We're a little bit country

Last Sunday Josh and I went to a Brad Paisley concert. I don't go to concerts all that often; most of the ones I've been to have been surprisingly loud, or overpopulated with drunk people, or just kind of disappointing.

One of the things you have to tell people when introducing yourself at my work is your first and last concert. Most people my age have something divinely shameful like New Kids on the Block or Tiffany. My first concert was nothing that would induce a giggle fit; it was either Loreena McKennitt with my mom and Phil or Fiona Apple with my mom and sister in tenth grade. Since then I've seen Dave Matthews Band twice (once at the Gorge in Washington after at 14-hour overnight drive...man was I tired!), the Dixie Chicks, Dido, John Mayer, Madonna, and No Doubt.

I bought the tickets for Josh as a surprise...before finding out he doesn't really like concerts (great!). Still, he made the surpreme sacrifice and agreed to give this a shot. Despite being two atypical concert attendees, we ended up having a pretty good time. Josh Turner and Sara Evans were both opening for Brad. My Josh likes the performer Josh - he has a very deep voice and a very polite Southern boy way about him. Sara Evans is a real sweetheart, seems very comfortable on stage and can really belt it out. I was very pleased that she played one of my favorite songs of hers, "I Keep Looking." It was Mother's Day, so her kids came up on stage briefly and she joked around with them a bit. Cute. :)

After the openers, and after the supremely drunk, stoned, dancing middle-aged couple in the box next to us departed, Brad Paisley took the stage. Let's be clear: Brad Paisley is a good lookin' man. Those are some nice arms on him. Plus, as an added bonus, he can play guitar, write music, and sing like nobody's business. He seems like a really good-hearted guy with a great sense of humor who loves what he does. I'd like to hang out with him and his wife (actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley); they seem like a fun, talented, goofy couple. But since I can't hang out with them, I just watched Brad perform. And let me say, that was a good time as well. The sound was excellent, and not too loud (can anyone say "Madonna"?). Brad did a few funny bits, and tore it up on the guitar. He didn't play my favorite song of his ("Come On Over Tonight"), but he did play Josh's ("I'm Gonna Miss Her") as an encore.

Overall, we had a pretty damn good time. It was a good start to the summer concert season, and didn't seem too painful for Josh. ;) Whew! Next time I'll do a little more research before buying him presents.