Lady Antebellum. Sam Hunt. Hunter Hayes. Some pretty big names in country music. Add to that the fact that my birthday is at the end of this month and I have a friend who does the most crazy things…like getting me a VIP Experience ticket to this concert as an early birthday present. And then shows up at my door with a gift bag full of goodies to make an already awesome experience even better. Yikes!
(Disclaimer: I have a new cell phone and I haven’t really figured out all the features to the camera yet, so the pics are less than awesome…sorry!!)
The SPAC season began this past Sunday evening with this awesome triple header. I am in no way a music critic, so I won’t even attempt to critique the show. I know what I like and I LOVE both Sam Hunt and Lady Antebellum so this was a winner in my book before it even started.
The VIP Experience included a pre-concert private acoustic set by Lady A, with Hunter Hayes stopping by for a few minutes as well. I got there early and grabbed my spot right up by the stage…only one row of people between me and the stools on the stage.
The pre-concert set was held in a giant tent set up at the back of the lawn, complete with a bar and tables filled with finger foods and snacks. I chose to stand at the stage and wait for Lady A to come out and perform. In doing so, I got to talking with some of the people around me. To say that everyone was excited was an understatement. I asked several people if I could take their photos for this post and they were more than happy to oblige.
The woman pictured below on the right took some teasing when she informed us that, although she has lived in the area for 13 years, this was her FIRST visit to SPAC. Ever.
Finally, Lady Antebellum came out and took their seats on the stools that were literally just a few feet in front of me. Hunter Hayes sat to the left of the stage and joined them in one song before he had to leave to get ready for his performance.
This private acoustic set was AWESOME. Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood were funny, entertaining and very down to Earth. They took song requests from the audience and allowed us to ask questions.
When this private performance ended, I raced down to my seat which was located in Section I and prepared for the actual show. As I mentioned, being that I am not a critic, I won’t comment on the performances other than to say that I had a GREAT time, they all sang all their hits, the audience joined in, and it was a fantastic night. What I loved best was the fact that each of the 3 bands performing so clearly enjoyed what they were doing. They had fun. They wanted us to have fun. And we did.
Sam Hunt appeared first. I love him. 🙂
Next up: Hunter Hayes, an absolutely incredible musician and performer. He made me feel old…
And finally: LADY ANTEBELLUM. They totally rocked the house. All in all, a really great evening and a great opening to the 2015 SPAC season. My only complaint? The whole show was almost four hours long and my feet (and back) hurt from standing for so long. And it was cold out!! But the music and performances were hot, hot, hot.
And, at one point, Sam Hunt and Hunter Hayes came back out and joined Lady A for a GREAT rendition of “Walk This Way.”
I love all kinds of music, not just country, as well as the ballet (which I studied for years and years) so I hope to be back a lot for a variety of performances. I just wanted to document this one in particular because of my VIP Experience and the fact that it was the first concert of the season!
I think it’s safe to say that everyone had a great time. It’s going to be a great summer!