Love, Pain, and the whole crazy thing

The concert was amazing! I had an absolutely fabulous time. I’ll try to start from the beginning and not go completely crazy by writing too much, but no guarantees.

It started out pretty much like any other day – with school and studying, etc.
I go home that evening around 5 after going shopping, looking for a new shirt and failing to find one. Check the mail at 5 – no boots. I had my parents send out my cowboy boots, hoping they would make it here in time for the concert. No boots.

Hop in the shower and dry my hair. Go to the kitchen pop in a lean cuisine garlic chicken pizza and jazz it up by adding tomatoes, roasted bell peppers and sautéed spinach. Grab a little side of pasta sauce to dip it in and then I head back to my bedroom to watch an episode of The Office on my computer. As I’m walking into my room, my robe sleeve gets caught on the door handle and……… The pasta sauce goes flying! Onto the floor, across my bed spread, OVER my bed to the other side on the floor AND it somehow manages to get all over the wall to my right. $#%!

So, I try to clean up as much as I can, as quickly as possible. 6pm Andy calls. “What time will you be ready?” We wanted to get there around 6:30, about an hour before to pick up tickets, etc. Me, “I’ll be ready in 20-30 minutes.” Mind you – I’m still eating, in my robe, no makeup, my hair is only dried AND I still don’t know what I’m going to wear. Somehow I manage to get ready in that amount of time. 6:30 door bell rings. I grab my camera, purse, jacket, etc and run downstairs only to find…….UPS had dropped off my boots!!!!! Back upstairs for a quick change and w/in 5 minutes Andy was there to pick me up.

6:35 we’re off! Went to will call and picked up the tickets. Walked down the stairs to the floor, continued walking toward the stage – closer and closer and closer and STOP – 5 rows back from the stage. And 5/6 seats from a stage that projected out into the crowd (sort of like a cat walk during a fashion show).

7:30 – show starts. Opens with Carrie Underwood. She was awesome. Her voice sounds as good or better live. She sang for

over an hour. Then they switched out her stage with Keith’s. This probably took about 20-30 minutes. I was thinking I hope Keith does a good job. I was really impressed with Carrie and actually more excited to see her. Recently I bought Keith’s greatest hits CD and didn’t realize how many good songs he sang, but I was still more excited about Carrie. Until…..

Keith opened with his first song and totally blew Carrie out of the water!!!! He was phenomenal. The music just pulsed through my body. I was on my feet the entire time he was playing. Keith was an overall better performer – he interacted with the crowd better and was about the music. He played the guitar and piano. Carrie played the guitar too, but Keith PLAYED the guitar. He did a few songs w/ just him the guitar or piano and sounded just as good. I love when artists do that – their voice and just one instrument. A few highlights from Keith’s performance:

• The drummer was walking back from playing at the end of the cat walk type of stage and threw a drum stick into the crowd. It hit Andy on the shoulder, but my reflexes weren’t quick enough to grab it.
• A guitar pick literally whizzed right past my right eye/ear.
• Another guitar pick fell under the little girl’s chair in front of me. I found it and gave it to her.
• During the middle of his concert at the end of a song, a drum line came out on stage and performed!!! It was pretty cool. It looked like one of the local high schools or something.
• Keith walks off stage down a little ways off to the side of the floor seats. He’s still singing as he’s going and he has his guitar with him. He leans against the railing between the floor and the next upper level and is just surrounded by fans from the upper level. Then his body guard hands him a pen. I’m like, “NO HE ISN’T!” And he does!!! He takes the pen rips off the cap with his mouth, signs his guitar and hands it to a guy in the crowd.

Keith never left the stage (except right before the encore) and he played until 11:30pm!!!! I had such an amazing time. Since the moment we saw how close our seats were until 1:30 am that night I was on an adrenaline high.

Ok, I’m tired from typing all of this out. I may go make some coffee / attempt to study. It’s Saturday and I have a lot of catching up to do! Wish me luck.