I went to a Hunter Hayes concert yesterday - he's a country/pop rock singer song writer.
(If you'd like to listen to him as you read... click on the video below...)
Just so you can picture him as I talk about this concert... Here's Hunter in his element, I had no idea he was such an insane guitar player.
I brought my friend to this concert with me, and it was her first one, so on the drive down I told her some need-to-knows for concert going.
1. I will buy a t-shirt regardless of the price as long as it doesn't feature the artist's face.
2. The opening act will tell you how amazing the headliner is about 10-15 times... and people will probably only cheer when they mention the headliners name. Otherwise they just clap politely after a song.
3. There will then be an annoying break for about 20 minutes before the real show begins. The lights will go off, girls will shriek (doesn't matter if you're there to see Justin Bieber or Goo Goo Dolls... fangirls are everywhere).
4. The headliner will then play a hit everyone can sing along to.
5. They will tell you you're their favorite town/city/crowd/venue.
6. They will play some new material you like, but you'll prefer they play hits you can sing along to.
If they're good...
7. They'll talk to you about what the songs mean to them.
8. They'll thank you for making their dreams come true.
9. They'll let you sing the chorus to the chart-topper because they understand you want to show off and also, how fucking cool is it that you memorized words they came up with?
10. They'll add some personal touch, like how much music means to them or a new song they wrote.
11. They'll ALWAYS come back for an encore.
There's more, there's always more I can't come up with... but this is the gist.
Hunter did it ALL man. He told stories and made jokes. He was serious and loving and even cut himself off to pose for a picture when he noticed a woman trying to get him in her selfie. The guy had charisma and graciousness oozing from his pores.
My favorite part of concerts is that whoever you're watching on stage is doing what they love and you're part of the reason they're there. You bought a ticket. You supported their dream. Sure, someone else could have been sitting there, but if you spend your whole life thinking that way, you're doing it wrong.
During a break, Hunter said, "I can't thank you guys enough for believing in a 21-year-old kid from Louisiana and making his dream come true. You're beautiful, every single one of you." This is cheese-y, sure. But my reaction was mostly continued adoration and a belief that all our dreams can come true.
Like the title says, concerts bring out my inner sap. I can't help it. Everyone comes together with a shared love of this one kind of music and dances like idiots while singing along at the top of their lungs. It's a fucking amazing experience.
Some other Hunter-centric highlights. His song "Everybody Has Somebody" which he dedicated to "all those in the audience who, like me, are awkwardly single," his pleasantly surprising badass guitar solos, his seemingly genuine awe at the crowd's appreciation, and most of all, his energy.
Live music just makes me want to watch more live music. So thank you, Hunter, for reminding me yet again that dreams come true and music unites.
* * * * *
One more... because he plays the piano like a mo-fo too.
No comments:
Post a Comment