1st MLB Playoff Game - Cubs vs Cards

The regular visitors to my blog are well aware that I am a huge fan of going to concerts. They also might know that I try to get to a get to a couple Cubs game each year. This year was different with me seeing a couple games in Milwaukee and none at Wrigley. It was a great experience, and I accepted the fact it would be the only two Cubs game I was to see live this year.

Last week as the Cubs headed into the 1-game wildcard race, my brother tossed out an idea that never crossed my mind. Tom spearheaded a small group of us obtaining tickets in hopes of seeing a Cubs vs Cards game at Busch Stadium... ONLY IF the Cubs could be the Pirates in the wildcard game.

If you live under a rock or don't follow sports, the Cubs shutout the Pirates on Wednesday, and our group of 4 very eager Cubs fans headed South on Saturday for the 3-hour drive to St. Louis.

As we got stuck in crawling traffic on I-55 for no reason other than hundreds of barrels blocking off a lane, my hero came along. The truck in the right hand lane solely stopped the super-speedy, my destination is more important than yours drivers from flying by and causing even more of a bottleneck.

Despite the random construction barrels, we made pretty good time and found a nicely priced parking deck just a few blocks from the stadium. On our short walk, we came across the must have pic. I too was in awe of the state of St. Louis' water system. Red water can't be healthy for anyone. They should really have that looked into.

Tom got a pic of us in front of the fountain that is behind my head. Don't ask me why I didn't just tuck in over his right shoulder, or why I didn't ask someone to take our photo. You can't even see all of Vince's head. Photo Fail.

We headed into the stadium and were kindly offered Cardinal rally towels as the giveaway. I can only imagine the look I gave the gal that asked if I wanted one. The boys searched for food and I headed to our seats to scope it out. With a good ole ballpark hot dog and soft pretzel, I waited for the pregame festivities to begin.

Since it was the 2nd game of the National League Division Series, the Budweiser Clydesdales made 2 laps around the stadium. Just out of frame was the trailing utility vehicle with the pooper-scooper crew, two shovels, and a ginormous garbage can. It was cool to see, but 2 laps takes quite some time. I'd feel really sorry for the horses if it was game 7 and 7 laps!

Here's the Cubs starting lineup for game two of the NLDS. If you can't tell from the pictures, we were in the top deck of the stadium down the 1st base line. I'd venture to say there really isn't a bad seat in the house. Compared to the previous game on Friday night, there were so many more Cubs fans. We definitely gave the Cards fans a run for their money in the nosebleed seats.

During one of the breaks from cheering LETS GO CUBBIES!!! clap-clap, clap-clap-clap. I noticed the mix of a cotton candy / sherbet sky. We could not have asked for better weather. There were some moments were I got a little cool... those darn rally flags really can stir up a breeze. But ya just gotta put on your sleeves and let the Cards fans enjoy their cheering for getting 2 strikes on a Cubs batter.

Here's a pic of Tom and I around the 7th inning stretch. At this point the Cubs were up and I was feeling comfortable with our lead (not confident, just comfortable), and Tom was still a bit on edge counting down the outs the Cubs needed to win the game. 

The Cubs pulled out a victory and everyone in our party exploded in jubilation. Jim whipped out his Cubs W flag and all of us nosebleed Cubs fans started singing Go Cubs Go. It was such a magical moment. I don't ever recall fist pumping and yelling at the top of my lungs quite like that. Those empty seats around us were the Cardinal fans. I've never seen people leave an event so fast. Guess our singing wasn't quite on key.

Jim with a few more celebratory woo-hoos! His W flag became famous and was used in half a dozen different Cub fan photos. It was fantastic to see such excitement and wanting to capture the moment of the Cubs taking a game from the Cardinals on their home turf.

Here's me shedding a tear for the Cardinals fans. I learned this by watching a guy with 2 rally towels, doing a double sob in our neighboring section. I would not have had the guts to do this if their were still Cardinal fans in our section. Little did I know there was actually a Cardinal fan seated in front of Vince and Jim that yelled at the Cubs fans behind us. "Would you shut up already, I'm trying to watch the bleepity-bleep game!" is close to what she barked. Guess she didn't like our quirky cheers... Hip-hip Jorge and the likes. I dedicate this photo to her.

I'm still amazed everything played out as well as they did. From us taking a chance on buying tickets to a game that could have been Pirates vs Cards to us potentially being the the only Cubs fans in our section or spending the time and money to watch the Cubs get hammered by the Cards. Somehow it all worked out just right for us. It never would have happened if Tom hadn't cooked up that idea. Thanks for helping start what turned out be a magical and unforgettable chain of events.

Had to include a picture of Sparky who spent the day with my parents. This isn't him hiding his eyes during a stressful point during the Cubs game. It's his way of crashing when he got home today.

Have you seen Jane?

I just never know how a week is gonna shake out. Will I fall into my hermit habits or get ants in my pants? Will the week seem to fly by or will it move slower than molasses in an arctic tundra?

The week involved all scenarios. My time at work was ridiculously slow, almost as if someone kept setting the clocks backwards throughout the day. Thankfully it wasn't overly stressful and led me to an ants in the pant evening of popping in on my brother and Laura.

I even got my own pop-in this week, or maybe the Iadipaolo's just brought the kiddos by to say hi to Sparky (that's at least what he thought). He was so excited, I thought he might explode (someday I might not be astounded by his enthusiasm.) It was quite nice to collect some hugs that evening.

I had a few lunches out with friends. You'd think that would help the day fly by, but it just led to me wanting to stay outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. Even though the lunches are always to short, it's so very nice to catch up with Theresa and Stephanie.

The weekend started with seeing Moulin Rouge on the big screen with Laura. Such a great idea Laura came up with. Definitely a fantastic movie to see on the Giant Screen at the Riverfront Museum. Afterwards we caught up with Tom for some sushi at Happy Fish. The three of us left happy, happy, happy.

Today was a nice relaxing day where I did not turn my brain on. I headed over to Emack & Bolio's to attend Naomi and her husband's going away ice cream social. Probably would have helped if I had noted which location the gathering was at. I'm still shaking my head about that one. So great to see them before they make the official move to North Dakota.

Wish I had tallied the number of hugs I got this week, There would have been a huge spike in the line graph! 

McLean County Fair with Mom

Yes, yes I talked Mom into going to an outdoor concert, at a fair, in August!!! How did I accomplish this? Well, not only does she like spending time with me, but she has become a fan of Kristian Bush's music. Since his show was cancelled last month in Watseka, Mom agreed to join me for the chance to see him at the McLean County Fair Grandstand.

I joined the KB street team to try to make more Peorians aware of this upcoming performance and hopefully seek out his music. I was armed with posters and small flyers and hit many an establishment in Peoria and a few of the surrounding towns. If only I had gotten them sooner and wasn't sick, then I would have had him plastered far and wide given the extra time and energy.

With the Watseka concert being cancelled, Kristian so kindly granted anyone with a ticket a meet and greet at this Bloomington show, if they were able to to attend. I could have taken advantage of this, but instead had our 2 VIP passes from Watseka transferred over. Not only did we get a meet and greet, but we got signed photos and KB laminates.

Mom and I were first in line to meet him. Here he is signing a pic for Mom. I had already had my moment with him.

Being the dork that I am, I felt the need to give him a thank you present for guitar pics I've received over the last couple years and especially the involvement he had in making CMA Fest 2015 unforgettable for me. KB has been using a hashtag on Twitter this year that always brings a smile to my face, #FansMatter. Knowing his love for hats... well, you'll see the result in the pic below.

After a magical meet and greet, Mom and I walked the fair a bit, found some kettle corn and lemon shake ups, and then picked out a primo seat form Mom in the stands. She was just off center stage with an eagle's eye view and sweet breeze to boot. She's at the top in red, waving at me.

This pic was taken by the gals that photographed the meet and greet. I'd venture to say that Kristian is giving a young fan a pic before he takes the stage. Please note his wardrobe change shoved in his back pocket. Nope, not the hat I gave him, but a kickass CMA hat I haven't been able to find anywhere (or it was possibly a Buck Owens hat).

My plan was to watch the show from the floor and then head up to sit with Mom for the rest of the show after KB and the band played Southern Gravity, my favorite song and title song of his debut solo album. Giving it Up and Trailer Hitch are close seconds from his album. Below is a bit of Trailer Hitch with a few sweet moves that bring a smile to my face.

Another song off his album is Sending You a Sunset. I couldn't resist talking a photo at sunset and tweeting it. As I mentioned before, yes, I am a dork. KB and the band didn't get my memo and played Southern Gravity last, so that meant I abandoned Mom for the whole concert. Not my intention, but it's safe to say she enjoyed the evening just as much as me.

To my surprise, Kristian spent time after the show to meet and greet fans at his merch tent. How frickin' cool is that?!?!? Mom and left with smiles on our faces from a fantastic show, good tunes running through our head, a funnel cake in hand, and then hit the road back to Peoria.

Here's the pic KB put across social media with a thank you for the hat.

And here's the back of the hat, the same view he would have had as I handed it to him.

St. Louis Concert - Kelly Clarkson & Eric Hutchinson

As my 2nd St. Louis concert came near, I was sicker than a dog. I'm not sure what got into me, but I decided to give myself a cold/flu bug for my birthday. My plan to stay and visit with family for the weekend turned into me staying at a hotel Sunday after the concert and driving back the next day.

This concert, Eric Hutchinson and Kelly Clarkson, was my true birthday present to myself. I sprung for tickets in the covered seats, so I wouldn't be in the sun. Yeah, that didn't work out quite as planned and wasn't nearly as close as I had hoped. Yet another lesson learned this summer.

Eric apparently doesn't know how to give himself enough credit. In my book, he is beyond better than good, but then again, it's probably best that he doesn't have a big head. I enjoyed is set as always, but wished I could have been in the pit singing right back at him.

He took the time after his set to meet the fans. I met him a couple years ago, but couldn't resist sharing my happy thoughts about his music with him. A random fact for you, he's a Baltimore Orioles fan. I love the fact that he's a baseball fan and makes music that brings a smile to my face.

Oh yeah, I just remembered some country singing gal named Abi Ann performed first. She had a nice voice, but her songs weren't my cup of tea. Below is the 3rd act, Pentatonix, which I saw on a televised a cappella singing competition a few years ago. I was looking forward to seeing them because I know they are talented, but not being familiar with their music or songs they chose to sing didn't allow me to get lost in their music.

Kelly Clarkson was the last to take the stage. She lived up to my expectations from the last time I saw here and blew them out of the water. I loved the interactions she had with the crowd and her band mates. Her willingness to let them all have their turn in the spotlight was refreshing. Her commentary about almost swallowing bugs while singing was hilarious. Her realness makes me smile.

I don't have many good pictures of Kelly and I wasn't lucky enough to get to have a meet and greet with her. I can still hear her beautiful voice playing through my head. Even being a sick, snotty mess, I stayed through to the very end. I was in no hurry to get going because I purchased an elite parking spot that made it easy to find my car and a quick exit. I look forward to more music from Kelly and seeing her in concert again.

The Concerts of July

Knowing that I'd have a wonderful time at CMA Fest 2015, my plan for the rest of the summer was to take in non-country concerts or acts that I wasn't able to see during CMA Fest. Let's see how well I managed to stick to this.

First up was my glutton-for-punishment concert in St. Louis. Why do I choose St. Louis over Chicago when I know I'll probably become a hot, miserable mess? Less traffic and a chance to see my family. The now named Hollywood Casino Amphitheater is about 10 minutes from my Aunt, Uncle and cousin John in St. Charles. 

The concert that would bring me to their neck-of-the-woods was Matt Nathanson, The Fray, and Train. It's hard for me to pass up an opportunity to see Matt when he is within driving distance, and then combine an evening of him with Train, and I had to go. I would have seen Train before, but they always seemed to pass through the Midwest when I was out of town. This year it was meant to be.

The pic above shows the lead singer from Train, Matt Nathanson, and the lead singer from the Fray. The only thing I wish was different about Matt's concert was that I was allowed to sit in the pit for his show. He was so tiny on stage from my berm seat and the sun was too bright to see him big on the screens. I love his music and look forward to seeing him again.

I wish I could say the same about The Fray, but their music is not for me. Train put on a great show that I even managed to enjoy throughout my intense headache and the insane heat. I left at the end of their set knowing they were going to play 3 during the encore. I knew I'd get to hear the first song of the encore (the one I didn't want to miss), and I'd still be able to avoid parking lot hell.

Unfortunately, I learned of a whole new parking lot hell... the one that involves you not being able to find your car. After the 3rd song of the encore and the point I almost retreated back to the venue and wait out all of the cars leaving, I magically found my car. Gosh darn it, if I must not have passed it at least 10 times. Lesson learned!

The weekend after, Mom and I were scheduled to head to Watseka, IL to see Kristian Bush at the Watseka Theater. Yes, I know, Kristian was at CMA Fest, but I couldn't resist a concert only 2 hours away that my Mom agreed to attend with me. I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined that this concert would be cancelled. Yep, cancelled due to flooding. Mother Nature was not kind to Watseka this summer and wreaked havoc with flooding.

Dead-set on making the best of the situation, I discovered an improv comedy group in the Quad Cities that Mom and I could tie a short weekend around. Comedy Sportz in Rock Island was to be our destination. We found out their was a gal in the Comedy Sportz family that has been making her way across the U.S. in an RV with the goal of performing with all of the Comedy Sportz troupes over the summer and she just happened to be with us this night.

Claire Wilcher has a blog about her Comedy Sportz World Tour, and I have a pic of her below performing with the Quad Cities troupe. I don't recall what improv game they were playing at the moment, but goodness knows I was laughing so hard my cheeks hurt.

It's hard to explain in words how much fun Mom and I had. If you've ever watch the show "Whose Line is it Anyway?" and enjoyed it, then please find a Comedy Sportz team near you and check out a show. you will not be disappointed! They provide countless laughs and entertainment for the entire family.

Next up was a weekend heading back to Quad Cities where I was to see Gavin DeGraw and Shania Twain with my friend Kristin and her two sisters. Thanks to Kristin's connections, we had seats in the 6th row on the aisle. Sitting that close was fantastic and then Gavin decided to circle the floor and blew my mind!

Does taking a selfie with him in the background count as a meeting him?

My eyes were pretty much glued on Gavin throughout the show, so I was unaware that one of Kristin's sisters got hit with a pic. Being the one true Gavin fan in our group, she so kindly gave me the pic tossed into the crowd by James Cruz, the bassist.

Next up, Shania Twain.

Holy Smokes did she put on a great show. I didn't imagine it would have the production value of a Carrie Underwood or P!nk concert. Besides the great music and fabulous voice, Shania had an elaborate set, costume changes, pyrotechnics, she soared over the crowd and even came out and met us.

Not being the #1 Shania fan in our group, when Shania was set to circle the crowd, I switched places with Kristin and her sisters, so they could try to reach out to Shania and have their moment with her. Below you can see Kristin trying to high-five Shania who was looking the opposite direction. Yep, Kristin got the same result and I did with Gavin. We were denied! Ha!

Whitney's Walk 7-25-15

This year there was nothing in my way from making it to Whitney's Walk and the weather was supposed to be cooler than normal. Sparky and I woke up bright and early (earlier than a week day) and got prepped to head out to Jubilee Park for the walk.

Many years I give in to my little furry friend and speed walk through the entire course as quickly as my two legs can keep up with his 4 little legs. This particular year, since the humidity made it feel like I was swimming, I stuck back with our group and chit-chatted quite a bit.

Sparky still lead the way for our group and made friends with the likes of this boy in his sweet ride.

I eventually gave in to my little buddy and we burned through the 2nd half of the course. I was a sweaty mess and he was one tuckered out dog.

It was such a nice day to meet new people on the Living for Lynn team, and support such a great cause. I cannot thank my friends and family enough for their support and helping me reach my donation goal!

Whitney's Walk 2015

I posted a tweet today:

Despite the heat, I enjoy July and especially the 28th because it's my birthday. It's the one day of the year I feel most loved because I get to hear from so many family and friends in such a short period of time. I don't have any other days to celebrate, so I soak this one up.

This year I will be in town during the days surrounding my birthday, which means I will be in town for Whitney's Walk. As with past years, if you feel so inclined to get me something for my birthday, I would greatly appreciate a donation made on my Whitney's Walk page. Heck, you can even join my team and walk with Sparky and I!!!

My team's name is Living for Lynn. Lynn was a middle school classmate/teammate of mine, high school volleyball rival for a year or so and daughter to one of my favorite all-time teachers. She ended up going to Bradley a year after me, where I would see her on the basketball team from a distance. She was a wonderful person and I wish I had reached out beyond my small social bubble and welcomed here to Bradley. Once again, it's my honor to be a part of Living for Lynn.

CMA Fest 2015 - Day 4

It's 5 days after my fourth day at CMA Fest and 4 long days at work. I probably should not be writing at the moment as I've had the tendency to leave words out of any comments/tweets/texts I've made this evening.

So, let's rewind to Sunday morning, a day without an alarm clock, followed by a night sleeping with earplugs (thank you gas station next to the hotel). The first thing on the list was a the Kristian Bush concert I won at the HGTV Lodge, but as you may know, you'll have to visit the KB blog page to get the details.

After seeing KB for the final time, Theresa and I parted ways. She was on the hunt to track down Lee Greenwood, and I had a Donuts and Jam date with Charlie Worsham. I don't have details about the Lee Greenwood meet and greet since I wasn't there, but I did steal Theresa's pic for my blog. Lee also popped in on LP Field later that night to play the Star-Spangled Banner on a saxophone. It was a very nice rendition.

Okay, so I didn't literally have a date with Charlie Worsham, but their were donuts and he did jam for all of us. I caught Charlie for the first time last year at CMA Fest and got sucked in to his music. Being a recipient of his e-newsletter tipped me in on his fan club show. I hope to hear more from him in the coming years! 

He was also playing the BMI Tailgate stage as we entered LP that night and I got to hear the rest of his set from our seats.

To our surprise on night 4, all of the people seated around us showed up for the show. As each day goes on, the crowed diminishes a little bit each night. Ticket hawkers will stand outside the venue as people leave for the evening and purchase tickets from those who won't be returning the next nights. Then the next day you see them walking the streets of downtown Nashville trying to hawk them.

The night began with Neal McCoy and Cole Swindell. Neal was an absolute hoot to watch, he was having so much fun up there and doing his darnedest to get the younger fans to join in. He even sang some sort of rap version of the Beverly Hillbillies theme song. So entertaining!

My favorite of the night was a Mr. Darius Rucker. His voice. His voice. His voice. I honestly don't know what to say. I'm just sitting here thinking about his performance, my mind is turning off and the vocals playing back in my head are giving me such a peaceful feeling.

Eric Church graced us with his presence next. I still hate to admit I enjoy his music, even after he abruptly canceled a nearby show I had already traveled to. Last of the night for us was Keith Urban. He's got good music and puts on a hell of show, so you can't go wrong ending the night with him. I had hoped for a pop-up Miranda Lambert duet, but instead got the Eric Church one. A surprise none the less, so I'll take it.

Who did we skip out on this night. Well, it was Brad Paisley, for the 2nd year in a row on the 4th night. Once again, I would love to know how many people actually stayed through his performance and then the fireworks show.

If you haven't guessed, I had another fun year at CMA Fest and picked a great friend to share the adventure with. Hopefully we'll get back there again someday.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. If you have been paying attention, I mentioned the smokers got us back. Night 4 was the hottest, most sticky night of them all and we completely lost our breeze! Add to that... the smokers on the 3rd level had to gather at the top of the ramp below our seating area, and as you may have guessed, the smoke wafted right on up and hung out with us most of the night. The combination was very nauseating!

CMA Fest 2015 - Day 3

Good ole Day 3. You started with such disappointment, but quickly redeemed yourself. Last year Theresa and I attended the roasty-toasty City of Hope Celebrity Softball game. After the ridiculously early morning, sun, heat, and lack of skills, we came to the conclusion to skip the game in 2015.

What changed during that time? Well, Little Big Town was announced to play in the softball game. How could I resist seeing 4 of my favorite artists play by favorite game?!?! Theresa was also up for it, so we bought the tickets and prepared ourselves for the early morning.

The game actually took place at a brand new facility that was built for the Nashville Sounds minor league baseball team. I scouted out our seats online to make sure we would be in the shade. No frying in the sun for us!

The celebrity players entered the field to the left-hand side of the dugout in the photo above and were promptly met by a hoard of media.

Theresa took to the right side of the dugout to stalk Brett Michaels. As you can see, she came soooo close, but the event coordinators quickly nabbed him, slapped him in a jersey, and threw him to the media.

As I waited in the shade for a glimpse of LBT and for Theresa to return, I was getting direct messages from Chevrolet through Twitter. I had such huge butterflies while waiting to see what they wanted, as I had entered their contests to get our seats upgraded at LP Field!

To my surprise, they saw my many random Kristian Bush tweets and were prepared to give me a meet and greet with Kristian that same morning as I sat waiting for LBT to arrive at the softball game. I told myself that they would probably find another worthy fan, but I couldn't help but think of the adventure I would have had seeing the backstage of the Chevy Riverfront Stage.

Shortly after I had to turn down the meet and greet, it was announced the LBT would not be able to make the softball game due to a family emergency. Knowing what I know now, I would guess that it was for Jimi to get his voice checked at doctor. Best wishes to him as he heads in for surgery to get vocals polyp(s) removed. If you read my Kristian Bush post, then you'll know that we booked it over to the Riverfront Stage to catch KB perform!

And then after the concert we hustled our way to FanFairX for the meet and greet Theresa won for Kristian Bush.

I've gotta set this next part up...

Last year Theresa totally flipped out when her favorite HGTV stars, the Property Brothers, took the stage at LP Field stage to introduce the artists. As CMA Fest 2015 approached, I kept my eyes peeled for news from our favorite artists and/or celebrities. 

A couple weeks ago I found an opportunity to enter for a meet and greet with the Property Brothers, so I passed it along to Theresa. Unfortunately her contest entry went on deaf ears. 

As we sat at LP Field on night one, the Property Brothers appeared on stage yet again to introduce the talent for the night, and well... at this point... Theresa relieved me of my duties of being her friend. Seriously? It's not like I could call them up and invite them for tea or something! There was no way for me to redeem myself for something I had no control over. ;)

Now return to us standing inline at the KB meet and greet, chit-chatting, and checking social media. Low and behold, Theresa saw a notification on Twitter from the Property Brothers about a noon meet and greet at the HGTV Lodge! But wait, the KB line we were standing in wouldn't even start moving until noon!

Have no fear, our feet were made for walking and being within the first 20 people inline for KB, we had plenty of time for Theresa to stalk the Property Brothers. I also met the twins, and even got a chance to chat with them as there was a random pause in the photograph line. They were extremely nice and have fantastic smiles! 

After relaxing at the hotel late afternoon and filling our bellies, we headed back to LP Field for the 3rd night. Below is the photo I tweeted at Chevy in hopes of winning the upgrade seats. As you can judge by the photos below, we did not win the upgrade.

This was the night we met the bird poop culprit. The culprit, a beautiful hawk that came soaring in and perched itself where my finger is pointing, with it's but facing the seats. That stinker!

Wynonna Judd kicked off the night. I was pretty excited to get to see her, but was sadly disappointed. The mix of sound was not music to my ears. The bass and drums were so loud that it drowned out her voice. Really... how do you do that, she has such a huge voice?!?!

Theresa was tasked with another year of being in charge of the selfies. This night she text one of them to her husband Jim, who just happened to be sitting with my brother at a Peoria Chiefs game. Theresa kindly requested a selfie of Jim and Tom, but we were denied!

I promptly text Tom a "You Bum!" text and just about demanded a selfie.

I got the best laugh out of this photo. Tom captured a selfie with Carol. She ushers at the Peoria Chiefs games, worked there when I did in 2002 and takes swim classes with my Grandpa. This pic was just Classic!!!

Next up on stage was Chris Young, who we did not get to see last year because he injured himself prior to his performance. I gave him two awards this night.

Most fans blinded during one song! Please note that the photo below only captured about a 10th of the lights. There was one point it which all lights on stage were directed at the audience. Kind of like the glow of Christmas lights for the movie Christmas Vacation.

Chris also won the award for best firefly audience participation. Wish this translated better to a cell phone photo.

We then enjoyed a set by Thomas Rhett and Brett Eldredge before Little Big Town took the stage. It was during LBT's first song, that we finally realized there was a small stage 1/3 of the way into the crowd on the floor. Their band was on the main stage playing, the side screens only showing a CMA logo, and I couldn't understand why they were singing off-stage. I believe it was Theresa who finally put two and two together.

I'm still shaking my head about that small stage. It took us 2.5 nights to realize this. No other artists had used the stage up to that point, but I believe there were many an introduction taking place from that stage. I recall seeing the empty main stage, CMA logo, and mystery voice from backstage several times each night. Yes, I know, quality!

Wanting to leave on a good note (thanks to Little Big Town's performance), and avoid parking lot hell, we stumbled over our neighbors yet again and headed home. This night, we missed Carrie Underwood. Say what you will, but have you left the CMA Fest after the last act before???