entertaining and having fun the whole time! The crowd was crazy and making a lot of noise! Of course, the crowd was made up of redneck's from Central Missouri and Saints and Angels (some of us fall into both categories, right Marteen and Jason?), and they were serving drinks, so the crowd was otherwise uninhibited.
5. She interacted with the crowd more than in the other 3 Sara concerts I've been to. She talked about and to her family and friends, and had her best friend Stephanie stand up. She talked to the woman next to me, who had a sign that said "I live next door to your grandma, and I'm your biggest fan!" Marteen almost talked her into talking to Robert on my cell phone - I would've never cleaned off the cell phone again, and we'd all be going to Robert's funeral this week!!! She cried at least twice while talking about how much she loved coming back home to Missouri (pronounced Mizurah' - really), and how much her friends and family mean to her.
6. When she introduced the band, she said it was a really special concert because Leslie Evans Lyons was singing back up (I guess she doesn't usually??). She said Leslie sings back up on ALL her recordings.
7. Her hometown crowd seemed especially appreciative when she played 3 Chords.
8. She wasn't sure her Mom would like Otis Redding (very sensual song), but when her Mom said she liked it, she decided to go with it. Otis Redding is one of my favorites off the new album, and it sounds just fantastic live!
9. I was never a big fan of Take it on the Run by REO. I thought that whole album marked a real low point for the band - great 70s guitar band goes bubblegum pop. However, when Sara sings it, it's a whole different story. REO should have just saved it for her, because she turned something that I always thought sounded downright silly from REO into a great piece of music!!
10. Meeting the band afterwards was great! As Jason said, Matt was very patient with us. We also had the honor of meeting Sara's youngest sister (somebody help me with her name!)
11. Lesley said the band was surprised how a certain group in front seemed to know all the words to the new songs. Wonder who that was? Hmmmm . . . .
12. Lesley's band Sierra (or as Sara pronounced it Si-ARA) at the Ashland Rodeo in a couple of weeks - Jacki and I will take the boys for sure!
13. Meeting Jon and his fiancée Lisa was just great! We all owe a lot to Jon for introducing us to "Restless"! He's a BIG man, and a lot of fun! I'm sure they came the farthest to attend the concert I always like seeing Steve and Anna, and hope the come up for the Nebraska game and our fish fry in October. Marteen and Jason spent the night with us, and we really enjoyed their company. They are welcome at our house anytime!
This, for a lot of reasons, was one of the best weekends of my life! I'll never forget it! Thanks to all who came to Columbia to hang out with me! (Oops. maybe you came to see Sara)
Blue Note
I’ve been telling Jason for two year about how good Sara is, and now he finally gets it. If I'm gonna lose my man to another woman, I'd rather it be Sara. :-)
Let me add a few things to what has already been said -
1) FRONT ROW, BABY!!!!
I am so excited for Sara this year! She is in top form, with a great band, a great stage act, and an album that's gonna shoot her straight to the top. Eagerly waiting for my next concert….
Blue Note
Hey All,
Finally getting a chance to post my review of the August 1 show in Columbia, Mizzou. Lisa and I traveled by plane from West Virginia through Pittsburgh, then arrived in St. Louis on Friday about noon. Rental car to Columbia to meet up at our hotel with Steve and Anna who came up from Springfield. We caught up with them in our hotel and went to dinner. Had been 50 weeks since seeing Steve in Sedalia last year for Sara's State Fair show, and the first time for them meeting Lisa and us meeting Anna. Congrats on the engagement again you all. And Steve thanks for the JAX pic of a VERY special shot of Sara.
After dinner we headed to the Blue Note, traded calls with Marteen and Jason and Mark and Jackie who we were to meet later. Line stretched around block for entrance (Blue Note appears to be a former movie theater with balcony). We walked on around to box office to get M&G passes and Steve spies Kaelin and Matt standing across the street watching the madness. We all yell and she says "who are you?" I yell my name and she comes running across the street. We all introduce ourselves to her and she is just bubbling. Remember to watch for cars next time Kaelin!
She tells us that we are in for a big treat tonight (as if we didn't know that already). Sara's sister Lesley is going sing backup throughout the show! Also, mom and lots of other family are there. In fact, 70 people are lined up for M&G since Sara is so close to home. I truly believe Kaelin was more excited than we were. She wanted to make sure we were all hanging out after the M&G to chat with her. We told her we would, and that the rest of our crew were inside already.
Getting inside, we headed straight to Marteen and Jason and then Mark. Again, great to finally meet them. Of course we went right to the front, gently nudging (yeah, right) our way to within 6 feet of stage. We finally get Sara on stage, 700 miles and 14 hours since leaving home! Absolutely awesome, there are no words. Hearing her sing Niagara was all I needed, but thankfully there were others. 1st time for me to hear TCATT as well as most of the new stuff (got to hear BOAGB at Fan Fair). Rocking Horse ROCKS! Perfect, Suds, Otis Redding, were SOOO sweet. And Lesley, you need to think about taking yourself out on the road, what a fabulous voice.
At some point during the show Sara began to converse with the audience, telling us that her next song was from her new CD, Restless, coming out in 2 weeks, whereby I reached in my back pocket and pulled out my ebay demo copy and waved it at Sara, whereby she said to me "And I see someone already has one. Get that on ebay?" I yelled "Yes I did, and I paid $83.00 for it!" She got a big smile on her face and pointed me out to her stage manager (jokingly, I was hoping) and said see him after the show. As if someone was going to get MY cd!
Show finished and we all hung out for the bar to clear, us and 70 others. During the wait I saw Matt in front of the stage talking to fans so I went up to him and was able to chat with him for a bit, telling him that I was one of Kaelin's fans from the Sunday chat. Told him Lisa and I had come from West Virginia to see the show, and got him to pull me up a setlist from the stage. He also signed it for me. Time to head backstage and once again more Kaelin. She was REALLY in charge of the big crowd, getting everyone to hop around at her every command. She asked Lisa and me if we wanted to be first, which we did. Sara came in and I said "here's that $83.00 CD Sara, which she signed. Lisa got a pic I had purchased at FanFair signed to her own daughter Olivia, which Sara was glad to do. Pics with her then out the backstage door.
We were soon joined by the rest of our crowd, Jason, Marteen, Mark, Jackie, Steve, Anna and then some more special guests. Kaelin soon joined us, as did Lesley, Matt, and little sister Alyx and we even saw another brother Jay I believe. We had a great time just hanging out in the parking lot sharing stories with each other (Kaelin apparently thinks Lisa and I are rich since we have traveled so far to see Sara this year. Definitely not Kaelin).
We took a lot of pics with Kaelin, Lesley, Matt and fans. Hope to have them to Chuck soon. Parted company and watched the whole Evans clan walking down the street (headed for food I believe) about 1 in the morning. LONG day for us. Slept in the next day, then had fabulous day with Steve and Anna showing us St. Louis. What great hosts they were. Gonna be hard for us to pay back such a great weekend. Thanks to everyone we met last weekend. It was truly the Sara weekend of a lifetime, at least so far.
Oh, and the surprise. Lisa spent all weekend showing off a sparkling engagement ring she has been sporting for a couple of weeks. We surprised Steve and Anna with that, and so we had 3 engaged men, Steve, Jason and me fighting for Sara's attention. Welcome to the other side Jason. Thanks for not killing us ladies, sure we will all pay later!
Appreciate everyone's indulgence.
Napavine City Park
I went to a Sara concert this past summer, August 28, and at the time I wasn't involved with the Saints and Angels so I didnt have a chance to write a review but I was just remembering that day and it was the best Sara eventful day ever! First I wake up to hear her doing an interview and singing BOAGB on the radio; then I switch to Q13 news and guess what, special guest Sara Evans. At that time she stated she would be performing 4 songs before the Mariners game, which I listened to on the radio, and then I drove down to this little town of about 500 people to see Sara in concert for the first time ever! I got there an hour and a half before it started, not knowing I was to bring my own chair, but I didn't care. I sat on the ground in the 3rd row! Well we could see Sara's bus parked behind the stage. We all know Sara is a good mom, like when she says she changes a poopy diaper then runs out on stage. Well she played baseball with Avery for about a half an hour. So then the concert finally started after we had to sit through about an hour and a half of some horrible cd that they had playing! I don't exactly remember every song but it was similar to the others that people have posted.
One song she did was Niagara, and it was so funny. She sat there and talked to us for like 5 minutes and she even said she is stalling because she was very nervous to sing it! I'm guessing it was one of the first live performances of it since it was a week after Restless came out but she did Excellent, and received a standing ovation! And Avery did Davy Crockett too! It was awesome; I was soo excited! But the crappy thing was i wasn't part of the Fan Club so I just left right after the concert. But hopefully she will be back soon!
Gold Country Casino
Sorry it took so long to post this review, but here goes. We arrive in Oroville about 2:30 in the afternoon and went to check into a motel. What was parked in the motel parking lot but a big bus with Oregon license plates. I guessed it was Sara. As we were checking in, who should walk out and get into the bus but Craig. Suspicions confirmed. Not wanting to appear like a stalker I resisted the temptation to bang on the bus door or hang out in the lobby until Sara came by. Never did get to see her there. Making a long story short, later before dinner we were waiting for the guy to set up the Sara merchandise table and who should walk up but Kaelin. I must have shown her some kind of sign of recognition because before I even said a word she said “Ed?”. We talked a few minutes mostly about guess who and she asked me if I had seen the video yet and I said no. She said it was good but she didn’t really understand what it meant. I know now what she means. On to the show. Had seats at a table front row center. Couldn’t be better. Six people. Two of them young ladies about Sara’s age who told my wife they enjoyed watching me more than the show. Didn’t get very good pictures because the only camera I could get in was a little throw-away that I hid in my pocket. Sara was awesome. I have never seen her look better or more trim. And she sounded great. I won’t repeat any of the details that Lisa provided but if I can remember the songs she sang were:
Feel in Comin’ On
As Lisa mentions in her review, we met her while going into the M&G. There must have been at least 120 people for the M&G including Casino contest winners, radio people and contest winners and fan club members. By the time I got to meet Sara, things were kind of moving fast and I didn’t get to say much except I was one of the S&A’s. She responded but didn’t have much to say. Kaelin was taking the pictures and after she took my picture with Sara, I asked her if I could have a picture with her. She said sure and the tour manager was there and said I’ll take it. Sara piped up and said “No, I can do it”. So Sara took my picture with Kaelin. Kaelin did a better job than Sara. Kaelin’s eyes are closed in that picture. That’s about it. Wish I could do it again tomorrow. Great, great show!
Gold Country Casino
I am just now getting the chance to post a few details about the AWESOME show Sara put on this past Saturday night in Oroville, CA. This was my 4th Sara show. Sara opened with "I Feel It Coming On" and she looked better than ever, flashing that great smile of hers and just having so much fun on that stage. When Sara is performing you can tell she's just having as much fun as you are. I love it! Her sense of humor is always the best too: When it was time for Avery to come on stage to sing, he was no where to be found. She asked the audience to hang on a second and Sara kinda disappeared to the back of the stage looking for Avery. As Sara returned to the michrophone she stated, "My nanny took off with my kids....she's fired".....laughing. Then Sara looks out into the crowd (holding her hand above her forehead to block the spotlights from her eyes), and adds, "I hope Craig is still here." There was a little pause and everyone started laughing. So unfortunately we were not treated to Avery's singing abilities..I was a bit bummmed...maybe next time. Sara sang a lot of new songs which all sounded execellent live. She had everyone up dancing and clapping--it was great. Another funny moment on stage was when Sara went back to face the drummer. Something happened cause her brother Matt was cracking up and Sara was cracking up as she was drinking some water. She came back up to the front of the stage and said, "I just did something on stage that's going to take me a few minutes to recover and I cannot look at my brother Matt cause he'll start making me laugh." Sara never said what happened but it was funny how she could not look at Matt without busting up. After the show I went to get in line for the meet and greet and I spotted Ed and his wife so I stood with them and talked while we waited to go backstage. There were a lot of people in line--some were fan club members and then other special guests of the casino or radio people. We went back into this room and sat down and waited for Sara. When Sara entered the room, everyone clapped for her. Craig was standing back there and Kaelin was taking pictures. Someone yelled out to Sara, "Where's your babies??" Sara said jokingly, "I don't know; I still haven't found them"..."Just kidding, they are on the bus." When it was my turn for an autograph and photo I told Sara how much I loved "Otis Redding" and she said, "You know we are going to have to release that one as a single." I guess Sara has gotton a lot of comments about this song. There are so many great songs on Restless that could be hits for Sara. It was just one of the best times ever and as you all know how awesome a Sara concert is...I'm still wound up and can't wait for the next time I get to see Sara. She's so amazing and that voice...this woman can sing anything!!!
Oklahoma State Fair
In the past, my online concert reviews were only an after-thought for me. I would attend the show, completely focused in on what was transpiring, and then in a day or two, try my best to recall what I had witnessed. This time, however, the pending review was in my mind from the start, and I made an effort to make more mental notes as things happened that I knew would be of interest to the rest of you. Plus, I haven't had the privilege of writing a concert review since last September, so I relish the chance to finally do so again.
As Sara nears the end of a busy, coast-to-coast four month tour, the cities of Oklahoma City, OK and Fort Worth, TX were among her stopping points for two exciting, fun-filled evenings of music and entertainment. My wife Tiffany and I had the great honor of attending both shows, and meeting Sara two consecutive nights, marking the first time we've done a Meet & Greet together as a couple.
Day One was Oklahoma City, which was nearly an eight hour drive for us after heavy traffic delays driving through Dallas. We didn't leave home until around 10 AM, which was much later than we had planned. I will admit that I was the cause of the delay, as usual. Once we hit the road, though, the time seemed to fly by as the anticipation continued to build. Plus, conversations with Robert, Brittany, and Krystal along the way proved to be good pep talks, and reminders that our names have finally come up among the Saints & Angels who get to enter the game, as representatives of the group to which we are proud to belong.
The only other board buddies who were scheduled to be at the Oklahoma City show were Krystal and her sister Kacey. They were booked at the same hotel as us, so we kept in touch with several phone calls along the way to check on one another's progress. Krystal & Kacey wound up arriving at the hotel first, and we pulled in about a half hour after them. In the rush of getting ready for the concert, we didn't have time to arrange an initial meeting in the hotel lobby, and we just agreed to meet at the Will Call window, where we were to pick up our M&G passes.
We arrived at the fairgrounds soon after 7:00 PM. The pre-concert rodeo was slated to begin at 7:30 PM, and I was slightly worried that the Meet & Greet might be scheduled before the rodeo, in which case we could have missed it. However, we were relieved to find out from Krystal and her sister, upon meeting them, that the M&G would be after the concert.
So, Tiffany and I claimed our backstage passes, and took our seats at my first-ever rodeo, while Krystal & Kacey went back to their car to listen to a CD that I had burned for them. Apparently, there were quite a few people who only wanted to take in the second half of the evening's events, because the arena didn't really begin to fill up until the time approached for the concert to begin. As I sat there during the bull riding and calf roping, I couldn't stop thinking about how Sara was in the same building as us, and soon, this big open area of dirt will have a stage set up on it, surrounded by speakers and multi-colored lights.
After the rodeo ended, Sara's crew quickly got to work on setting up the stage. Rather than being set up in the middle of the arena, it was positioned about as far from us as possible, directly in front of where the PA announcer was standing during the rodeo. I decided right then that there was no way any photos would turn out from that distance, so I only took two during the entire show. Actually, even if the stage had been situated in the middle of the arena, it's still difficult to obtain any decent shots with your everyday camera due to the wide space between the stage and the first row.
We were in Row 4, but on the opposite end of where the action would be taking place. Just before the show got underway, some who were seated in a more "privileged" section than us were allowed to walk down to the front of the stage. It reminded me of high school football games, when about a hundred folks run onto the field and hold the break-away paper that the players and coaches run through prior to kickoff. However, unlike at a football game, these fans were allowed to remain standing in front of the stage for the duration of the concert.
After about a twenty minute intermission, the white lights were turned off, and replaced by rotating colorful lights that created patterns and chases throughout the arena. Sara emerged wearing a white top and khaki-colored pants. She was greeted with a hearty Oklahoma welcome as she fired up the motor with "Rocking Horse". With this being my first time to watch her perform songs from Restless in person, I was hanging on to every word, watching every dance step, watching for every pose. Sara's performance runs like a well-oiled machine, in which specific movements and postures are coordinated with her songs. When I see her perform a new song, I watch for the new "grooves", many of which I have only seen captured in photographs on my website, but not played out in front of my eyes.
The setlist for the first show, which was shorter than the Ft. Worth set, included the following songs (order may not be exact):
With this being the shorter, 60 minute set, she did not do BTF as an encore, but instead capped off the night with the old Doobies, sing-a-long song "Long Train Runnin'". Sara had everyone singing along with her on the "Hey, o
Las Vegas, NV
Host: 9th Annual Sizzlin' Country Benefit Concert
May 20, 2003
Submitted By Jon
Kaelin said she was going to be busy with plans for the awards show the next night. Of course I thanked her for everything and told her I hoped to get the chance to meet her soon. I told her that I was going to be at Fan Fair and she said she was still working on something for the fans there.
So Tuesday arrives, Lisa and I got dressed up and went to a VERY fancy dinner at Commander's Palace and then took a cab to Mandalay Bay where the House of Blues is located. I had my items to be autographed but realized I had no pen and since this was not the normal M&G I had fears of standing in front of Sara with no pen for her to sign with. I spied the Info counter at Mandalay Bay and as Lisa liked to say, sweet-talked the girl behind the counter out of a brand new sharpie.
Got a little fright as we entered the HOB and went down front. Seemed everyone but us believed that seating was festival seating instead of reserved. We had 4th row seats, which were filled, so we quickly made the decision that we were sitting in vacant seats we spied one row up, 3rd row center, only about 15 feet from the stage.
Finally we get to see Sara! She comes out in a long brown leather cowboy-looking kind of overcoat with a funky hat that was brown leather too. Sort of an engineers hat. She also had on a short denim skirt that she kept pulling at as I think she was self-couscious about it being a little TOO short relative to those of us in the first few rows. Lisa was constantly shoving me back in my seat whenever she would find me leaning forward a little. LOL
It's no secret now that Sara didn't sing, which was of course a huge disappointment. She did make the joke about getting the cyst on her vocal chord from screaming during labor, and that Olivia must have thought she had gone nuts what with mouthing her words to her for five days while forced to be silent during recovery. BIG surprise is that normally HOB does not allow ANY photos during performances and was very adamant in their signage saying that you would be ejected for taking pics so we were thrilled when people around us started snapping pics almost from the beginning with no repurcussions. We joined them right away and probably took 50 between the two of us. I will get them this weekend, scan the best and forward to Chuck for posting.
So the show ends, VERY long, more than 3 hours and we make our way to stage left. Find the first security guard and ask for Sara's publicist as instructed. While waiting in line Craig comes past us and gets held up by security until he explains that he is Sara's husband. A guy offered the guard $100.00 to let him backstage, which he declined, and we met the other couple that was to go backstage with us. Very nice young couple from Las Vegas, the guy being the Sara fan. He said he was in the FC and Sara was his fav singer (sounded familiar) and he had a pic to be signed from a previous M&G with Sara at a CA show last year.
Renee' (Sara's publicist) came to let us back, asked if we were Jon and Lisa, and said "Let's go meet Sara". Sara was talking to a small group and Renee' explained that we would have a few minutes to talk with Sara and she went to bring her over to the four of us. She came and introduced herself to the 4 of us and shook hands. I immediately thanked her for taking the time to meet with us. The other couple were working on pics with her and she was commenting that her feet were killing her. She had on huge heels with terribly pointed toes. I don't know how she and the rest of you girls do that. Sara came back to Lisa and me and I produced my copy of BOAGB for her to sign. I told her great picture on the cover, which she signed, and she could see that I also had a pic of me with her which she reached for and asked where it was from (Penn State last April). I said to her how much had happened since that show, including Olivia, who I congratulated her on. Sara said she was doing great. I thanked her for fixing the FC situation by getting Kaelin to take it over and how thrilled all of her fans were with Kaelin's responses and taking charge. She said she knew Kaelin would do a great job and that she was working very hard. While I was talking to Sara Lisa took at least one pic of the two of us, hope that comes out. Craig then comes up and I introduced myself to him. I asked him how Olivia was and was he still going to be involved politically, which he said he was. I also asked about Sara's throat and the upcoming tour. He said that Sara was actually OK, she could sing just fine, that she was being overly cautious with tour coming up, which of course thrilled me.
I went back over to Sara who had been chatting with Lisa and the other couple. Sara then asked if we wanted to take some pictures and she did one pic with Lisa and I both. I asked if I could have a second one with just her and she said sure. (Lisa is a VERY understanding woman). I told Sara that I was part of the Sunday night chat group that had purchased the gifts for her and Olivia and she seemed excited to have met one of us. She thanked me for that and said she was writing us a thank you note in the next newsletter.
I told Sara I would be seeing her soon at Fan Fair which she said great. She said what a long trip from Las Vegas and I told her that we were actually from West Virginia and the long trip was coming to Las Vegas. We could tell Craig was wanting to take her away so we said our good byes. I thanked her again for taking the time to talk with us and said the same to Renee' who was very nice to us as well.
If ever anyone needed proof that Sara cares about her fans, please look me up. I have that proof. For her to take the time she did with just 4 regular fans was and is true testimony to the lengths she will go for her fans. We were both seriously in awe and immensely thankful. Sara continues to impress me with her humility and with her genuine caring for people. It is amazing that she can convey those qualities to a fan in just a few minutes of conversation. Talk about a talent!
Not that she needed to do anything more, but Sara REALLY has a life-long fan in me. Thank you Sara, thank you Kaelin, and thank you Renee'. You are all fantastic.
Nashville, TN
June 6, 2003
Submitted By Don
Nashville, TN
June 6, 2003
Submitted By Robert
Comstock, NE
June 12, 2003
Submitted By Tim
Jacksonville, FL
July 4, 2003
Submitted By Julie
Jacksonville, FL
July 4, 2003
Submitted By Don
Jacksonville, FL
July 4, 2003
Submitted By Robert
2.) Rocking Horse - From Restless
3.) Saints and Angels
4.) I Keep Looking - she dedicated this to all the married ladies
5.) No Place That Far
6.) Backseat Of A Greyhound Bus - From Restless
7.) Take It On A Run - cover song from REO Speedwagon
8.) Perfect - From Restless
9.) I Need To Be Next To You - From Restless (was performed in the movie Bounce, by Sixpence None the Richer)
10.) I Could Not Ask For More - She really had the crowd with this one
11.) Born To Fly
12.) Long Train Running - cover song by Doobie Brothers
Please accept this small window into our hearts, as we express why we love and admire you. Your dedication and faith is a bright beacon in a dark world. The loyalty to your family and friends is full of compassion and integrity. Your presence on stage is beyond words, yet in person you possess the most sincere, genuine, and humble spirit. Your commitment to music is matched with exceptional professionalism, confidence, and beauty. Our lives have been filled with joy and hope through your music. The greatest gift you have given us is this close family of friends. As you move toward your dreams, we pledge our loyalty and love to you. We hope and pray that God continues to lavish you and your family with countless blessings.
This is our heart to you,
Your Saints and Angels
Kaelin's Plaque:
Our Dear FC President and Friend,
You have brought new life to this group of loyal Sara fans. Thank you for your constant dedication and service, to both Sara and us. With this token of our gratitude, we make you an honorary member of Sara's Saints and Angels. We are proud of you and appreciate all that you give us. God bless you and your family.
Sara's Saints and Angels
It was great seeing the S&A again, and I hope to meet more of you in the near future! Thank you for letting me share this experience with you.
Jackson, NJ
July 11, 2003
Submitted By Dan
I Keep Looking
Perfect
Saints And Angels
I Keep Looking
I Could Not Ask For More
Take It On The Run
Backseat....
Born To Fly
Long Train Runnin'
Saratoga Springs, NY
July 12, 2003
Submitted By Jim
Rochester, NY
July 13, 2003
Submitted By Joe
2. I Keep Looking
3. The Rocking Horse
4. Saints & Angels
5. No Place That Far
6. To be Happy
7. Take It On The Run
8. Backseat Of A Greyhound Bus
9. Perfect
10. I Could Not Ask For More
11. Long Train Runnin’
12. Born To Fly
St. Clairesville, OH
July 17, 2003
Submitted By Joe
West Liberty, IA
July 19, 2003
Submitted By Rich
Valparaiso, IN
July 20, 2003
Submitted By Brittany
Council Bluffs, IA
July 26, 2003
Submitted By Tim
Columbia, MO
August 1, 2003
Submitted By Mark
I Keep Looking
Rocking Horse
Saints and Angels
No Place that Far
We Got the Beat
To Be Happy
3 Chords
Take it on the Run
Greyhound Bus
Perfect
Suds
Viagra (Yes, that's what it says! - obviously, some joker substituted it for Niagara)
Otis Redding
Could Not Ask for More
Doobies (That's what's on there - obviously, it was Long Train Running)
Born to Fly
Columbia, MO
August 1, 2003
Submitted By Marteen
2) Got my hand touched twice. :-)
3) Still get goosebumps when I think of her dedicating Saints and Angels to us.
4) Robert cracks me up. "YOU STILL THERE ROBERT?" "YEAH!!!!!" I say you can count it as your fifth concert.
5) Call it a hunch, but I'll bet money the guitar player woke up with a cute little blond the next morning - and she got his blue hat she wanted.
6) Kaelin rules!!!! She is waaaay cool in person. I was talking to her and Matt came up behind her and asked if I was Marteen Ryan. Yea! Matt knows me by reputation! He only complained mildly about us keeping her up at all hours of the night yacking on the computer. It was fabulous to talk to him outside. He is the first non-Sara signature on my shirt. Lesley and Kaelin's were two and three.
7) Sara looked and sounded the best I have ever heard her. Her band blew me away - Bethany on fiddle was awesome, awesome, awesome. Sara put on the BEST show I have ever seen.
8) She did Long Train Running - my ultimate fav to hear her sing live.
9) Avery is plumb freakin' adorable.
10) And last but most importantly - SARA HUGGED ME!!!! She got a huge grin when Kaelin introduced me and she hugged me. That was the greatest greatest greatest thing!!!
11) Ok, this is the last thing. I don't ever want Jason to make fun of me again for being tongue-tied around Sara. Mr. Uh-uh Babbab Ummmm.
Columbia, MO
August 1, 2003
Submitted By Jon
Napavine, WA
August 28, 2003
Submitted By Devin
Oroville, CA
August 30, 2003
Submitted By Ed
No Place That Far
I Could Not Ask For More
Saints and Angels
I Keep Looking
Niagara
Otis Redding
Suds In A Bucket
Need To Be Next To You
Rockin' Horse
Backseat of a Greyhound Bus
We've Got the Beat (Go-Go's)
To Be Happy
Perfect
Long Train Runnin’
Take It On The Run
Born To Fly (encore)
Oroville, CA
August 30, 2003
Submitted By Lisa
Oklahoma City, OK
September 19, 2003
Submitted By Chuck
Rocking Horse
I Keep Looking
No Place That Far (remains my favorite song to hear live)
Saints & Angels
Perfect
Take It On the Run (band was excellent on this one)
Backseat of a Greyhound Bus
I Could Not Ask For More
Born to Fly
Long Train Runnin'
