Pat Green was the opening opening act. I had seen him before when he opened for Keith Urban and thought he was ok but didn't do much for me. He also had a broken arm that night and couldn't play his guitar but seemed to have fun in spite of it.
Last night was totally different. He was alot better and I was impressed. I don't know how much was related to his broken arm last night but I really was impressed with him. He's not my favorite artist but I like some of his songs and he's very energetic and enjoyed interacting with the crowd.
At one point he was trying to get everyone up on their feet and most everyone was and then all of a sudden he calls out a "blonde lady in the white shirt, yes you hon. Get your ass up!" It was so funny!
Sugarland was next up and they did awesome! I really wasn't sure if I was more excited about seeing Sugarland or Kenny this year. Sugarland was supposed to be out with Kenny last year but ended up pulling out and Carrie Underwood took their place so I was ok with that.
This isn't the greatest picture but you can see how they were set up, using the Amusement Park theme from their Enjoy the Ride album. I really wanted to bring my camera with zoom lens but didn't want it to be taken away from me, we snuck in the small digital instead. I think next time I will take my chances with my camera. Worst case scenario is I put it back in the car.
They also had one of those fortune teller like things set up with the crystal ball in it, like in the movie Big. That was what Jennifer Nettles was in when they came out and opened with my favorite song, Settlin'.
I really enjoyed their set and was happy they did Baby Girl and all the hits plus a couple other songs from their first album.
Between sets, waiting for Kenny
The theme this year for the pre-show "videos" that Kenny always has was Pirates
When it got started they were doing the video with director Shaun Silva as "Captain Silva" dressed like Capt. Jack Sparrow and then they started playing AC/DC Shook Me All Night Long and they had "Kenny Cam" which was Kenny holding a video camera showing his view as he's walking through the Van Andel and getting ready to take the stage. It was really neat, showed him in the vibe room, walking with the sound techs and showing some of them goofing off, Pat Green tipping a beer to him, Jennifer Nettles leaning forward to mug for the camera and then his boots as he was walking up the stairs to the stage behind the curtain, the crowd was really into it and it was so noisy with everyone screaming and singing along with AC/DC and then they started with Kenny's opening song, Beer in Mexico and then the curtain dropped:
and we were on the way to about 2 hours of pure Kenny entertainment! It was a great show and I have to say I think it was the best yet. He always talks about how he tries to make each show better every year and I think this year he outdid himself! I had such a great time and so did Jim.
One thing I hadn't seen yet at one of his shows was ladies throwing their bra's up on the stage! Kenny picked one up and kinda looked bewildered then took it over to one of his band members and hooked it on his mic stand! Each time he caught or picked up another bra he would take them to the band and put them on their mic stands or on their heads it was so funny!
I will say that if I was in that little area between the stage like some lucky people were, that I may have tossed mine up there too *lol*
Overall it was a great night which I knew it would be!
Here are a few extra pictures (for what it's worth) for Heidi who really needs to come out here next year so we can party at the concert together:
