Redheaded Jill

I have been to a handful of concerts in my life. Even before I knew that I hated big crowds and sitting in a building with strangers for hours and hours I didn’t think concerts were… that great.

Before I could appreciate it I saw Glenn Campbell in concert in Branson. And I wanted to see John Davidson, but we didn’t get to. So those don’t really count. (Well, obviously because we didn’t see John, but still… I was a baby.)

When I was in junior high (I think) I went to the American Idol concert with my fam. We saw Clay Aiken live. I love his first CD so much. I don’t even care that the one song sounds like he’s a stalker, haha. I remember sitting in front of these older ladies who freaked out and danced in their seats. It was super funny.

In high school my friend and her parents took me to see Taylor Swift and Keith Urban. It was a pretty phenomenal show. Keith Urban was my favorite country singer for a while. This was when Taylor Swift was still country, like… 2009? During Keith Urban singing “Kiss A Girl” T Swift came out in a Hershey Kiss costume and it was very funny. That was a fun concert. We sat way up high at Sprint Center, which was perfect because we could see everything so well.

In college I saw Gloriana (without one of the singers because she was in the hospital).

I saw MATT WERTZ which is… *chef’s kiss* the best concert ever. He came alone, performed in the middle of campus in front of the library. I love Matt Wertz. His song, “The Way I Feel” makes ME feel things all the way down to my toes. So good.

In college I also took my sister and cousin to see Josh Turner. It was AMAZING! He is the best. His voice is so deep and sultry and perfect and he is unbelievably handsome. The concert was small, in a little theater, and there were a lot of older couples. We might have been the youngest people in attendance. I heard several new songs and instantly downloaded his albums when I got home. We even bought t-shirts, which I don’t think I’d ever done at a concert before.

My sister and I went to see Easton Corbin at an outside venue. That was tons of fun because it was a bring your own chair type event, and we got to take a picture with him after the show. He smelled so good.

A few years ago my sister and I went to see Chris Young in concert. I was so disappointed. Not only were the seats awful, they wouldn’t let us bring in our lawn chairs because they were too tall. (The venue was outside on this hill. There were seats and then a grassy spot at the top you could have lawn chairs.) I was super disappointed in the crowd and the overall vibe of the concert was off. I think we attended this one in Memphis… Anyway. I love Chris Young’s music, but this concert was a dud.

I attended a mini concert at my friend’s coffee shop and that was a lot off un. We heard Colin Nichols and Me & the Others and Andrew Markley. I really enjoyed that experience. Not only because my friend was performing, but they are a super talented bunch. It wasn’t the style of music I usually go for. (I don’t know much about music.) But I did follow them all on spotify so I could be exposed to more of that style.

The last concert I attended was with my sister. We saw the Jonas Brothers. It was so bad. I mean… I was miserable. I was sick. I was surrounded by teeny boppers. I felt like a weird old lady. It was a terrible night. Then we got stuck in the parking garage for over an hour because someone in front of us had a car that stalled and it kept us all captive till like… 2 a.m. After this I told my sister no more concerts. She was miserable because I was miserable. She was mad because I didn’t have fun and thus ruined her experience. The mistake was 1. agreeing to it because even though I like some of their songs I can’t STAND Nick Jonas. He’s about as appealing as soggy toast and I hate soggy things. Joe isn’t much better. I am a fan of Kevin as a human being… but I wouldn’t pay to see him in concert. So…. it was a mistake. 2. I agreed to it on a day when I felt outgoing and that is a rare feeling… So to predict I’d feel that way several months from the date I said, “yes” was a rookie mistake. During the concert I read the book Tess of the D’urbervilles. A sad book for a sad experience.

Now, though I have said no more concerts…. and I have gone a couple years without attending anything bigger than a coffee shop show… I just bought concert tickets.

Tophouse is a band I discovered through IG. They’re like…. mountain folk music but also not… I really like everything I’ve heard of theirs. So… for $20 I bought myself a general admission ticket. Will I go alone? Probably. I might see if my sister wants to try a redemption concert… but this is something that I will be ok to do alone if I need to. I also think, given the chance, I’d pay to see Matt Wertz again… or maybe Ben Rector or Jordy Searcy.

I can’t think of any HUGE celebrities I’d want to see in concert. Maybe Sierra Boggess or something, but unlikely.

May is when Tophouse comes to town so I’ll be sure to let you know how it is.