A BACKSTAGE LOOK AT BRAD PAISLEY!!

BRAD PAISLEY LIVE!

Feb. 18, 2011

      As an intern this was my very first major concert at the  Roanoke Civic Center that I was lucky enough to be a part of.  I will just start off by saying that this show was AMAZING! From start to finish I was entertained the entire time.  

      The line-up started with country artist Jarrod Neimann, who had the year’s only #1 billboard charting country album.  Immediately following a set change was the powerhouse act, Darius Rucker.  Some of you out there might remember him as the great Hootie from Hootie & The Blowfish. Lately Darius Rucker has been dominating the country scene with his new solo project.  He can still own a room just as well as back in his early days.  The final act of the night was of course Brad Paisley.  I knew some of his songs like Alcohol and Whiskey Lullaby, but I was surprised to hear so many other songs that I had no idea he wrote. His stage performance and overall swagger was unmatched.  Needless to say on this night they were tearin’ up the stage!

     Jonathan Carlin (right) and myself (left) were in charge of the “Meet & Greet” for this event. We were eagerly awaiting the entertainers arrival, but were quickly put in our place by the bum-rush of fans waiting to get autographs. We were both pleasantly surprised.  Neimann’s camp was real easy to work with and had a very laid back vibe.  “Oh by the way,  I have literally never seen so many beautiful women in my life!”  The signing session took about 30 minutes and then he was off to perform.  His set was crowd pleasing to say the least.  He played his radio hit “Lover, Lover, Lover” first, which set the standard for the evening.  He finished his set by throwing the crowd a great curveball with the  Hank Williams Jr. song Family Tradition.

(Darius Rucker signing the Wall Of Artists board)

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will just start by saying that Brad Paisley’s Meet and Greet was much more intense then the other two acts.  The crowd was larger and the stress was greater.  Here’s a little summary of how it all went down…  A month or so before the event we asked Tight Line Fly Rod Co. out of Covington, Va if they would be willing to donate a custom built fly rod to Paisley. If you don’t already know this Brad Paisley is a huge fisherman. The owner, Charles Armontrout, happily agreed and donated a fly rod that totally blew away all of our expectations.  This thing was SICK! Long story short I promised Charles that if he donated the fly rod that I would get a picture with Brad holding it and a few autographs. Easy enough, right? WRONG!

     There were so many fans waiting in line to get a picture with him that the allotted 45 minute meet and greet window quickly was about to close.  Then, the tour manager told us that he was going on stage in just under two minutes. At this point I just about had a total mental breakdown.  Luckily we had already assemblied the fishing rod and laid out the pictures so we quickly jumped into the room and managed to all fit in the picture.  Upon seeing his gift he seemed to completely lose all sense of urgency and really looked happy to recieve such a great and unique gift. As Brad was walking out the door I remember mentioning to Robyn (General Manager) how he had not signed the pictures. There was literally nothing we could do.  Have you ever had that “heart sinking” kind of feeling…Well that was exactly how I felt. THEN at the very last moment he just happened to turn around  and sign all 3 pictures and a cowboy hat that I had earlier put on the table.  This was literally the highlight of the entire night for me.  Our adrenaline was maxed out and our hearts were pumping.  I left the room with such a feeling of accomplishment because everything happened so perfectly. 

     The rest of the night went off without a hitch.  Brad played amazing and really showed the crowd why he is the CMA Entertainer of the Year. 

    Thanks again to the artists, crews and all the fans that showed up to support this incredible night!!!!