I love music! I consider myself eclectic in my tastes and like just about everything. Typically down my list is country music, in that I have only attended a handful of country concerts, all in the 1900’s (88′-94′) for those not getting the reference.
We flew to LA to attend the Brad Paisley concert at the Greek Theatre and it was my favorite show to date! Why? The vibe, it was just different. I have seen Guns N Roses, Snoop Dogg, Green Day and so many other show. All were great and had a vibe all their own, but Brad’s show felt like a family reunion in a pretty amazing venue!
The opening acts, Avery Anna & Walker Hayes (from Mobile, AL, so Roll Tide from one Bama boy to another) were amazing. Watching Avery as an emerging artist, singing “Dad Rock” was heartwarming. Hearing Walker’s lyrics with references to Gulf Shores and Nick Saban, well, that felt like home! One of my new favorite songs is “AA” is the best!!
Brad took the stage and did not disappoint! On a side note, my wife loves to sew and one of her sewing friends tailors his shirts…. But from the open to close, I sang almost lyric for lyric, forgetting how many songs I actually reserved in my memory banks!
When my kids were all little, Brad released “I’m Still a Guy” and we sang that song on repeat. Imagine 3 little girls in pigtails and a ruffian boy singing at the top of their lungs about “with deep spray on tans and creamy lotiony hands, you can’t grip a tackle box”. They loved the part about “when you see a deer you see Bambi, and I see antlers up on the wall…”, because most of my family and their cousins have deers on the wall!
So to Brad, thank you for the trip down memory lane! Thank you for reminding me of home and my upbring on a river and 52 acres in rural Alabama. Thank you Avery for giving me hope in a new generation and thanks Walker for reminding me it’s all about “keeping our daughters off the pole and sons out of jail” and why we go to church!
Alex Putman 