Turning Stone Casino Resort
This is a concert review for the first stop on the “Mud & Suds” Tour with Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, and Andy Griggs on Friday, January 14, 2005 in Verona, NY.
I left immediately after work and headed out for a 200 mile drive to Verona, New York for a sold out crowd of 3,000 people in the Turning Stone Casino Event Center. On the way, I listened to Sara’s first three cd’s, starting with Three Chords & The Truth, then No Place That Far, and finally Born To Fly. I did not get to Restless, because as I drew closer to my destination, I shut off the music to pay attention to the road signs. I checked into my hotel first, had a quick change of clothes, and headed over to the event center. This is a big complex and I parked way, way out as all the lots were just about full. I had no idea where to go to find the concert, so I saw two girls walking and I asked them if they were going to the concert. They were and I asked permission to follow them in. They knew exactly where they were going. I found the Sara merchandise table and Craig Dunn was selling the goods. I said “hello” to Craig and introduced myself as “BigsarafanJoe.” He seemed to know who I was by my name. It probably helped that I had my S&A t-shirt on as well. Before I go any further, I want to thank Julie for setting us all up with the shirts. It must make Sara feel good to see those shirts at concerts all around the country and for her to recognize that those are her Saints & Angels. Oh, I bought the new keychain, a pale yellow “SE” baseball cap and a blue “#44” t-shirt from the “Perfect” video ($50.00 for those three items).
I was told to get my m&g pass from the merchandise table, but Craig did not have them. They were at the box office window. I had to go back, passed the security where I had my ticket scanned and a very nice security guard escorted me to get the pass. Sure enough, it was there, just as Kaelin promised.
I finally found my seat and I barely set my stuff down when I heard someone call out my name. It was “saralover” Jim. He was sitting in one of the front rows with his lovely wife Sue (whom I met a few minutes later) and he was on the lookout for me. I sat a few sections back. This was my first time meeting another S&A in person and it was fun because we both had the same t-shirt on. Jim and Sue are very nice people and we had some nice talks with each other throughout the evening. They live about an hour north of the concert location, near Syracuse, NY. I would say more about Jim, his experience with Sara and what he gave her as a m&g gift, but I am sure he will tell you in his own message. However, Jim knows that I wrote down the list of songs and several notes during the concert, so he realized that I was going to write an extensive concert review.
The stage was set with 4 green & white road signs that were obviously Sara-related, but were there for the whole night. The signs were as follows: 1) “Welcome to Perfect, Established in 2003, Population 5.” 2) “No Place That Far, 65 miles.” 3) “I Keep Looking” (with lodging, food and airport symbols underneath). 4) “Born To Fly” (with an arrow pointing up). Sara also had a big banner that had “Sara Evans” in big letters and a car off to one side of the picture, with a girl’s bare feet sticking out the window of the car (this banner was dropped from the ceiling only during her performance).
Andy Griggs started of the show and did a very nice job warming up the audience. He sang maybe 5 or 6 songs and then Sara’s band set up. Sara came out wearing a white, low-cut shirt with a black knit sweater over it. She had on a tight pair of low-rise blue jeans, a nice belt, and her signature stiletto heels. Her hair was long and straight with light streaks in it. She definitely has put on some weight, but it looks great on her (she was too thin before and she looks much better now, in my opinion). While I am on this subject, a few songs into her set, Sara stopped and said, ”Well, I just had another one ... another baby.” “I had my third child 12 weeks ago.” The crowd cheered and as soon as it was quiet, a male voice yelled out, “Nice butt!” Sara got a big smile on her face and said “Thank you!” So, apparently I was not the only one that thought she looked good.
Backing up a bit, this is the order of the songs that Sara sang (I keep a note pad and pen next to me the whole time, so as to make notes for you guys):
Rocking Horse
A few things to mention here are, when Sara sang “Perfect” the crowd was up on their feet. “Tonight” was what I felt, had to be the best song of the night. Sara introduced it as her “newest single that they just put out on country radio.” I have never seen Sara sing a song with so much emotion in her voice and on her face (well, it might be a close tie with seeing her sing a live performance of “You Don’t” from the BTF album a few years ago). When Sara was done with the song, she just hung her head down, let her hair fall over her face, and stood motionless. That made the crowd go wild with applause. She knew just how to capture the moment. Oh yea, Sara’s brother Matt sang the male part of the song in “Tonight,” and he did a nice job with it. During “Suds” there were 2 bubble making machines on either side of the stage, blowing bubbles towards Sara. She did a little more talking to the audience as she introduced ICNAFM. Sara told everyone that she feels so blessed every time she sings this song. Among her blessings, she listed, her 5 year old son, her 2 year old daughter (or is it 3? ...I can’t remember), her 12 week old daughter, her husband, her band and us, the fans. The overall impression I had was that Sara was relaxed and feeling good. At least that is what she portrayed during her performance.
I won’t say much about Brad’s set, but I will say that he was outstanding. He knows how to play a guitar better that most anyone (I would say that Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and Terri Clark are three of the best guitar players I have ever seen). He had two big screens with some nice effects and a funny cartoon video with him and his band members in it. I missed the first part of his set due to the m&g with Sara after her performance. I was very excited to see Sara come out and sing “New Again,” with Brad, as I was hoping that they would do that song. Oh yea, Brad pulled a “Sara stunt,” when he introduced his band members. He introduced the first one from Rome, NY. Then, one by one, he introduced the rest of them from, Ithaca, NY, Buffalo, NY, Watertown, NY and Syracuse, NY. It was funny and I am not sure if most of the audience caught on.
Speaking of the meet & greet, this is how it went. We had to gather at the merchandise table after Sara’s performance. From there we were escorted by a few people to an empty banquet room. I would guess that there were about 25 people in line. Only the two of us had S&A t-shirts on, and we purposely went to the back of the line, so that the experience would last longer (thanks again for that tip Ed). Sara came through the door about 5 minutes later, wearing the same thing that she had on during the show. I was surprised, because she usually changes clothes before she comes out. Noticeably missing here was any of Sara’s family members, including Kaelin. I was in front of Jim in line. When it came to my turn with Sara, I handed her road manager (another new road manager ... she seems to go through a lot of them) my camera and said “hello” to Sara. She saw our t-shirts and asked me if the two of us are members of the Saints & Angels. I said “yes” and then she thanked me (us) for being such good fans. I said “thank you.” Then I handed her my miniature cardboard Sara stand-up that I had bought off of ebay. She asked me my name (darn, I was hoping she would remember from the last 3 m&g’s ... just kidding) and she signed it for me. I also brought her a small “buffalo” charm for her S&A charm bracelet and a card that said “from Joe, your biggest fan in Buffalo, New York.” She thanked me and put it in her bag of gifts from fans, which was sitting on the floor next to her. I had my picture taken with her. I thanked her again and stepped aside. I took a separate photo of her signing Jim’s photo that he brought. Then Jim and I went back to the concert. The photos still need to be developed and you will see them soon on the fan page.
Of course, (as any of you who have gone through a meet & greet with Sara can relate) I had all kinds of things running through my head that I wanted to say to her. Thing like; asking her to consider making a Christmas album, or asking her if there is going to be a video for “Tonight,” or just to tell her how much I appreciate her music. But, once again, just the fact that we were standing in the same room with Sara Evans is all that was important. You forget all about words at that point and just enjoy the magic of the moment.
Thanks for reading and I hope you felt like you were there with us.
Turning Stone Casino Resort
Let me start by saying those who will be attending one of these shows will NOT be disappointed. It is a three hour smorgasbord of the best country music has to offer.
My wife, Sue, and I arrived at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino at about 5:30. We went directly to the Events Center to find the merchandise table where Kaelin said my Meet and Greet pass would be waiting. We were told the doors would not open for another hour or so and that they hadn't set up the merchandise tables yet. OK, doors open at 6:45, show starts at 8:00...How do I get my pass and get to the M&G? I asked one of the security people what I could do, and he said to go to the box office and see if the passes were there. They were, problem solved. However, Sara's M&G was immediately following her performance, meaning I would miss some of Brad Paisley...Oh, well...we all have to make sacrifices.
After losing my alotted twenty dollars at video poker (It is a casino after all), we found our sixth-row seats. The arena itself is 5100 seats...much like a very large gymnasium. It's not as cozy as the old 800-seat showroom, but still great for a show like this. Soon after we sat down, Joe arrived. I went and got him and we all chatted for a while. What a nice man, that Joe.
8 o'clock sharp the DJ's David Hopperfield from Big Frog 104 in Utica (They play alot of Sara) and Skip Clark of B104.7 in Syracuse (They don't) introduced the show. I have to say I've never been much of an Andy Griggs fan, but he was wonderful. A good mix of rockin' country and soulful ballads. The problem was, he only sang for 30 minutes. I got the feeling that even though most were there to see Sara or Brad, they wanted more Andy.
Following a fifteen minute or so break to adjust equipment, including raising a banner reading 'Sara Evans' with a pair of feet sticking out a car window, Sara hit the stage. Lots of energy and, like she always does, took hold of the crowd. Sara absolutely floored them each time she hit and held the perfect note, bringing many standing ovations. At one point, I stood in mid-song and cheered as she made her way to my side of the stage. She was doing the little 'wave' thing to everyone, then she must have seen my S&A shirt because she did a double-take and turned back to me, pointed, and gave me my own personal wave. When the song ended, Sara said something to Matt and then broke into 'Saints and Angels'. Pretty cool.
Right after Sara was done, not quite an hour, we gathered for the M&G. You know, the cattle being herded into the corral. Joe and I, as veterans of these things were at the back so we could take in as much of Sara as we could. When Sara saw Joe and I in our S&A shirts, she got a big smile and you could see in her eyes how pleased she was we were there. When Sara and I spoke, I mentioned how busy she would be this year with the two tours. She said she is looking forward to it and the whole family will be along for the ride.
We finished the M&G just as Brad Paisley started, so we didn't miss hardly anything. What a treat to see this guy perform. I've always liked his music, but he is quickly becoming a top-of-the-line showman as well. He has this dry sense of humor and is the perfect complement to his guitar playing...a virtuoso.
Questions had been raised as to how he would handle 'Whiskey Lullaby'. His answer was a bigscreen with Alison Krause piped-in. That worked well. The big treat was when he had Sara come back out, in his words, 'If she's not too stuck-up,' and sing 'New Again'. Outstanding. I guess Brad was on the stage for about 1 hour and 15 minutes...the whole night lasting three hours.
I'll leave you with the Sara portion of the review in the local paper:
Evans and her six-piece band quickly won over the crowd.
From her opening song, the plucky bluegrass-oriented "Rockin' Horse," Evans took control with a wonderful singing voice and mischievous glint in her eye. Soon enough, Evans should be headlining one of these multi-act nights. She certainly has plenty of great songs and the talent to carry an evening.
Her voice hit great heights on hits such as the painfully honest "Perfect" and the quietly tender new single "Tonight." Evans made great eye contact with her fans, making everybody up front feel as if she really did see them cheering her on. Evans happily showed the rebellious side she earned growing up in rural Missouri with the spunky "Suds in the Bucket" and woman-finds-herself "In the Backseat of a Greyhound Bus." The crowd stood and happily sang along to the huge hit "I Could Not Ask for More," then Go-Go-ed out to a rocking version of Belinda Carlisle's spirited "Heaven Is a Place on Earth."
Wesbanco Arena
Those of you who know me know that I'll drive pretty much anywhere to see Sara perform, so when I had the opportunity to get my hands on a couple of 5th row tickets to Mud & Suds in Wheeling on Jan 15th, I just had to go. My fiance Heather and I left home around 2AM Saturday morning and arrived at our hotel at 1PM. After 10 hours of driving, I was ready for a little nap. So after my 3 hour snooze, it was time to get ready, go out for some dinner, and head to the show.
We arrived at Wesbanco arena about 6:45 and headed straight for the merchandise table. We both bought the new Sara shirt as well as a Brad Paisley shirt, then went to find our seats. We get to our seats and see just how good they are, 5th row just left of center, awesome view! They were showing the Steelers vs. Jets on the bigscreens, so we watched a little football and waited for the show to start. At 7:30 Andy Griggs took the stage. I only know a couple of his songs, but he was very good. He did about 35 minutes or so, then after a short stage teardown, it was Sara's turn..WOOHOO!!
The lights go down and the intro music starts. It was a medley of little 5 second clips of some of Sara's songs, it sounded very cool. You could see the band taking their places on stage during the intro. The intro music stops, the band starts to play "Rocking Horse," and Sara hits the stage. Both Sara and the band sounded amazing as ever. Sara was her usual joking self between songs, striking poses for people's cameras, and signing dozens of autographs. She even brought Olivia out and was dancing with her during "Born To Fly." It was an awesome performance that was over way too fast..she only did about 55 minutes. I wished it was longer, but that wasn't the last we'd see off Sara. After she was done, I was able to get a setlist from Casey while they tore down Sara's set and set up Brad's.
Brad took the stage at 9:30, and put on an awesome show himself. He is an excellent guitar player and very funny too. The best part of his show came when he started to talk about the song "New Again" and then brought Sara out to sing it with him. It hadn't even crossed my mind that they might do that; it was a pleasant suprise and they sounded great together. After 90 minutes of Brad, it was all over and time to head back to the hotel for a good night's sleep before making another 10 hour drive back home. Twenty hours of driving just to see Sara for an hour or so, but it was worth every minute.
Luckily the next couple of shows we're going to are each only about 4 hours away. We'll be in Normal, IL on Feb 24th and Rochester, MN on March 6th. I joined Brad's fanclub to get VIP tickets for these shows and wound up getting 5th row for both of them as well. Rochester will be the best of the three shows though since we both have Meet & Greets with Sara. It will be my 9th time meeting her but a 1st for Heather, so she is very nervous. We may also have a Meet & Greet with Brad at one of them, but I haven't found out yet for sure since they use a lottery system in his fanclub. I'll keep ya posted on what happens.
Sovereign Center
Tour stop number three hit Reading, PA. It was another sold out show! We arrived early so we could pick our M&G passes at the will call and there was already lots of people there waiting for the doors to open. At promptly 6:30 they let everyone in! We decided to hit the merchandise counter as I really wanted to see the new Sara stuff. I was hoping to see Craig at this point to start getting pumped about the M&G but no Craig. The venue was selling everything for the artists. I even had people around me comment that I should be selling the Sara merchandise instead of the other people because apparently we knew so much more!!! We were selling the merchandise!!!! HAHAAA!!! So we then decided to make it down to the floor to our second row seats. There was quite a few Sara fans but a lot more Brad fans. We decided to then walk around more as we still had more time to kill before the concert started. Finally the concert started. Andy Griggs came on. He had about a thirty minute set. I really wished Phill Vassar would have opened. I was not impressed. Andy even threw water out on people in the first few rows. I wasn’t too impressed with that. He covered Free Falling. Then Sara came on. YEAH!!!!!
Here’s the Set List:
Rockin’ Horse
Sara put on an awesome performance. She looked amazing as well. She joked about Audrey watching Napoleon Dynamite on the Bus and how she just had her tenth kid and how she is just happy to just have her breast to herself for the night and she is not talking Audrey LOL. She is always so funny. She got the crowd up on their feet for Suds and Born the Fly. She sounded amazing for Tonight. If you guys could only hear this song live. Oh my gosh!!!!!! She opened Suds by joking around by saying…. This song is about a girl that didn’t listen to her mamma!!!!! She ran off with a redneck boy and left the suds in the bucket!!! Hearing New Again for the first time live was amazing. Wow that song is very powerful. Our M&G was so cool. This was the first time we ever met Sara. I got to meet Michael’s parents, who were very sweet and were very excited to meet Sara as I was too. We brought some very interesting gifts for Sara. Shannon worked very hard on making a picture wall tile of Sara and Olivia and a crochet orange scarf. We also picked up a little something for Olivia since her birthday is in a few days. I must say she loved her gift. Sara even took a picture with the scarf on. Shannon was tickled pink. I thought the M&G was a little disorganized, as people scattered in 20 minutes late and didn’t seem excited to meet Sara. But oh well! The whole clan showed up, Kaelin, Craig her husband, and Craig from the fan club. We then headed back to our seats and watched the rest of the show. Drove home. Now can’t wait for August till I see Sara again but no M&G. Hope you enjoy the pictures. Between all three of us taking pictures there’s lots so enjoy!!!!!
Tsongas Arena
Mud, Snow, Suds, Snow & more Snow!
I planned on leaving Long Island before the snow was to start on Saturday. However, the snow started earlier than expected so there were flurries when we left our house. I called the Tsongas Arena and was told the show will be on and it would be highly unlikely that it would be cancelled. The last thing I did before I left was reserve a room at the Marriott near the arena. The drive is normally 4 hours, but it was 7.5 hours thanks to the blizzard so we went right to the arena. There were a lot of people on the road and we all crawled along. The driving was horrible but there was no point in turning around b/c we were now stuck in it. We had WKLB tuned in and every 5-10 minutes they would announce that the concert is still on. Somehow we made it to the arena a few minutes before 8. We had to park on the top level of the parking garage which meant there was nothing covering our car. We’d have to clean it off later- wonderful!
As we walked into the arena a lot of people were complaining. They were saying the show should’ve been cancelled and blah blah blah. My sister and I were going to get something to drink before we took out seats when we heard a voice that sounded like Brad Paisley and sure enough it was him! He was introducing Sara b/c the people from the radio station couldn’t get there. Ok, so how is it 2 girls from Long Island, NY can get there but people from a local radio station can’t? Hmmmmm! Brad went on to say that Massachusetts declared a state of emergency 2 hours too late to cancel the show. Brad called us all crazy and then said he had the pleasure of introducing Sara.
We found our seats just in time to hear Rocking Horse start. I love the opening! There’s something about the way it starts up that makes me so happy. You know you are about to have an awesome time. Out came Sara and the show got started! She was awesome-totally rocked the house. Of course she was funny like always- she told the audience she just had another baby…well, like, not this afternoon, 12 weeks ago. She also said this was her 6th child and then as the audience’s reaction died down she said “just kidding.” She mentioned this is it for her otherwise she’ll have to get a trailer to hitch to the bus just to keep the kids in! The crowd was really into the concert-standing and singing along. I guess you’d have to be a big fan to brave the elements to get to the show in the first place! Sara had Olivia come out b/c it was her 2nd birthday and she sang Happy Birthday to her. She’s co cute! Sara went right into her encores when her songs were done. Everyone was on their feet again. Usually when Heaven is a Place on Earth comes on the radio I turn it off b/c I think I listened to that song and danced along to the radio way too much when I was younger but I love Sara’s version! One other funny part- as Sara was telling a story, I think it was the intro to Perfect, people started chanting “Sara, Sara, Sara…” and they were getting quieter as she kept on talking so then Sara turned to the section and said, “Oh no, go ahead.” Haha!!
Brad came out next and he was really awesome too. He also has a great sense of humor. When Brad asked Sara if she’d sing something with him she said, "Sure, how about 'Frosty the Snowman'?" They opted for New Again. That was the first time I heard that song and I love it! Then they did “Tiger By The Tail” which they didn’t rehearse (Brad later joked) but they sounded great.
I thought the crowd was a decent size. Looked like way more than half of the people showed up but I could be wrong. I’m not good at judging things like that. I’ve always said if I witnessed a robbery and the police asked the person’s height I’d have no idea. The crowd at the show, not the hypothetical robbery I mentioned, seemed young for the most part. Massachusetts has tons of colleges/universities and I think a lot of people from them came to the show. Now remember I said people were complaining when I first walked in? I did say that, scroll way up, it’s there. Well when we were all leaving and out in the cold walking to the garage everyone was just laughing and having fun. The snow was coming down harder than it was earlier in the night but everyone had way better attitudes now. Even as those of us on the top level were cleaning off our cars people were cracking jokes and having fun. Good times. Awesome concert.
Now as for the rest of the “adventure”-ugh! The drive to the hotel was a slow one which was fine with me but the snow was really coming down hard. When we got up in the morning the car was stuck in the snow. A lady let us borrow a shovel from her car--and not a regular snow shovel--it was a digging dirt kinda shovel and I’m hoping she had the shovel in her trunk b/c of the snow and not b/c she needed to bury something. Anyhooo I had to shovel and shovel and I couldn’t stop to whine and complain like the girl that I am b/c the lady and her friend were watching me so I needed to get it done. My younger sister was cleaning off the windshield and back window. Finally we were able to get the car out. As we were pulling out of the parking lot my younger sister said, “Uh-oh, please tell me that crack was on the windshield the whole time?!” NOPE! She made that lovely crack and it’s our mom’s car. When we got home and my dad saw the crack I ratted her out so fast it was like we were 5 again. hehehe
So the big question- Was it worth it? Driving in a blizzard (and having everyone call you dumb) to see Sara.
Dixie Natl. Rodeo & Livestock Show
Bear with me on the review because it is my very 1st one to post!!! Anyway, let me start off by saying that SARA is SO AWESOME!!!
The Rodeo started at 7:30 p.m., so I got there at about 6:30!!! I went to Sara's stand where they sell all of her t-shirts, posters, etc. expecting to see Craig, but there was no Craig!!! So I asked the guy about my M&G pass, and he didn't know anything about a M&G!!! So I got really scared, and thought I wasn't going to be able to meet her!!! But I went down to Will Call, and they had it waiting there for me!!! When I put the M&G sticker on I got REALLY REALLY nervous!!! I thought I was literally going to pass out!!! Anyway, I went and stood in line for like 45 min., and my 3 other friends waited with me!!! They were trying to calm me down, but nothing seemed to work!!! LOL!!! 7:30 finally got there, and a security guard came and led us to a small room that was decorated very pretty!!! It was very relaxing!!! There was about 20 of us back there!!! A few of them were radio winners!!! Sara's Road manager came in and talked to us for about 5 minutes, and he told us how everything was going to happen. Then he left and said that he would be back with Sara in a few!!! So everyone just kinda stood there talking with their friends. I was back there all by myself, and I didn't know anyone! So that made me that much more nervous...LOL!!! I didn't know what to think I was so NERVOUS!!! Sara finally walked in, and the whole room just went silent. I mean you could have heard a pin drop. She had on some long pink boots (those furry kind) w/ her jeans tucked down in them!!! I don't remember exactly what her shirt looked like but yall will see when I get my photos developed. Anyway, she looked FABULOUS!!!
My turn finally came to meet her, and she looked at me and smiled and of course I smiled back at her!!! I gave her the gift I had for her, and she said, "Thank you so much, that is so sweet of you!!!" I was like, "You are so welcome!!!" I told her I was one of her SAINTS & ANGELS, and she was like, "Really, well then just what is your name???" I told her my name and she signed my little poster thing of her, and we took a pic together!!! It was a really quick M&G!!! They got us in and out really fast!!! But those few seconds were so AWESOME!!!
About halfway through the rodeo, they lowered the stage from the ceiling, and finally brought Sara out!!! They let everyone that wanted to go down to the stage out in the dirt!!! So of course I took off down there, dragging 1 of my friends!!! We were really close to the stage!!! It was so AWESOME!!! She waved at me a couple of times!!! :) She sang 8 songs!!! I got the setlist from Casey as soon as she got through performing!!! So here it is:
1) Rocking Horse
And get this, she dedicated "Saints and Angels" to her Saints and Angels!!! That just made my night!!! After the rodeo, my friends and I rode around the Coliseum trying to find Sara's 2 buses!!! We finally found the band's bus, but Sara had already left on her bus!!! :( So we went and talked to the band members and took pics and got autographs!!! It was so much fun!!! They just stood out there and talked to us like they knew us!!! Sara called Matt on his cell while we were standing there, and she said that she really liked my gift that I gave her and she said hey!!! He was gonna let me talk to her, but she had to go because she was watching a movie w/ the kids!!!
But anyway, it was an AWESOME CONCERT/RODEO!!! I didn't get home until 3:00 a.m. this morning!!! So I am so tired!!! I hope this review was alright, and not too BAD (since it is my 1st review!!!) LOL!!! I hope when yall read this, you feel as if you were right there with me the whole time!!! Take Care and GOD BLESS!!!
Patriot Center
As always, Sara was absolutely amazing! The doors opened around 7 PM and the Meet & Greet passes turned out to be at Will Call, so we had to re-enter the Patriot Center, but the security there was really nice and friendly so it was no problem. I brought with me my Saints & Angels t-shirt, an acoustic guitar I recently got (which Sara signed :)), and a red rose. Sara’s Fan Club was well-represented. I had a front row seat, about 8 feet to the left of center, which was awesome and there were fellow Fan Club members Jason and Bettie (sp?) right behind me in the second row. Another couple that sat next to me was all pumped for Sara and the guy (Mike) was hoping to get his Sara poster signed after Sara performed. But, alas, that didn’t happen. They had a great time, too, though!
Andy Griggs came out at 8 PM and did six songs and was really good. The teenage girls were going crazy. Big surprise, huh? Then, of course, the REAL show began just before 9 PM … Sara!!!!!!!
This was the first time I had seen the often-described backdrop to the stage. The picture of feet hanging out of the car (I’m assuming Sara’s feet. Is that true? I could see her feet during the show (very pretty :))), the cool road signs, it was awesome! You know, they should make those signs and sell them on the Merchandise portion of the website. Plastic signs would work whereas actual street signs would be more difficult. Sound like a good idea?
The band started playing Rockin’ Horse and Sara came out to an energized and excited crowd. She wore a pink blouse, blue jeans, pink heels, and the super cool LOVE belt. She looked amazing! I waved to Sara and she waved back. That wave alone gets my heart fluttering. Breathe, Brian. Breathe. Rockin’ Horse is such a terrific, energy-filled song and Sara really sang it to the max. Not enough superlatives for this song nor the rest of her performance.
Next up was I Keep Looking. She makes sure to go all around the stage so everyone can get up-close pictures, even posing for the girl who sat next to me when she sang Suds In The Bucket. I held up my Saints & Angels shirt and got another wave from Sara. Ahhhhh. Still breathing.
Guess what she sings next! Saints and Angels! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Very touching, emotional, and powerful song that really gets me thinking about the important things in life.
Backseat of a Greyhound Bus followed this. This was another sweet, wonderful song that Sara so eloquently sang and entertained the audience with. She mentioned in-between songs how she had lost count of how many children she had, maybe 7 or 8. Haha! She talked a bit about Audrey, her four-month old daughter. They were all in the bus so unfortunately I did not get a chance to meet them. I did see Craig Dunn running around a few times and did get a chance to say hi to him. Both Craigs rock!
Then, no matter how hard you try, things can never be PERFECT! She got the crowd to stand up for this one though I don’t think she needed much encouragement. They were going crazy! Such a fun atmosphere and the smiles on people’s faces said it all. It was electric inside the arena! “Maybe every little piece of the puzzle doesn’t always fit … peeerrrrrfectly, love can be …” :)
I Could Not Ask For More. Literally and figuratively. :) You can just hear the truth and love she puts into every note of this song. I always seem to envision the video for it while she is singing. It’s hard to forget that video or any of her videos for that matter. Her family, fans, and her music were all there together. That’s really special for her to be doing what she loves to do with the people most important to her by her side every step of the way. It’s something we should all strive to achieve in our lives.
Are you ready for a sexy song? Tonight! Enough said. Absolutely super, scintillating, and sensational!
Suds In The Bucket. Bring out that pink lemonade! Mmmm. Tasty! :) The bubble machines were really going off and I got some great pictures during this. I took one when Sara was posing for the girl standing next to me. We stood during this song as well as Perfect, Born To Fly and Heaven is a Place on Earth. This is such a fun song to listen to and really fun to hear live. You could just feel the adrenaline pumping through your body. The crowd was really into Sara so it was just that much more enjoyable.
Born To Fly. This brown-eyed boy got hooked on Sara by this song and has not looked back. She had everyone up and clapping and just having an awesome time. She is really fun and energetic on stage and her ability to interact with everyone brings the show to an exceptionally high level.
Heaven is a Place on Earth. Again, I mean this literally and figuratively. Sara was just feet away from me singing her heart out, yeah, that is heavenly. It was an awesome conclusion to her show. Thanks so much, Sara!!!
After this, I ran up to the Guest Services room and picked up my guitar for the Meet and Greet. There were somewhere around 70 of us! Obviously, there must have been a lot of media and radio winners. Other people had guitars, too, so that was cool. When I got to Sara we both said hi and then I wished her a Happy Birthday and Happy Valentine’s Day and gave her the red rose. She thanked me and told me it was very sweet. I asked her how her family was and she told me they were great and that they were in the bus. I of course told her she put on an amazing show and she again was very thankful. I got my picture with Sara as she held me and the rose :) while I held Sara and the guitar :) . It turned out really, really well. I am sending pictures to Chuck to put in this section of the website. I had a smile on my face the entire time Sara was on stage and when I met her at the Meet and Greet. Sara made this a wonderfully memorable day that I will never forget. Her gift of music brings so much joy and happiness to me. Every moment seeing Sara and being with Sara is a moment treasured. Thank you, Sara. :)
I got back just as Brad came out on stage and he put on a terrific show. His guitar playing is phenomenal. They did many instances of just jamming on their guitars, fiddle, and drums which got the crowd pumped. He kept throwing out guitar picks. It was funny. He had about 10 taped to his microphone and he’d take a bunch, throw them out to the crowd. Then some guy would run out and tape 10 more onto the microphone. Brad must have switched guitars about a dozen times, too. It was funny! He is very nice and appreciative of the fan support and the show reflected that. We were all treated to more Sara when she came out and sang New Again with Brad. Brad mentioned how special writing this song with Sara was and I could tell she was really thankful and humbled to hear such a wonderful comment. The song is truly touching and I could see Sara’s eyes were watery, tearing up a bit. If that isn’t soulful, heart-touching music, then I don’t know what is.
The show ended around 11:15 PM and I got back to my hotel around midnight. Got home around noon today and am writing this around 4 PM. On the way back to Carrboro, WMZQ, the station which was at the concert, played my favorite Sara song, No Place That Far. Then, a little while later and further south on WKHK, they played I Could Not Ask For More. Wow! That just added even more happiness to the entire experience of seeing Sara in concert. I am enjoying this wonderful Sara day all weekend! And why not? I’m still smiling. :)
Thanks so much to Andy, Brad, and of course Sara, for sharing your music with all of us there in Fairfax. Have a safe and enjoyable remainder of the Mud and Suds Tour and I look forward to seeing you again soon. Say hi to Craig, Avery, Olivia, and Audrey for me.
Wisconsin State Fair
Well the Milwaukee show was the biggest rollercoaster ride I have ever been on. It started when they first announced Sara’s schedule. I signed up for the M&G right away with Kaelin and the excitement began. I bought 7 tickets on the track and was in the 9th row. I usually do better than that, but this was my first time getting tickets for the State Fair through their website. Excitement builds and my wife is ready to throw me out of the house. I’ve had a bad year and I’m still looking for a job, but nothing was going to keep me from this concert. I bought tickets for my wife, 6-year-old daughter and 4 non-Sara-believers. Boy what a change I saw in them after the concert. A major storm system was supposed to come through on Thursday the 4th and it looked like my plans would hit a snag. Man I’m getting the feeling everyone and everything is against me. But as the date approached, the system came through the evening before and kind of fizzled out. Ok maybe I was just paranoid, everything will be fine.
The morning of the 4th, I pack up the wife and daughter, pick up my sister in laws and 2 nieces. I tell my wife I’m a lone male in a sea of estrogen. She laughs. We all get to Milwaukee around 10:30am and the concert is not until 8pm. Man is it going to be a long day. I cant pick up the M&G pass until 6pm so we enjoy the day spending money at the build a bear trailer, or at least the daughter had fun spending what little money I have left. I have this little fear tugging on my sleeve telling me something is going wrong. I found out when I went to get my M&G pass. I gave her my ID and she said I wasn’t on the list. I instantly went from high to low and my wife said she could tell by my expression something was wrong. I was happy to see Sara so I tried not to let my disappointment show, but I guess I didn’t do a very good job. So we found our seat and I thought, "Oh well, I’m lucky to see her so be happy with that." That was until I saw Craig Dunn. I hopped out of my seat, walked up to him and said hi. He doesn’t know me and had no reason to even talk to me but he did. I told him my story and he asked if I had a confirmation e-mail. I did, but I must have deleted it because I couldn’t find it. So lesson to all, keep the e-mail, print it out and bring it with you. Craig said he would check the list and be back later. I was standing there with my S&A shirt on and Greg walked up to me and we talked. He had better seats than I did so I was jealous, this day just isn’t going right. Well persistence paid off when Craig came back and gave me a pass. I tell you there is no bigger hero right now in my mind than Craig Dunn. The guy is super cool and thank God he was there. I figure the mix up came because I ordered the M&G the old way and when they switched to the computer based method, it got lost. So I’m on cloud nine now!
Sara came out looking hot! She sang her signature songs and some new songs from the album coming out in Oct. I hope Greg got the set list--she sang a lot of songs. She had a rock encore and nailed Belinda Carlisle’s "Heaven on Earth". That was the most emotionally draining concert I have been to, but it ended on a high note. I got in line for the M&G and they ushered us back to the media center to meet the lovely Sara. I had my Green Bay photo for her to sign and I brought her some coffee from Watertown. Rush everyone through so I only had time to say hi. She asked me where the photo was from and I told her. She thanked me for the coffee and her manager took the photo. It felt good to get my arms around our lovely Sara; she is a beauty and genuinely friendly. I wanted to get a picture with Craig D. and Kaelin, but security was pushing me out the door. I stopped and talked to Craig S. though and asked him when he was going to run for President. I told him I’d work on his campaign in Wisconsin. He laughed and thanked me. Then security threw me out the door. :) Here's my M&G photo: Click here.
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
This was Sara's first trip to the Houston area since 2001 -- a long overdue one for this city, and for us personally since we normally have to drive such long distances to attend her shows. This time, however, Tiffany was able to go to work the day of the show, and I was able to get some work done around the house, just like any other Saturday. No Mapquest directions and hotel confirmations to print up. Just find our S&A shirts in the closet and head down the road to see Sara in our town.
We arrived early at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, as we wanted to take some time to visit the merchandise booth and also meet some of the local DJ's at their respective tables. When we walked in, 100.3 KILT was handing out fans to everyone, but we declined because we had so much in our hands already! It was definitely hot enough to have a fan, but we had a folder full of stuff, including things we had to give Misty, Sara, Craig D., and Kaelin. Add to that the camera, tickets, M&G confirmation letter, etc., and our hands were full.
The first familiar face we saw was that of Johnny Chiang, program director for the new 93Q, the other major country station here in Houston. You'll recall that he was the one I encouraged you to write earlier in the year to thank him for playing ARFPTS as soon as it charted. And it's his station that interviewed Sara the week of her appearance here, which I'm guessing is due, in large part, to the fact that he's such a big fan of Sara's himself. He's told us of how his wife is probably jealous over the fact that Sara's picture is hanging in his office at work. :)
We approached him and introduced ourselves as the ones who have been writing to him lately, and he seemed happy to meet us. With as much enthusiasm as most fans, he said that Sara had been by their booth for an interview earlier that afternoon, and that he was just overwhelmed to be in her presence. It's nice to know that Sara even has that effect on people in the industry, and a consolation for me since I would later be enamored by her starpower in the M&G line. After 15 months since seeing her at the FC Party, there was no getting around a case of the butterflies.
So, after speaking with Johnny for a while, we looked at a few of the shirts at the merchandise booth, ran into a couple of friends from church (that's what's nice about being at a local show), and found our seats. They were stage right (far right), Row Z, and in the hot sunshine. And although we were breaking in our new Canon w/digital 10X optical zoom, I doubt it was up for the test of having to bring Sara in from that far away. Oh well, now that we knew where we were sitting, we got back up to get a corndog and a water ($10 for that), and to look for Misty since we had a magazine and a CD for her. (We'd later find out that her van broke down, so she never made it, which I feel horrible about). While we were watching folks walk through the gate, we decided to meander over to the 93Q table and see Johnny again. A DJ with their station handed me one of their fans, and I accepted it this time, telling him that I had turned down a fan earlier from their competitor (haha). As I talked to Johnny, I mustered up enough courage to ask if he had any extra tickets and would do an upgrade. He asked what I had, and when I told him Row Z, he started digging in his envelope and whipped out two on Row P, stage left/center, and said, "How's that?" We both gladly made the trade, and I thanked him ever so much. I think I even promised him a link to his station here on the site, which I just placed above as you can see. So a big thanks to the new 93Q.....delivering 52 minutes of Q-Country every hour! (How's that for a plug?) :)
After getting our upgrade, we found our seats, and began to practice what we planned on saying at the M&G, which was scheduled immediately after Sara's set, and before Alan Jackson's. My plan was to deliver a full speech, whereas Tiffany was a little more realistic: "Hey, how are you....Congrats on the new #1....(Smile for photo)....see you down the road." And while I knew it would most likely be that brief, I wanted to be ready just in case I got lucky. So I sat there rehearsing my lines and Tiffany fiddled with the new camera, taking several photos of the ushers on full zoom to see what our camera was capable of. So far so good, but then again, the lights were still on. And so far so good on my lines, but then again, Sara Evans was not standing in front of me! The true test for the camera--and me--would come later.
As night began to fall, and the crowds began to fill the pavilion seats and lawn to capacity, the Wrights took the stage and played about a 20 minute set. Then it was on to Sara and her awesome band! The video montage was played on the two big screens, and the crowd seemed to really get pumped up by the time it reached its climax and the band began to play. I believe the song they opened with was "Perfect", but can't be sure, as I forgot to take down the setlist. This was my first time to see the custom videos they're showing at the concerts now (e.g. soaring through clouds during BTF, family photos during ICNAFM, etc.). Actually, with all the songs from RFP, new introductions by Sara, and the videos on the screen, I felt like a first-timer out there, and to a certain extent, was able to evaluate the performance from the perspective of a new fan. I liked what I heard, and came away with a reminder of why I had become a fan in the first place. It's like the old Corn Flakes commercials -- "Taste them again for the first time." And Sara's performance Saturday night showed me why new fans are coming into the fold with each passing concert: because even if you take away any preconceived notions about Sara and her music, and start her back at square one, she has the ability to establish herself with each performance as the top female vocalist in the business. And so after re-inventing herself on each album, and selling her music on fans one city at a time, the radio stations are finally catching on (Houston's playing her more than ever after her visit here), and the fanbase is growing exponentially; and yet to Sara, it's coming one heart at a time. She and her crew are the hardest-working team in the business, so when her singles reach #1, I give them the credit, first & foremost, for the relentless schedule they keep to ensure that each city can hear for themselves and be converted!
Now for a few specific (and potentially random) details about the concert itself, crammed into one paragraph....Sara played about a 50 minute set, and didn't introduce her band because she has a new credits video which plays at the end of the performance. Her sister Ashley came up after about three songs and sang backup for the remainder of the set. Sara really seemed to enjoy herself, especially on the new tunes, like "Coalmine", in which she did the two-step up there. There were a couple of cameramen on stage to project Sara on the big screens for the folks on the lawn, and when she started her dance, they zoomed in on her feet! Sara also was good about dedicating several songs to the various people groups there, such as "Mama's Night Out" to the moms looking for a break out there, "Coalmine" to all the women who had "sexy boyfriends or husbands", and ICNAFM to all her fans in general (because she said she was "tired of her kids" (haha), who normally get that dedication). Sara mentioned her plans to sing "Cheatin'" at the upcoming CMA's, and introduced ARFPTS as her new #1 single!
I know I never wrote a review of the Knibbe Ranch show (Pat Robertson birthday bash) from March, but just comparing the two shows, they were like night & day. At the Roberton benefit, she would sing songs like "Suds" and would get a few laughs about the porch & pink lemonade (as if most there were hearing it for the first time), and even a few "Amen's" as she spoke about her family. This audience in Houston, on the other hand, were very much familiar with Suds and ARFPTS, and were on their feet dancing and singing along. The song that Pat Robertson first fell in love with, which he called "The Washtub Song", probably scored bigger than any other song she sang Saturday night, followed by ARFPTS and "Cheatin'" (that's gonna be a huge hit!). After the set was complete, the crowd gave Sara a standing ovation for her long-overdue visit to Houston, and seemed to receive her as well as any headliner. I consider Sara a co-headliner even with Alan Jackson, and I believe everyone there would agree, especially after that performance. Alan Jackson was due up next, but we had a M&G to attend stage-right. The crowd was pretty thick in the aisles, and it took us a good 15 minutes just to get from one side of the seats to the other. But we made it to the door, showed the guard our M&G stickers, and walked into the room, towing all of our stuff. One thing I should mention is that we had to suspend our picture-taking about midway through Sara's set because the batteries were dying on us. I think it must have been the heat & humidity that drained them. We had backups in the camera case, though, so the first thing we did when we arrived backstage in the M&G line was change out the batteries. Craig Dunn walked up at that time and greeted us. We appreciated his effort to visit with us backstage, because he had not worked the merchandise table that night. So as Craig & I were chatting, Tiffany was putting in the backup set of batteries, and discovered that they are shot too! Panic immediately set in, so I asked her to just put the old batteries back in to see if they had any juice left. She took a test photo of me & Craig, and I exhaled upon realizing they still worked. Now if they could just hold out for two more photos! As a backup just in case, I looked around for a familiar face, and noticed that Johnny (the radio dude) was standing back there at the end of the line with his DJ buddies, so I approached him to ask if he'd let Stephen use his camera to take my M&G photo, in the event that mine couldn't hold out. He graciously agreed, so I felt much better about the situation.
As the line moved forward, I noticed that there was a guy from the military behind me, so I made small talk with him, and thanked him for his service. Craig D. went to get Kaelin, and she also came out while we were in line and gave us a hug. She was pulling "nanny duties" so she wasn't able to stay long. In the rush, we totally forgot to give her a S&A window decal, like we had given Craig a moment earlier. It was so nice seeing her again though.
When it came to our turn, Tiffany was up first, and to our surprise, Sara lit up upon seeing us and began by saying, "Chuck & Tiffany, right?" Let me tell you, that meant so much to know that Sara remembered us by name, especially after all this time since our last show. She greeted us by name in Fort Worth in 2003, but we had a M&G the night before in Oklahoma City, so it was fresh on her mind from the previous night. This time, however, it's been over a year since the last M&G, and we were not expecting her to remember our first names (given Sara's own admission to having trouble with names). If Kaelin or Craig prepped her, we certainly appreciate it!
So Tiffany hands Sara the Country Weekly that she covered, and Sara asked, "Would you like for me to make this out to both of you?" Tiffany responded "No" since she's the primary autograph collector! That got a laugh out of Sara. Sara then asked where we're from, since she has seen us in five or six states. Tiffany remarked that we lived right here in Houston, and then the photo was taken (successfully). Okay batteries, hold out for just one more picture!
I approached Sara, who had changed out of her red tank top into a black top, and noticed that she was perspiring just as much as we were. Therefore I didn't mind as much that she would soon have to put her arm around me for the photo. Everyone was wet with sweat by that point, and we just had to accept it as part of the package of playing Houston outdoors on a hot, humid night. As I walked toward her, I think I gave her a hug, and then whipped out 30-something pages of Sara Evans Trivia. I have saved most of the rounds we've played here on the board, and I presented it to her as "four years worth of weekly Sara Trivia, in case you ever get bored on the bus and want to see how well you know yourself." She laughed and said something like, "I need to see how well Craig knows me." (Can't remember exactly if those were her words, but her husband Craig was mentioned). I then asked her to sign an extra S&A t-shirt that we have never worn, with the intent of framing it later and adding it to the shrine. She asked if I wanted it made out to Chuck, and I asked her instead to make it out to "Sara-Online.Net" (I had it typed on a piece of paper so she could just copy it). I then handed her a gold sharpie so the words would show up better, and she handed me her black sharpie to hold while she autographed the shirt. She added a few extra lines to the shirt, which was sweet, and even remarked that she had visited our site, which was as meaningful to me as her knowing our names. I told her that the S&A were growing and to look for our shirts throughout the tour. Now that she has recently remarked about us in the AOL interview--and mentioned the shirts as the identifying feature--I guess this means that she is definitely taking notice.
Okay, so everything is like butter up to this point, but then it was time to take the photo. We posed for what seemed like an eternity, and then Stephen looked at the camera's viewfinder and said, "The batteries have run out". Big time bummer! I peer around to the back of the line and yell "Johnny," because I needed to borrow his camera. The room had these thick wooden columns, and Johnny must have been behind one of them because I didn't see him. The line needed to move on, so I approached Stephen and told him that another guy had offered to let me use his camera, and could I jump back in line behind him? Thankfully he agreed to let me do that, so I took my camera and walked over to Tiffany to give her the autographed shirt. At that time, Sara and Stephen both began to call for me to come back with her black sharpie. She had apparently given me back my gold sharpie, but I still had her black one in my hand from when she had me hold it for her! LOL I then went back and began fumbling through all the stuff in my hand, reached for the gold one ("Nope that's not it"), and eventually came up with the black marker, which I bashfully returned to her. Just goes to prove that I will always find a way to make a mess of an otherwise great M&G, whether it be forgetting to get my camera back, forgetting my "lines", or some new scenario like this. (Sara probably remembers me not for our long-time support, but because I always make such a fool of myself around her...haha).
Well, I then cut back into line behind Johnny & his fellow DJ's, and those guys came through for me once again. I watched as Johnny posed with Sara, and then I jumped in for a second time, had the photo made, and then quickly apologized to Sara for stealing her pen earlier, to which she commented, "Oh no big deal." If I had more time, I would've thanked her for the way she has legitimized our group through her frequent references to the S&A in her song introduction from the stage and in interviews. I would have also inquired about how Craig & the kids are doing, and would have told her I'm fully confident that she'll be walking away with the hardware come November 15 in NYC. But I didn't want to press my luck by buying any more time, so I headed out the door with my last words to Sara being an apology for "stealing" her pen. LOL
After walking out of the M&G area, we met back up with Johnny and arranged for him to e-mail us my M&G photo, which he did the very next day. What a great guy! Then we took our seats and watched Alan sing four or five songs, and headed back home so we could be fresh for church the next morning. I wound up getting in an IM session about the concert with Aimee until after 3am though, so scratch those plans (haha). I was on such a Sara high though, that I could have chatted about it all night.
Well, that about does it for the Houston review. Tiffany just asked me how long this thing is, and I told her it's probably so long that no one will read the whole thing! So if you've made it this far, then thank you for indulging me as I relate my latest Sara adventure.
Verona, NY
January 14, 2005
Submitted By Joe
I Keep Looking
Saints & Angels
Perfect
Tonight
Suds In The Bucket
Backseat Of A Greyhound Bus
I Could Not Ask For More
Born To Fly
Heaven Is A Place On Earth (a really good song for Sara)
New Again (she sang this later with Brad, during his set)
Verona, NY
January 14, 2005
Submitted By Jim
Wheeling, WV
January 15, 2005
Submitted By Greg
Reading, PA
January 20, 2005
Submitted By Shelli
I Keep Looking
Saints & Angels
Perfect
Tonight
Suds in a Bucket
Backseat of a Greyhound Bus
I Could Not Ask For More
Born to Fly
Heaven is a Place on Earth (Belinda Carlisle)
New Again (with Brad Paisley) during his set
Lowell, MA
January 22, 2005
Submitted By Carolyn
The answer – yes :)
The next question – Would I do it again?
The answer – No. Once is enough.
Jackson, MS
February 16, 2005
Submitted By Lauren
2) I Keep Lookin'
3) Saints and Angels
4) Perfect
5) Suds
6) Greyhound Bus
7) Could Not Ask For More
8) Born To Fly
Fairfax, VA
February 18, 2005
Submitted By Brian
Milwaukee, WI
August 4, 2005
Submitted By John S.
Houston, TX
September 17, 2005
Submitted By Chuck
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