A Little Concert on the Beach

Our friend who's in the air force came home recently for a week, and it just so happened to be the same time Eric Paslay, a new up and coming country artist, was going to be putting on a concert on the beach, down the shore. The bar on the beach was putting on concerts every week of summer, but we hadn't heard about it until summer was almost over. This would be our last country concert, and we were going to make sure we enjoyed it. Sal, our three friends, and I piled into the car. We decided to all head down the shore early, and even though we sat in a little bit of traffic. We made sure we packed a cooler so that we were ready to get the party started as soon as we arrived. The parking lot was filled, so we decided to park next to this huge bus, which would end up being Eric Paslay's tour bus, but I'll get to that a bit later. 

We got there early, before people even lined up to enter the bar, so we decided to walk around a bit and explore the bar next door. We got a few drinks, and watched as high tide came in, forcing most of the people off the beach. Heading over early, we stood in line to purchase tickets and wait for our hands to be stamped. Before we knew it, we were standing a few feet away from the stage, and right in front of the bar. It could not have been more perfect if we planned it. Sal and I quickly ordered food, and drinks, because we were starving. Everyone else ordered their drinks, and the night soon began. 

It was such a beautiful night, and the bar opened up out on to a porch overlooking the beach. Even though we weren't allowed on the beach, as soon as I stepped out there, the gorgeous view of the sun going down, and the moon lit, took my breath away. I didn't need the sand to enjoy the beach. 

Dave Hangley opened up for Eric, and even though I didn't know any of his songs, he ended up being really great. We enjoyed the music as we sipped on our drinks, and noticed that as the night progressed, we were getting even more squished, and our spot didn't seems as great as it did in the beginning of the night. Our friends wandered around, but we stayed put, not wanting to lose our 'prime spot.' 

Eric Paslay was up next, and he came out full force! The crowd was already in a great mood, thanks to Dave Hangley, so Eric just made it that much better. He sang all of his hits, and even other ones he wrote, that I didn't even realize were written by him! He played well into the night, and Sal and I were able to see the entire thing! We can't speak for our friends, one of which ended up asleep in the back of Sal's car. I snapped pictures with Dave Hangley, and grabbed a sweet guitar pic from him! He's not famous, but I know he will be one day, and that's just as good as anything. 

We left the bar after it had cleared out, and ended up hanging by the car, waiting for our friends to make their way back. But boys will be boys, and we found ourselves waiting for awhile. It just so happened that Eric Paslay's band was hanging out outside of the bus, and we got to talking, and talking, and talking. It was so incredible, and even though I thought I'd get all giddy and nervous talking to someone famous, I actually didn't. Even though I didn't meet Eric Paslay, Sal did as he was grabbing us a few bottles of water. The band, and Eric, were all super nice, and we may just be seeing more of them in the future! 

Country Concerts of the Summer of 2014

Sal and I were all about buying the Country Megaticket at PNC, until we looked at the lineup: Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Rascal Flatts, Toby Keith, Keith Urban, and Brad Paisley. All AMAZING country artists, but Sal isn't a fan of Rascal Flatts or Keith Urban, and we realized we were not able to make it to see Luke Bryan, so we decided to buy individual tickets for Dierks Bentley, Toby Keith, and Brad Paisley. These were all shows that we knew a bunch of our friends were going to, and we would be able to meet up to tailgate, to enjoy the parking lot party!

First up was Dierks Bentley in May. We got to the concert early to tailgate, as usual, but there weren't many people to tailgate with. Even so, we enjoyed our time, and walked into the concert to get a nice spot to stand on the lawn. We didn't have the best view, I mean who does when they're in the lawn? But we could hear Dierks, and that's all we needed.

In June, we saw a bunch of country artists at the Florida Country Superfest. Up next in July, we saw Toby Keith! We ended up sitting in traffic trying to get to the concert, which I was not pleased about. It was on a Friday, so of course, everyone was on the parkway trying to get down the shore for the weekend. We made it eventually, and decided that we wouldn't try to see any of his opening acts, instead we'd enjoy the time tailgating with our friends. My brother and his girlfriend came along with Sal and I, and our friends, and we met up with a bunch of people we knew. 

We were having a good time, drinking, and playing corn hole, when a cop stopped me and asked me for my ID, assuming that I was drinking underage. My heart immediately started beating fast even though I'm 24 and have been legally able to drink for 3 years. He thought he had me though, which was kind of funny. He also ID'd my friend; both of us clearly still have baby faces. 

We saw Toby Keith last summer and he put on a great show, so we were excited for this show. Unfortunately, I did not think his show was all that great. It's sad because we had been looking forward to it since we bought the tickets. I do love that he pays tribute to the USA and our troops, and I will forever be blessed for that. He gives us all a few minutes to think about nothing else but the bravery and loyalty of the US military. It means a lot to most, I'm sure. The rest of the show went on, and we ended up making our own fun. 

The last of the summer shows was in late August, which really did solidify the summer. Brad Paisley, proved to put on the concert of the summer. It all starts in the parking lot though, so we were pretty rowdy just walking into the venue. Our friend, who had been overseas for the air force was able to come home for a week, and he joined us at the concert. We were all just so happy to see him, that we quickly forgot the reason why we even came to PNC. Sal brought a pitcher of Mai Tais he made, and I brought pineapple sangria, since I don't drink beer. We played corn hole, and listened to the boys play songs on their guitars. We enjoyed burgers and hot dogs on the grill, because what's better than that while tailgating? We were having way too much fun to even realize that it was getting to be about the time the concert starts. 

Before we went to the lawn, everyone was able to do a little karaoke, and of course my friends signed up. It wasn't took long until we took our place on the lawn. We lost a few people in the crowd every now and then, but we all found our way back to each other. Brad put on a good show, but let's face it, he always puts on a good show. Although, last year or the year before, I can't remember, he played the guitar with... a beer. Yes, you read that right. It sounded awesome too. 

I can't wait to see what country concerts we'll attend in the summer of 2015. 

You Spent How Much?!

Every summer Sal and I usually have a long list of country concerts that we want to see, and in the summers prior to 2013, we have seen many, many country artists... Especially at PNC. This year was different though, because we both had full time jobs... his at night, and mine during the weekend.

We weren't able to go to any of the country concerts, that is until Luke Bryan - I made sure I took off of work that day. My brother and his girlfriend already had their tickets a weeks before, having known someone who was selling them. Usually lawn seats are extremely cheap; they're the seats for the real fans, the fans that want to be there to enjoy the music, the artist, and nothing else... Okay maybe (definitely) some tailgating too. However, this year, due to the debut of Nash FM - the first country radio station in the NYC area in YEARS, and Luke having just won entertainer of the year, tickets, even in the lawn, were astronomical. Sal and I decided to hold off on buying them... Thinking the price would go down... It didn't and Sal ended up spending way more than he should have on lawn tickets. I was more than grateful, after getting a little upset to say the least. He always knows just what I want, even when I don't want to admit it. If I didn't go to that concert with my brother, I would've been more than a little upset. 

Sal bought our tickets as he was out shopping with my brother for our tailgating essentials - beer, burgers, & chips! None of it was healthy, but that was definitely the last thing on my mind. We had our tickets in hand, my truck packed, and we were headed to my friend's house to meet up with everyone before heading to the concert. Once we got there, we had a minor mishap getting separated from half of our friends. Thankfully Sal has quite a way with words and makes friends easier than anyone I've ever met and was able to get us out of the parking lot and to the one where our friends were. That's when the party started! Someone started up the grill, Sal got the game corn hole out, and someone else put the pile of hay in the middle of our parking spots! We blasted our country music and enjoyed the hot afternoon in the sun. I can't say that I won any corn hole games, but despite that I think I laughed more that night than the whole summer, especially when it came to going to the bathroom! 

When we knew the concert would be starting soon, we packed up the trucks and started walking up to the concert! It was a long walk, but worth it of course, especially when Florida Georgia Line & Thompson square started signing, and then Luke Bryan came out and the crowd went even more wild, if that's even possible. I had seen Luke prior to this show, but it's as if he just keeps getting better! 

While I knew almost every song, it was funny to listen to the songs that everyone else knew - most didn't know his older songs (those fans being the Nash FM fans), but after a while I just enjoyed him shaking it on stage. At one point, he even brought a little girl on stage who knew all the words to "Someone Else Calling You Baby." Let me just say that Sal was in love, and could not stop talking about how cute the whole scene was. I swear he's going to be wrapped around his daughter's finger. Being with my brother and his girlfriend, just made the night that much better, because we're the four best  FRANDS that anyone could have! 

The concert continued on, and I can honestly say that I didn't want it to end. Hopefully he'll go on tour again next year, this time we'll make sure we buy tickets much, much earlier.

When we walked back to my truck, we all jumped in, but when Sal turned the key in the ignition, it didn't turn on. The battery had died; we later figured out that having my trunk open for hours on end, kept the overhead light on and thus caused my truck to die. Out of no where it seemed, a lady with jumper cables came and helped us out. As we sat there talking with her, we realized that we live extremely close to each other. When she broke out sandwiches and Calandra's bread I knew that she could be my best friend. Michele, my brother's girlfriend, and myself immediately helped ourselves to the deli meat and delicious bread and I kid you not it was the best tasting sandwich I've ever had ... EVER. She had come to the concert by herself because her friends couldn't at the last minute. I was shocked she went to a concert, especially a country concert. When my truck was ready, we left, thanking the lady that had helped us, when we got in our car, I kid you not it was like she disappeared. It made us all wonder if she was even there at all.