Yesterday was another first for me. I attended my first counry concert and did not die of embarassment or bleeding ear syndrome. The lovely BLT and her Dogg decided at 3:00 PM Saturday to give the Tim McGraw/Lady Antebellum show a whirl, if we could get decent tickets. Much to my surprise, we obtained Row 5, section 111 at face value. After buying the tickets, called Hank & Jeanine Miller (two of our best "Country" friends to see if they were going. They were going and had a preconcert meet & greet, with 3 song accoustic concert by Tim McGraw himself! We also met Virgie & Marissa at the show. Marissa bought Virg tickets and dinner for a mothers day gift. Anyway, onto the show.
Lady Antebellum put on one hell of a show! More Rock and Pop, than Country in my opinion. Good tight band, strong vocals, and good stage presence. Being 5 rows from the stage made it even better. Set was about 1.25 hours and well worth hearing/seeing. They closed with "Rockin in the USA" by Mellencamp and did the anthem justice. The crowd seemed to enjoy every song, but you know who they were here to see. At this point, I must point out that this crowd was way too nice! Hell even the bathrooms were clean and neat. This ain't no concert like I've seen before.
Tim McGraw took the stage at about 9:00 to a huge ovation. The stage was an inverted "T" with the catwalk area jutting into the crowd about 150'. Strong sound, strong musicianship, great crowd, and good lighting/staging made for an enjoyable experience. Tim works the crowd as well as anyone in music today. In fact, midway through the show, he allowed a couple onstage so the young man could propose in front of 20,000 people. He's lucky she said yes! Compared to my "out of comfort zone" show Wednesday, Gogol Bordello, this show was timid and pleasant. As the Rock Dogg, I don't dig "Timid and pleasant"! Give me raw and gritty anyday. The band played a full set of approx 2.25 hours, and most fans that I talked to, raved about the show. The lovely BLT liked the show and that's all that mattered.
In summary,m the "Rock Dogg" is not about to change his allegiance. I tried country and it did not take (although Lady Antebllum was worth seeing). No offense, Timmy Boy, but your rythem section was weak and there was virtually no good guitar work. Pick it up and you might make a decent rocker!
Atmosphere A
Crowd B
Sound B
Lighting B
Staging A
Bands B
Weather C
Overall, as a rocker, I'll give it a C+. The lovely BLT gives it a strong B+.
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