We had so much fun!
We got to the Crossings at the Dan at about 5:30 - the gates opened at 6 p.m., and the crowd was pretty big...
We met Kelly and her daughter, Heather, who had gotten tickets (GOOD ones! Seven rows back on the left side of the Pavillion) via the Dierks Bentley Fan Club. The Munchkin and Heather hit it off right away, and had fun visiting back and forth.
The gates opened right on time, and we went in with the crowd - who were mostly there for the unassigned lawn seating. Note to self: Next time, when you buy assigned seats, you can get there later... However, the lawn seating was very attractive: the venue is small and pretty intimate for headliners like Chris Cagle and Trace Adkins to visit (IMO - I'm used to bigger cities' stadiums).
As you can see, it's an open area, and the covered seating is relatively limited. However, it's very friendly-feeling: family oriented, casual crowd, and the ages ranged from 80-ish all the way on down.
Under the tent was clean, the seats were comfortable (not that we spent too much time in them, LOL), and the aisles were wide and open. Everyone was friendly and chatting with the people around them.
However, the setting sun was still very hot, and I went hunting for some shade (or a breeze, at least!). I did manage to find some, and was sipping some wine when another lady came up to share the shade, and that's how I met Beverly. Great lady, lots of fun! So, if I HAD known to come later, we might not have met...
But next time, I'm also going to buy parking, and be able to stash the Trucklet close by... This is the closest parking, which is usually reserved all season by people in the know. But that's OK, there's quite a bit of it, even if I have to walk 50 yards, instead of only 10 feet, LOLOL
Nevertheless, as I said, we had a great time wandering around, seeing what there was to see, chatting with people, and just generally getting worked up to enjoy the concert. The very BEST thing about this location, really, is how friendly it was. From the gentlemen directing traffic (who answered all sorts of questions for us - and even went to find out for us when we asked about photography!) to the vendors, to the folks who came to enjoy themselves - we had a wonderful time all around, with no irritations.
Things started cooling down nicely as the sun went lower, and Chris Cagle came on at about 7:45. He just ROCKED!!! He had lots of energy, his voice was great, and I so enjoyed hearing him...
I forgot that the Munchkin isn't too fond of loud noises (!! Yeah, I know), and when Chris started playing, the little darling has her ears plugged. Poor dear, I guess I haven't brought her up properly: concerts are wonderful deafness-inducing events, LOL!
Oh, well, she went off to the side where the sound wasn't so concentrated, and enjoyed the concert from there. She was still only about 70 feet from the stage, and we eventually migrated over there as well. Actually, it was very easy to move around. We had no problem getting up near the stage, taking a few shots, and then moving back. Everyone was quite courteous, and had a very generous attitude.
And, of course, the Munchkin quickly got into the fun of the evening!
Chris Cagle just was AWESOME!!!
I really liked this photo that the Beloved Hubby took: it really conveys the energy and enthusiasm that Chris brought to the stage (well, **I** think it does).
He obviously had so much fun, and just loved playing to the crowd. He came across as a guy who loved what he was doing, and also loved entertaining his fans.
Not a bad quality in an entertainer... LOL
Right at the end of the set, Chris stopped and asked if he could do some "preachifyin' " - Oh, and he did a good job, country style! He talked about being a good citizen, about the country - he was hamming it up a bit, of course - and then he came down to "And you know why all this is so important? Do you know WHY? How come it's important to be a good guy and love your country [and of course I'm paraphrasing - he did a FAR better job!]?"
'CAUSE THE CHICKS DIG IT!!!!!
He ended with a bang, indeed!
And then Trace strode onto the stage...
And yes, those are OUR pictures - the Beloved Husband has a beautiful Canon d-SLR (I think that's the one), and he had a 70-200 EF zoom on it: we got some goooooood pics!
*sigh* Let me see, he played "Chrome" "Honkey Tonk Badonkadonk" "Arlington"... and so many more. Frankly, I admit, I was having so much fun that I don't remember all the songs he played!
Fantastic voice, gorgeous hunk of a guy, and a practical, down-to-earth, been-there-done-that kinda man...
*sigh* 2.0....
What a dishy, fun, sweaty, exhausting night! We're going to have to keep a closer eye on people coming in for concerts locally, because we had fun!
Oh, and one last one: the Darling Munchkin and Lady Beverly - we have a new friend!
