Experience #12 The Sugarland Concert

When I made my list of thirty-three experiences for the year, going to a live music concert for the first time was fairly high on that list. I’m sure at some point in the last thirty-three years, I could have decided to go to one. I considered it several times, but it always felt like one of those things that could be put off. And of course, because it could be put off, it was. That seems to be the basis for my list of experiences this year.

So when I added it to my list, I knew I didn’t want to just watch anyone. If I had put it off this long, I wanted the experience to be worth the wait. I thought of the artists that I like the most, and Sugarland made it to the very top of that list. At the beginning of the year when I researched all my experiences for the year, the band was only scheduled to perform two places, and Bayou Country Superfest was the closest.

The concert was well worth the wait. Watching Sugarland perform live was amazing, and I came home and downloaded even more of their music. I perform my own daily performances now. (Just kidding. Well, sort of.)

Listening to my favorite songs live was a spectacular experience, but it was a learning experience for future concerts as well. (Yes, I’m already planning to see Sugarland again.)

The first lesson learned was that I’m too attention deficit to sit in the back of the stadium with everything that happens at a concert. People go up and down the stands, and I find myself counting how many trips each person makes, wondering if they would prefer buying a ticket to the concession stand instead of the concert. Some people couldn’t figure out how to read their tickets, and people had to keep getting up out of someone else’s spot. The red shirts of the emergency staff ran up and down, and I would crane my neck to see where they were dashing off to. The people behind us got into an argument with the person on the side of them, and I thought we’d have to referee for a moment. I had no trouble focusing on Sugarland, but the other bands did not gain my attention as easily, or at all in some cases. Which brings me to the conclusion that either I need to be right up close to the stage or only go see bands I absolutely love.

The second lesson was not something that I did, but something I watched others do. While attending a concert all day in the sun, one should probably only have one or two drinks. Before Tim McGraw took the stage, there were 609 medical incidents, most alcohol related. The man in the seat next to us kept getting updated numbers from his contact on the emergency staff. If I’m going to pay to see a band, I actually want to see them, and I mean from my future seat near the stage and not from a stretcher.

And Lastly, concerts are like fashion shows. It’s all about what you are wearing. And FYI, dresses and cowboy boots must be in style, at least for a country concert. I was supposed to wear the cowboy boots, but I talked myself out of it because I thought it would be too hot. From now on, I will dress the part. (Of course, the fashion was another distraction as I had to critique the various outfits I watched milling around.)

Overall, watching my favorite musical group perform live was definitely an experience I want to repeat. After I strike a few more off my list of experiences, of course.