While the logistics of it all were still very difficult and less-pleasant, and the weather threw us a curveball, at the end of the day, we had a freaking blast. I got to see Alan Jackson. And yes, it was not the young, vibrant, energetic version of Alan Jackson that others got to see in the 90's, and yes, some annoying people forced the venue to stop the shop for a chunk of time to clear out of a restricted area, and yes, the show ended early. But nonetheless, I got to see and hear "Chatahoochee" and "Chasin' That Neon Rainbow" and "Don't Rock the Jukebox" and others while singing along with good friends and my extremely patient wife. Good stuff.
Haha, seeing that pile of t-shirts on stage just reminded me of Jackson tossing t-shirts to the crowd from the stage. I don't think they went more than ten feet, but he was chucking them out there for the front row folks.
For Saturday, the first big issue was just getting in the dang gates. The lines to get in were well over an hour, and the people in charge of the lines weren't helping - lots of lines that were barely moving while other lines motored along, until someone in charge yelled at everyone that it should just be one line. But worse than that was the bathroom lines once inside. When the urinal lines are streaming across an entire field, then something is wrong. Some of the ladies in our group spent over an hour in that line too, and I may have used a cup for some relief at one point. Allegedly... Oh, and as is usual for these types of things, the cell service was borked for sure. I was hoping that a smaller festival wouldn't have that issue, but it sucked.
BUT, the music was great. We missed Hudson Westbrook or Noeline Hofmann while waiting at the gate (although youngest daughter was there for the gates to open so she could be front row at Hudson, she and her friends loved it). So, first show was William Beckmann, who sounds phenomenal. Like, if Harry Connick Jr. had gone into a country phase. Several folks in the group really wanted Diamond Rio, so we left Beckmann early to go see that. Probably my least favorite show of the day, in part because I don't know those songs. And this weird old lady took an interest in us and kept singing the lyrics towards me while smoking a cigarette she bummed off a teenager. But, not knowing lyrics didn't hold me back from really enjoying Tracy Byrd - that guy is still slinging the hits and grabbing the crowd. I liked that show for sure.
Flatland Cavalry was excellent. Their live show takes their tunes to another level - really seemed like a bigger band and bigger event than I was expecting. You know who else was really fun? Miranda Lambert was awesome. I wasn't expecting much there, just figured I should go see someone because she is very popular, but she sounds great, engages really well with the audience, and just made the show a lot of fun. We skipped the Diplo/Gavin Adcock hour to make sure we had a good spot for Alan, and it did not disappoint. I do wish that he hadn't encouraged folks to enter the restricted area and then had to pause the show to get them back out, but maybe he was just tired and wanted a break!
Sunday was interesting because before coming into it, I had not realized exactly how *same* so many of the artists are. Also, it was cold as balls. I've never gone to a music festival in a beanie before. It was necessary for this one, and all the girls trying to stay fashionable were freezing their butts off! But, the logistics folks at C3 made the lines to get in and the bathroom lines a TON better, so that was a great win.
Tanner Usrey was great. My review of him called him low-key, but he was anything but low-key on that stage. He was a grimy rock and roll hurricane up there and it was a blast. Next was the Panhandlers, who are also really good. Although, it dawned on our entire group after a short while that the Clete guy from Flatland Cavalry is head-and-shoulders better than the other three singers up there. And once you realize that, you realize that you don't want to hear those dudes warble their way through a tune. Just stick with the really good one! But they have some really great songs, and they definitely made me want a Chilton. We left that early for Treaty Oak Revival, and here is where pretty much all of my friends disagreed with me. I think those dudes are actively bad. Like, the most generic Nickelback-ass cock rock with a smidge of country veneer. Not my thing, and they got people to start throwing shit in the crowd, which was also not my favorite.
Sammy Kershaw was good stuff - I knew way more of his songs than I remembered - and his voice is still all there. Shane Smith and the Saints was another hard rock assault. I wasn't in love with it and so we left earlier to get back over for Ryan Bingham. Hey, guess what Bingham sounds like? Hard rock assault time all over again! I'm sort of joking, but it absolutely felt like the trashy energy was amped up for everyone who may have normally kept it more country or acoustic. I also think the last time I saw Bingham changed my expectations, as the last time it was just him and his guitar (and now it was a rock show). But then, I wanted all of the trashy rock and roll energy to flow during Lynyrd Skynyrd, and they totally came through for me. My one beef there was that we left before "Free Bird," but yelling along to "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Simple Man" and "Call Me The Breeze" and all the other classics was a blast.
The Sturgill show was excellent. He opened with the Allman Brothers, which is perfect for his current blend of country and rock and jam band freakouts. He also played a snippet of "Bulls on Parade," which got all of us old bros pretty pumped up. And the way that he closes the shows now with the wild party of "Call to Arms" and a bunch of jamming - super tasty. He did that same final song at the ACL Fest show last year and it was delirious with those horns going to town.
Good times. The wife left after Bingham on Sunday, but I wasn't going to miss Skynyrd and Sturgill! After a little more muddy walking up to the parking lot of some gym on I-35, one more expensive ass ride back to town. I know, right now, I'm thinking I won't do that one again. And then, when they announce that Garth Brooks and Faith Hill are headlining and I'll be lining up for freaking tickets again...
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