Summer Concerts

I’ve never been a big music person, but have enjoyed going to concerts here and there.  My first concert I ever went to was AC/DC in Philadelphia back in the 80’s.  The seats were decent, there was a bunch of smoke, and everyone flashed their lighters as the band came on and during different part of the show.  The show was amazing and to this day I still remember Angus Young moving around the stage in his shorts.   As the years past I saw Modern English, the Pretenders, Sting, Jimmy Buffett and Bare Naked Ladies.

It has really been a while since I’ve seen a good concert of one of my favorite bands.  My musical taste is all over the place as I can appreciate a great song; however, my preference is Country.   

This summer started off with one of my friends inviting me to see Sugarland at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. I was so excited, as they are one of my favorites.  The great thing about Merriweather it is a relativity small venue and it is easy to get around without getting lost.  We had tickets for the pit and I wanted to work my way to the front to get a great view and tried to not to get in back of a really tall guy.

Little Big Town was the opening act.  Their backdrops changed with the songs which added a very cool element.  They worked the crowd and the songs filled the air with energy. 

It was time for Sugarland – Incredible Machine Tour!  The music started and hearing Jennifer Nettles in person was everything I could have hoped for in an artist.   The stage was amazing; they moved around the stage and interacted with the crowd. During the encore Jennifer painted a flag with LOVE as Kristian sang the beginning of Incredible Machine and had it walked through the crowd as they sang “Stand Up”.  One of their final songs Sugarland, Matt Nathanson, and Little Big Town sang R.E.M’s “It’s the End of the World as we know it…”  Who would have thought a country artist would put a R.E.M. song into their show. The concert was great and I would definitely see them again. 

My next summer concert –   U2 360 Tour at M&T Bank Stadium (Ravens Stadium).  Everything about this concert from start to finish was perfect.  I received and email for presale tickets – where we could buy the tickets 2 days prior to them going on sale to the public just for being on a newsletter distribution.  We lucked out with lower level tickets for a great price along with a parking pass. We had several friends that were going, however, their seats ranged from in the upper level to the pit area.  Not as easy to get around in like Merriweather.  While I thought I would be cool to be in the pit to get as close as possible. I found out after the fact that one of my friends had been there since 10 a.m. and was number 216  as they marked your hand to where you were in line.  Keeping in mind that U2 didn’t come on until about 9 p.m. it was one of the hottest days and it was a work day.

The amazing stage was placed just a little off center of the field.  It looked like a bug and we wondered what we would be in for as the night progressed.   Bono started by saying how great it was to be back in Maryland and the rolling hills reminded him of Wicklow.  They played new and old songs which was great.  There’s nothing like singing along to your favorite song with the other thousands of people singing.  The band members walked the stage giving some face time to everyone.   We waited with anticipation for Bono to come around to our side – as we wanted to see him up close and personal along with getting a decent picture.  Finally he came around and I captured the moment.  The stage changed colors and the center piece moved up and down. One of the coolest moments was when Commander Mark Kelly was able to give a tribute to Rep. Gabby Giffort as U2 sang Beautiful Day.  The show was amazing!  My husband and I talked about it the entire way home. From start to finish I have to say it was the most amazing concerts I’ve been to. 

Next on our list is Jimmy Buffett on August 27.

Having the opportunity to be able to see and hear our favorite bands play locally is really one of the simple pleasures of summer.