Soooo, this is what happens after you watch a WWE pay-per-view event with Adam, then get a Ticketmaster email the next day with upcoming event dates in St. Louis, and let Adam know the next pay-per-view event, Survivor Series, is within driving distance.
Before I provide the link, I'd like to share a quick reminder of the first and only WWE I've ever been to in my life... WWE Peoria.
Now I'll jokingly say I may have created a monster with the mention of this WWE event to Adam. But in all seriousness, Adam may be one of the most generous people I know. Let's just say I'd never heard of a Free Garage Sale until I met Adam. "Yes, really, just take what you want from the garage sale... it's free. Oh, and please enjoy a fresh baked cookie." And that's just the tip of the iceberg with Adam.
Anyway, here's a link to the seed I apparently planted in Adam's head... Click Here.
If you rewind a couple blog posts to my Sugarland Reunion post, you might recall that I was the winner of a VIP pass to Jennifer Nettles concert in Aurora, IL on August 29th. That Friday, Mom and I played hooky from work and headed North in search of River Edge Park, our final destination for the VIP Experience.
As always, my nerves were running high on concert day, so we arrived a couple hours before official check-in to acquire our tickets. I still wasn't convinced the VIP thing was real, so when all was said and done, Mom and I had 4 tickets to the show. Our hostess got the show rolling around 2:30 and signed us all in!
In addition to the VIP pass above, we received a Jennifer Nettles branded candle, a couple drink vouchers and tickets to the show as promised. What to do with the extra two tickets?
It was a sunny day with almost no shade in sight. As we were given our last set of instructions for the afternoon event, we could hear Jennifer's band tuning their instruments. They released the 24 of us to go watch from the very foot of the stage. Mom and I hung back in the shade of the sound tower for a bit and then I boogied to the stage front when Jennifer joined in.
It was kindly requested that we not take any photos/video during the soundcheck. Kind of a bummer, but totally makes sense when her son also took to the stage to bang on the drums a bit. In the most relaxed way, Jennifer belted out 3 full songs for us and chatted a smidge in between each.
My favorite was her take on the song Demons by Imagine Dragons. Gotta love when they break it down with an accordion and step out from behind a full drum set. Below is a portion of the song I nabbed during the evening concert.
Post soundcheck we were treated to drinks and snacks in what would turn out to be the Sponsor area during the concert. Thankfully they had unlimited water for us and reprieve from the sun. We had a couple hours to burn before the gates opened and were allowed to take our seats, but considering it took us over a half hour to drive 7 miles to the hotel earlier... well, we decided we might as well pass the time at the venue.
As we waited with the rest of our VIP friends for the goahead to claim our seats before the gates opened to the rest of the crowd, I finally came up with a plan to rid myself of the 2 extra tickets. Two EMTs were hanging out near the side of the stage, so I asked them if they knew anyone that might want the tickets. I had a taker! Hope their friends enjoyed the free show.
We claimed our territory with a couple throwback 90's lawn chairs right in front of the sound tower. The plan was to avoid having drunken idiots behind us (that didn't work) and limit anything Mother Nature might throw at us. Below is what the sky looked like after the lightning (note: lightning alarms are loud and startling) and storms came through the area prior to the show starting. The keyword in that sentence is PRIOR... thank goodness!
Brandy Clark was the first artist up. I was not familiar with her music, so I took a quick listen of her album on Spotify a few weeks before the show. She had a nice voice, but the topics weren't necessarily up my alley. Little did I know she's not only a singer, but a talented songwriter! Below is a clip of Brandy singing Better Dig Two which The Band Perry recorded.
It was nice to hear her quick stories behind the songs she shared with us, and it never ceases to amaze me when an artist sounds better in person, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to support her with an album purchase and tell her how much I enjoyed the show. Pretty awesome to get that one-on-one exchange.
Next up was the Indigo Girls. I was first introduced to them during college and was actually familiar with their songs, so I was pretty excited when I found out they would be joining Jennifer on tour.
I was most looking forward to hearing them sing Galileo, and thank goodness they didn't disappoint. Ya never know what songs will make it to the set list. They also sang Closer to Fine and got Jennifer to join them.
During the whole evening they all were less chit-chatty with the audience than what I'm used to, but I believe it was simply due to the fact that each artist wanted to make sure they could get the entire show in for us. There were rain clouds looming throughout the area, but they thankfully stayed away.
As I expected, Jennifer put on quite the show. From experience, I know she sounds wonderful live, but she really brought her new album to life. I hate to say it, but I don't think the studio recording of the album does the songs justice. I can't wait to see her live yet again, whether it be solo or back with Sugarland.
Wish I had some better photos, but I just enjoyed taking everything in and listening to some fantastic live music.
I got back to my desk earlier this afternoon after a quick meeting with a coworker. To my surprise there was a cricket on my desk. I couldn't understand how he got up there... I've never seen them jump vertically before.
Note: yes, that is a Taco Bell chihuahua. "Yo quiero Taco Bell"
I accidentally startled my new desk mate as I was examining him up close. He tried to make a getaway by climbing the fabric covered owl bookend on my desk. Bingo! The little buggar must have climbed up me to get ontop of the desk.
I had no choice but to relocate him back into the outside world. After a quick ride on my hand, Coolio the Cricket found a new home in the flowers outside my window.
Lately most things have been falling under what I would call the Better Late Than Never Clause. In that spirit, about a month ago I boarded a plane headed to Denver to visit my college roommate Emily. Thanks to some credit card points I had a direct flight from Peoria to Denver. The only problem was that I got into Denver mid-morning and Emily was at work in Boulder.
Thankfully, Emily has always been willing to accommodate my travel plans. In this case, I was provided clues to finding her car at a metro parking garage in Westminster. It was like a mini adventure, a treasure hunt... the perfect want to start my trip.
I found the car without a hitch and then headed to lunch and quick stop at the local sporting goods store to get some frisbee golf discs. There are two odd things in the photo below. One is quite obvious, the snake skin. That's the first one I've ever found a disc golf course. The second thing is the wet ground, which wasn't located in a low spot. The worst decision I made during the trip was attempting to play disc golf a day after the Denver area had torrential downpours and flash flooding. I'm still shaking my head over that one. I suppose it was good that I had on black shoes.
After one of my most frustrating attempts at playing frisbee golf, I stopped by a local coffee shop for a refreshment (salted caramel, so good) and to read a bit. Shortly after I did a bit of shopping for some sandals, so I could let my shoes dry out.
At some point I rescued Emily from the metro bus stop and we did some chillaxing before she had to work the next day. And somewhere along the line we headed to Arvada for dinner and some window shopping. Doesn't Emily just look smashing?
I was entrusted yet again with Emily's car on Friday when she had to go to work. My goal was to make it to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg. Needless to say, I took a wrong turn somewhere along the way.
I was quite irritated by the time I found my way. And for the record, I was using a GPS to get me there... apparently County Road 3 isn't traveled much nowadays. Anyway, I got to see most of the animals moving about because it was such a beautiful. Below shows a portion of the mile-long walkway with one of the resident bears hanging out below.
Note: I was not able to see my adopted bobcat, Rufus, as he is housed in a smaller enclosure a fair distance from the walkway.
Once again I rescued Emily from a metro bus stop, but this one was closer to Golden, which we would pass through on our way to the Amos Lee concert at Red Rocks! I've hiked around Red Rocks a few times, but hadn't seen a concert there. Amos Lee, accompanied by the Denver Symphony Orchestra... well, I couldn't pass that up. It was wonderful!
The photo above is from our seats. I opted to have us sit at the very top, close to center. I didn't want to feel smushed further down where people were trying to get a prime spot (seating was all general admission with no true seats, just tiered seating, or the longest benches ever).
Other than not being able to get a good pic of the stage, I really liked the seats. To either side of the seating bowl is a beautifully shaped and colored rock wall. Too bad the red doesn't translate at night. Gotta love having fun with friends when passing time in between sets.
And now for the post show glowsticks. I have to credit Emily with the idea of hanging glowstick rings off my hoop earrings. Just brilliant! Windows down, music blaring, while interpretive hand dancing to songs like Katy Perry's Fireworks. I like to think I was the post-show entertainment for some of the passers-by.
Over the years, my visits to Denver never overlapped with one of Emily's chorale events. The stars finally aligned and I got to see The Arvada Chorale perform at History Colorado Center for Colorado Day. They did a wonderful job, and I learned the Star Spangled Banner has more than one verse.
On our way out of downtown I got to see another bear behind. Whoda thunk I'd see such a sight outside of the Wild Animal Sanctuary or zoo. But then again, this one was extremely large and blue.
On this trip I had 4 copies of Kristen Johnston's book Guts on hand to spread throughout Denver. They were distributed at a Starbucks, Ziggi's Coffee, Emily owned dwelling (she hadn't read it) and a Little Free Library. I had no knowledge of the Little Free Library until we saw one in downtown Denver. Upon returning to Emily's I looked up the nearest location and we took a stroll to go drop off a copy of Guts.
On the way back we passed through a little nature reserve and met a new friend. Say hello to Mrs. Mule Deer. Her kiddos didn't stick around for a photo.
On my last day in Colorado we headed back downtown to the Denver Botanic Garden. In addition to never visiting before, they also had a Chihuly exhibit I didn't want to miss. Below are a couple of my favorite pieces.
I still can't fathom how these sculptures are shipped and what kind of "paint-by-number" instructions accompany them.
So, that sums up the goings-on of yet another trip to Denver. The only downside is that I'm left with the feeling of wanting to visit more often... if only I could.
Kristian Bush Jennifer Nettles Travis McNabb Brandon Bush Annie Clements Scott Patton
Folks, those are the people that make up my Sugarland. I'd be floating on cloud 9 if/when they get back together again.
In the meantime, I've had to create my kind of Sugarland Reunion this summer. How exactly does that work? Well, grab some friends and then head out on the road to see some shows.
I technically saw Kristian twice when I headed to the CMA Fest earlier this year. I had breakfast with him one day and caught his performance at the Riverfront Stage. Now I'm patiently waiting for his album to come out & for Peoria radio stations to actually play Trailer Hitch!
You may have guessed already, but I'll fill you in anyway... Brandon is Kristian's brother. He played keyboards when I saw Kristian at the Riverfront Stage. Whenever he's sporting the handlebar mustache, I can't help but smile!
Travis McNabb with Gavin DeGraw - Cedar Rapids, IA
I got to meet Travis briefly at a Starbucks across the street from the concert venue in Memphis, TN a few years ago. I love to watch drummers and wish I had the talent to be one. I know he's toured with Better than Ezra before, but was pleasantly surprised when I got to see him with Gavin this summer.
Annie Clements with Amos Lee - Red Rocks in CO
I had this concert booked back in January. I couldn't pass up a visit with Emily and seeing Amos Lee at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony! As the tour approached I'd learn that Annie Clements would be playing bass. It was such a fun highlight to hear her sing more than backup with Amos that night.
NEXT UP!
Jennifer Nettles and Scott Patton - Aurora, IL
Once upon a time I had the chance to meet Scott Patton in Denver, CO. At the time I was looking for the "Key to Sugarland" (remember that contest?) outside the Pepsi Center where they were scheduled to play that night. It appeared Scott had enjoyed some relaxation in the city, since I saw him strolling back to the bus with a book in his hand. I was too chicken to interrupt his peace and quiet. Assuming all goes right, I'll see Scott playing guitar with Jennifer Nettles.
Last, but not least, is Jennifer. Mom and I will be headed up to Aurora for the show later this month. With the help of friends and family, we may very well be VIP guests. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Please check out the scoop below and if you have the time to help, please do. It is greatly appreciated!
It's finally time for me to recap a couple trips I took to Iowa last month. I might make it to the Quad Cities once a year for a concert, but to continue driving over an hour past that, twice in a month is unheard of!
But then again, when you have a chance to visit the World's Largest Truckstop and witness their Truckstop Jamboree, then why the hell not!
You may have inferred from my 1st paragraph that I drove. That would be incorrect. I'm truly sorry to have misled you. Thanks to my gas guzzling SUV (I still have it because it's paid off and hasn't died yet), I usually end up in the passenger seat of a friend's car on a road trip. For any newcomers, please meet Theresa.
Theresa and I were headed to Cedar Rapids for Mary Lambert, Gavin DeGraw and Matt Nathanson. Mary Lambert was like a breath of fresh air... such a beautiful voice and chatty gal. She was so excited and having a great day. Gavin DeGraw closed out the night with what seemed like one encore performance after another. I look forward to catching each of them again.
Those two made a Matt Nathanson sandwich. I'd seen Matt and his hips a few times, so I knew I was in for a good show. Little did I know that his showmanship has skyrocketed and venturing out into the crowd was not beneath him. I've always loved his music and sense of humor, but I wasn't prepared to be blown away. Bravo!
After 3 stellar sets, Theresa and I hit the road for a 3+ hour drive home. We hit the Truckstop on the way back, but the Jamboree was closed down by that hour. I was able to snag some popcorn, but with only a sliver of a moon in the sky, I had to eat it by glowstick.
Fast forward a couple weeks and I was headed back to Iowa... Des Moines, Iowa. Little did I know that our hotel was just beyond the city limits in Johnston. I think I know someone with that last name.
Anyway, the goal for Tom, Vince, Craigers and his kids, was to attend 3 Iowa Cubs baseball games in two days. The weather was gorgeous the whole time. We lucked out! Even though this was my second time to Principal Park, it was my first time to actually see a game.
Why hadn't I seen a game my first time around. Well, after two hot days at the Iowa State Fair a few years ago, my Mom and I couldn't handle anymore heat. The main goal was to get a Ryne Sandberg autograph for my brother as a surprise. After that mission was accomplished, we retreated to the air conditioning and ride home.
The Iowa Cubs put up a few runs in the first game, but couldn't come out on top. Trying to experience all aspects of the ballpark, we decided to head out to the bleachers for 2nd game. As I strolled the concourse, I came across a ticket to one of the suites! I then proceeded to dare Tom to crash the suite and he took the challenge! Check out his experience here.
The next day our plan was to play a little disc golf, then head to the ballpark in hopes to catch one Iowa Cubs win. I regret I don't have a video instead of the photo below. Tom's disc landed in a hole with water and overgrown grass across the top. He couldn't flip the disc out with his foot, so he had to reach in a mystery hole to get it. I was in the mode to snap a picture of whatever animal might run out. Craig was poised to make a hissing sound at the precise moment that would guarantee the highest cat-like springing back jump Tom could ever muster. It was EPIC! Like I said, wish I had done a video.
Even though the Iowa Cubs couldn't pull out a win during our time in Des Moines, it was a fun weekend with my brother and friends. We headed back to Peoria in the daytime, so glowsticks would have been a waste. Within a half hour of reaching home I totally lost it. Here's the random 73mph panorama photo I took.
My extended birthday week was pretty awesome! July 28th was the actually day, but thanks to friends and family, I got to enjoy more than one day.
Sure, some of the things I might mention weren't truly birthday related, but being with friends and family is what matters the most. I got to hit a Peoria Chiefs baseball game with Kristin and Little K. And with a Chiefs loss on a guaranteed win night, there will be at least one more game before the summer's over.
Had a pre-birthday weekend road trip with Tom, Vince, Craigers and his kiddos to Iowa. I have a few worthwhile tales to tell from this weekend, so stay tuned.
Once back in town, I had to work on the big day. My coworkers helped the Monday fly by and we had a terrific lunch out. Along with that, I reached my Whitney's Walk goal because of all the people who wished me a Happy Birthday via social media.
How's that? Well, I decided for each well wish, I would donate a dollar towards the cause. Some people I even poked or prodded.
Why is that? My Mom once told me that if you want to hear from someone on your birthday, then reach out to them. There's no reason to let yourself be disappointed when you can easily contact them.
I made it through a short 3-day work with the goal of enjoying a 4-day weekend in Denver. I'll simple leave you with... It was a Success! No doubt, there will be a post on some of the happenings.
Now I'm back in town yet again and the stars aligned for the family to get together this evening. No better way to end a Monday than time with the family. Can you picture the smile on my face?
It's quite simple... my birthday is one week away and has snuck up on me and unfortunately, my efforts for helping raise money for Whitney's Walk fell off this year.
If you're feeling generous whether looking for a worthy cause to donate to for Christmas in July, or thought about giving me birthday gift, but don't know what to get me, then please follow the link below and support Whitney's Walk for Life.
I have no particular reason why it's been about a month since my last post. I've done things, really, I have. Sure, I've spent my fair share of time watching American Ninja Warrior, but in additional to that, I've got myself moving. I don't plan to become a warrior myself, but if they can do those crazy athletic obstacle courses, then I can sure get my butt on the bike, doing yardwork, or take a long walk.
Sooooo, yeah, the last month has been a pretty big blur. Had a couple road trips with friends or should I just say family (they might as well be) to see some Kane County Cougar baseball and an awesome concert in Cedar Rapids, IA. Throw in a solo trip to Indy for a Dave Matthews Band concert, random drives out to Peoria airport, a 5th of July party with friends and family and a hilarious movie, Tammy, and you've got a pretty content Jane. Not to mention I've started a new book, Kamikaze Kangaroos!
Some of you may be well aware of my antics over the last month, but just in case you're not, here are a couple of my favorite photos.
Classic Tom reaction to Jane cracking herself up.
As for the rest of July, I hope the good times continue. I've been reminded that my birthday is approaching... I get caught off guard each time I get a random Happy Birthday Coupon in the mail/email, or have a friend ask me how I'm going to celebrate. I do not have a good answer as of yet. I just hope that in between my travels I get to celebrate with my family. Sometimes it doesn't get much better than that.
Great American Country Breakfast Series
Yes folks, that's right... Theresa and I got to eat breakfast while listening to performances by 4 wonderful country artists.
Rose Falcon was first to take the stage. I'd venture to say that I'm more familiar with the songs she's written than any music she's recorded herself. She was quite sweet to the nearly 250 of us while we were still in the midst of waking up.
Leah Turner was next up and seemed bound and determined to get the room rockin'. I enjoyed the edge to her music and the little grit in her voice. A very strong performance for 8:30ish in the morning.
Third to take the stage was Jamie O'Neal. Another wonderful set to wake up to and it was nice to hear some of her stories about the songs and happenings prior to the show so early in the morning.
Rewinding a bit... I debated back and forth whether I wanted to get tickets for this GAC Breakfast. Buffet starts around 7:00am with music at 8:00, assuming you can get out of bed early enough after the LP Field concert the night before and make your way back into the heart of Nashville.
Not knowing when I might get back to CMA Fest again and having the opportunity to Kristian Bush in an intimate venue with the promise of a meet and greet... well, I couldn't pass it up. I do still cringe thinking about how I woke up earlier that Sunday morning than any workday.
My absolutely favorite pic I snapped of Kristian is above. I just love his smile. As he was warming up the audience, I yelled out, "Riverfront", with a fist pump. He assumed none of us knew any of his music, but I had to let him know I supported him at the Riverfront Stage earlier in the week. Another lady in the audience chimed in too, and that's when Kristian told us that he expected us to sing along with all the lyrics. I did my best, but will practice up once his solo album comes out. Can't wait!
After the concert, we headed over to FanFair X where we got our photos taken with the artists. I was able to sneak in a super short conversation with Kristian, and for some reason... well, he decided to give this overly excited fan a guitar pic (see first photo in this post). I kind of wish I had a picture of the smile on my face after that. I hope I didn't bruise Kristian's arm with my "thank you" pats.
Samsung Galaxy Stage
You might be wondering how Theresa and I knew of all the artists and events that were going on during the CMA Fest. It was actually quite easy thanks to an CMA Fest 2014 app we were able to download on our phones. Prior to the trip as I scrolled through the 100's of artist listings, I can across the names Matthew and Gunnar Nelson. Holy Smokes! That's Nelson! Rewind to the early 1990's and the cassette tape that got played round the clock.
To no surprise I turned into a little kid. It was fantastic! They gave out a couple CDs for those of us who waited to meet them after the show. Not only do I have a photo with them, but they autographed the CDs to/for me. Too bad David Cassidy wasn't there for Theresa to meet.
I have no stats, but I believe based on the beautiful weather that Sunday was the busiest day of CMA Fest during the day. Theresa and I were ready to get out of the heat for bit come early and afternoon and as we passed over the pedestrian bridge we couldn't help but notice how crowded the Riverfront Stage was, and about a dozen boats listening from the river.
I promise you, there is grass, stairs, and tiers within that sea of people. Not only did good weather contribute to the size of the crowd, but they had a good lineup, and all of these daytime festival stage concerts were free for anyone to see.
LP Field
After some relaxation time in the afternoon, Theresa and I made it back to LP Field for the last night of shows. As I look back, I probably should have taken a nap, but I was more focused on making sure I would sleep well that night and didn't want to throw myself off. Here's a shot of Nashville from the upper deck concourse at LP Field. (I still don't know what LP stands for.)
The last night started out with Charlie Daniels Band. Theresa and I had high hopes of staking out our lower bowl obstructed seats, but the arena staff was on to everyone this night, so up to section 333 we treked. Charlie Daniels still has it and was quite the crowd pleaser with Devil Went Down to Georgia.
Next up was Thomas Rhett. He got some good crowd participation with the cell phone flashlights, but that's about all I remember. During the ride back to the hotel I asked Theresa who was playing on the radio. She told me it was Thomas Rhett... the guy that just played that song about an hour ago. Note: I did say I should have taken a nap.
I was excited to see Lady Antebellum take the stage, since I've never seen them in concert before. One would not be able to tell that based on my posture at the time. Feet up on the seat in front of me, elbow on knee, and chin resting on hand. If Theresa were taller than me, then I may have been asleep on her shoulder in between acts. Lady A did a nice job, but lacked the oomph to truly wake me up.
Then there came Hunter Hayes, the human equivalent to a Mexican Jumping Bean. The only reason why I got a clear shot of him on my phone camera is because he was sitting down. His showmanship has grown since I last saw him and he put on an awesome show! Dude is so talented... writing music and playing all instruments.
Last up for Theresa and I at CMA Fest 2014 was Zac Brown Band. I saw them once upon a time opening up for Little Big Town. To see them on this grand stage was a treat. They had the whole place rocking & swaying and they truly connected with the audience. It was a joy to see and a perfect note to end the night on.
Ummm, yeah, Brad Paisley must have drawn the short straw. Poor guy played to a fairly sparse crowd. We weren't the only ones who decided to boogie after ZBB to the stage. Luckily we managed to beat getting stuck in a parking fiasco, and not seeing Brad leaves me with a reason to go back someday.
My first CMA Fest experience was unforgettable. I had a blast and couldn't have asked for a better person to enjoy the adventure with than Theresa. We were going to get one last selfie as we left that evening, but none of the lights were in our favor. I suppose that's one more reason to go back.
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