Steel Magnolia Outshines Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker

My 9-11 Music Experience

Brad Paisley Maybe You Really Do Look “So Much Cooler Online”

By R. N. C.

Almost a decade ago, America was impacted by the shock of an extreme terrorist attack on our Twin Towers, as well as a significant loss of bodies on that painful day of 9-11; the blessed souls that were taken from the world that day will forever be remembered and honored. My contribution to show compassion for those gone and the families suffering, I realized a concert that some of my good friends had planned was on September 11, 2010 at the Gorge. Coincidentally, this concert was featuring only Country musicians, which are stereotypically considered to write and perform songs with patriotic underlying messages, especially when crisis hits our country.  The headliner was Brad Paisley, whom Darius Rucker and Justin Moore opened for at the H20 World Tour.

            Mind you, I am an almost 18 year old who was raised around some of the most iconic and timeless music our country has ever seen; I am so thankful for this. Even though the majority of the music I have listened to for years was not Country, I’d say my taste in music is eclectic enough that I am accepting of this genre; just check my Ipod, I enjoy a variety of styles.

            Because of my open-mindedness, I decided to buy my $10 Brad Paisley ticket and tag along with friends who are Brad Paisley fanatics. I was not incredibly thrilled by the choice of concert, but it was to be my first real concert, and chose to attend on a whim.

            The drive and arrival at the Gorge was gorgeous; I wonder if that had any coincidence in naming the concert venue. Instantly I felt a warm presence that evening, whether that was because every attendee was there for the same purpose or because the demeanor of Country folk was so relaxed and carefree, I can’t say. My heart wants to believe it was a magical blend of both, so I’ll go with that. Being in that atmosphere was a reminder of how I want to live my life; I immediately was surrounded with people that shamelessly danced in the grass and smiled and laughed with their spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, friends, or whoever else were with them. Most of them had a beer in hand and were perhaps a wee bit tipsy, but beyond that fact, these people genuinely were living in that moment. And as a bystander who was way over their head, I must say that was a selling point for me. Maybe this is how every concert was, but I might disagree. I’ve never seen a sunset compete with the beautiful happiness that was expressed on so many joyous faces.

            The group I was with stopped at a side stage where Easton Corbin was finishing their last song. This brings me to a perfect example of how much I don’t know about Country music; I sent a text message to my friend who was also at the Gorge saying “we’re watching Jason Corbin!! Where are you at?” He corrected me, and definitely did not let that mistake slide; he’s quite the Country fanatic as well.

And before I knew it, my world took a turn for the better. Steel Magnolia was next on stage. Their band name intrigued me, so I was curious to see what they sounded like. My ears were thanking me; this duo has taken a mix of twang with a solid foundation of acoustic guitar, and tied it all together with lyrics of passionate love. The pipes on this group were refreshing in the sense that it felt so stripped of anything artificial, and the remains being something so soulful and fearless.

Walking on, my group of friends met up with my other friends, mentioned above. We listened to a little bit of Justin Moore, but more geared our attention to the scenery happening behind the stage. The view from the lawn was so impeccable, I was proud to live in Washington.

Darius Rucker performed next, which was nothing my group of friends was looking forward to. To my surprise, I recognized one of his songs, so much that I can’t even remember the name of the song now. Above all, my judgment of Darius Rucker is swayed from those I was sitting around; the anticipation for Brad Paisley built as Darius continued to play song after song. I found him to be a handsome older man, and thought his casual attire made him seem a bit more life-like. His music was nothing to remember, though.

The “grand” finale, Brad Paisley, made a huge entrance of a slideshow consisting of nothing but situations involving water. My friends and I had a very rough time with this one, seeing as we were incredibly parched and refused to pay $5 for a Dasani.  I’ve heard a few of Brad Paisley’s songs, but was still unprepared for what I was about to encounter. There was nothing but music that had no meaning, for the most part. My favorite song by him is “I Thought I Loved You Then”, which he played. But overall, I decided I was not a Brad Paisley fan. One of my best friends and I continued to talk about Steel Magnolia throughout Brad’s performance; you can tell where my attention was.

I feel his flashy music videos and guitar changes were fillers of the emptiness to the meaning in his music. Maybe I look for more value in a song, instead of how catchy it is. I’ll be honest, even the drunk masses in the nose-bleed sections were not reacting whatsoever to his performance. I left dissatisfied, but gave it my best shot. Even my friends said the concert wasn’t the best. Brad, maybe you really do look “so much cooler online”.