Kenny!!

We had been looking forward to this show for a long time (actually bought the tickets back in November). A stadium show had been on our "to do" list for years. And since he didn't tour at all last year we were in detox mode for sure! Jamie came over bright and early Saturday morning and we hit the road around 7am. After dropping Peanut off with Dad we were on our way! The drive up was pretty uneventful and it gave Jamie and I a good block of time to catch up. The yewts beat us to the hotel and one of our rooms was ready so we went ahead and checked in. All of us were excited (yes even Bob) and we were out of there pretty quickly.

Cars were lined up to get into the parking lot. The gates opened at 12:30 and we were there ten minutes early. Needless to say we got a great spot. As as soon as the car stopped we were unloading and setting up for tailgating! The little Weber handled our burgers and dogs with no problem. Cari made broccoli salad and I brought potato salad. It was a bit hot - in the upper 80's - but we were thankful it wasn't any hotter. As clouds went by and gave us some shade it gave us a little bit of a break. Carla and Eddie (Jamie's ex sister-in-law and her husband) joined the party a little later - it was great to see them again and reconnect!

I'll tell you, some people have the art of tailgating down pat. The jeep next to us had a margarita machine, tent, an incredible spread and they even brought some sand and a baby pool! It was awesome! They actually made Kenny's Facebook page! His manager was riding around in a golf cart taking photos of different fans' setups. It gave us some ideas for our next tailgating party. :)

Finally it was time to make our way to the stadium! Cari and I bought the same Kenny shirt - she has good taste - and we went through the gates. Our seats were awesome!! Carla and Eddie's were awesomer though. LOL They were right next to the sand bar. Wow!

Uncle Kracker opened right at 4:30. He was okay but nothing to write home about. Apparently others weren't too excited about seeing him either since the stadium was pretty close to empty. I like his cd better than his live show. That's a shame isn't it? Billy Currington took the stage about 20 minutes after Kracker left and he was really good. We were very surprised to learn the Zac Brown Band was the last band before Kenny. I was sure it would be Billy. I really like the Zac Brown Band but their "jamming" sessions can go on and on and on and on. It even got to be too much for Bob and he generally likes that kind of stuff. After a while it all begins to sound the same to me. Cari, Jamie and I got up in search of something to eat. We missed a lot of their set but Cari and I knew we'd see them again in a few days in Nashville so we weren't too upset about it.

In the meantime seats were filling up. By the time Kenny made his appearance there wasn't a seat to be  had. Kenny never just comes out on stage. He's always where you least expect him. This time he came up from the tech center in the center of the field swinging high through the crowd. It was awesome! The show continued to get better and more exciting from there. Kenny looked rested and thrilled to be in front of his fans again - needless to say, we were thrilled to have him in front of us again. He sang, danced, high-fived fans and made us all fall in love with him all over again. I later found the set list - the man sang 26 songs in that two hour period. Bob walked away saying, "He does a great show! He certainly is an entertainer." This was Matt's first ever Kenny show.  Let's just say it won't be his last.

Click HERE for more photos from the night.

Back in the hotel room, we snacked, showered and decompressed a little. Cari and Jamie made fun of me on my Ambien - I remember most of it. I probably would've made fun of me too if I could have. I usually take it and go to bed, not attempt to be sociable.

After breakfast in the morning we hugged the yewts and started our trek home. Then it was time to start seriously getting stuff together for NASHVILLE!!