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.