Oh the sentences muttered around yours truly.
Asshat alert!
Living in Nashville, chances to see fabulous live music always present themselves. This past Friday Willie Nelson, along with Alison Krauss and Union Station played at The Woods at Fontanel.
The Woods concert prep on a gorgeous Tennessee day.
It’s Nashville’s only amphitheater and a pretty kick ass venue.
Pre-partiers.
Arriving just as the sun set, I was immediately put in my place among the riff raff at the venue. While I wasn’t important enough to be a Big Deal, I was above being a Groupie and found myself among the Blue Collar folks.
Blue Collar all the way.
While settling in to hear Willie croon my fave song “Crazy,” (did you know Mr. Nelson wrote Patsy Cline’s biggest hit?) I was enjoying the crisp spring weather along with a Skinny Pirate. Typically at live shows, I’m on my way to losing my shit the second the first note creeps out of the speakers but at the start of Willie, I was uncharacteristically calm.
Cool kid concert attire.
Calm that is, until my eyes spotted a t-shirt that I needed and somehow sweet talked its male owner out of (he went to his car with his girlfriend, mind you, to get another shirt).
How would my life have been complete without this top?
As the evening wore on, I found myself falling in love with Willie’s unmistakable 81-year-old (yes – 81!) voice and when the encore was complete, I found myself not wanting the evening to end.
Ask and you shall receive.
One of my buddies asked if I was coming up on stage as they loaded out equipment.
Who, me? The stage? RUN!
I almost ran right into the Big Deal trailer park (due to the twinkling camper lights calling my name)…
If you’re behind the barricade, you’re a Big Deal.
…but was kindly strong armed directed to the stage.
I belong here. On stage. Duh.
Now who’s the big deal?
Being that I work in the music business, it’s never cool to show any emotion while experiencing anything out of the norm. So there I was on stage in a stolen Shotgun Willie shirt, a plastic concert bag of swag and my mouth hanging wide open.
Co-workers ignoring my fanatic ass.
Who wants to claim this fool?
Luckily for me, my buddies decided to throw me a bone but not before one of them uttered…
“Who let the super fan on stage?”
Dork sandwich.
You can always count on me to make you look cool.
CBXB
Hey girl, I met Willie and HUGGED HIM and HE HUGGED ME BACK a few years ago and I gotta say that those twinkly eyes of his are very SEXY!!!
SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! You lucky gal you! His eye so twinkle and he looks like he’d still be a helluva lot of fun for an 81-year-old!
There’s always some nut crashing the stage!
And more than likely it’s me!
Haha.
I have talked to Willie on the phone in my big daily days. His voice was pretty familiar on the other end. His attitude, too! I bet you were tempted to knock on the door of his bus back stage, weren’t you? With that shirt, you might have gotten in, CBXB! Nice post right here. That looks like a great place to be come summer nights.
Isn’t it funny how people can sound exactly as you imagine? I mean, I realize I’ve heard Willie’s voice on the radio and TV but live and in person he was just as I’d imagined. Pretty cool you got to interview him! I was beyond tempted to knock on his door backstage…especially when I walked right by his bus. But I practiced something I rarely do – self restraint.
Yes, your colleagues might have been angry if you’d knocked on his door. Better you stayed cool this time. If only Wille had opened the door a crack to air it out and seen you himself!
I’d have died and gone to heaven!
Saw him about ten years ago – amazing. Two hours straight with about 2 seconds between songs – and I surprisingly knew every single one. Saw his tour bus door open And a huge cloud of smoke come billowing out. Oh how I wanted to go in it.
How cool! Did you just stand there while the smoke billowed out and inhale very, very slowly?! He was amazing on Friday night, too. I still can’t get over his age!
How fun was that?!? Good for you!
Will you promise to come visit me (in the home) when I’m 81?
I won’t be able to sing a lick but the proper combo of meds and booze (which I expect to have on hand) should have us all not caring.
I’m SO in. I’ll even bust you out of the home so we can go belly up to some dusty little hole in the wall with your meds and booze. We’ll really live it up!
You are awesome CBXB. I am not a big fan of the country scene, but an ICON is an ICON. Willie freakin NELSON DUDE. Too cool. I would see him just to say I saw him. 81 years young huh? Also cool. Who knew a little “kind bud” once in a while would promote longevity like that. LOL. Keep up the MONSTER Hijinx my friend.
I couldn’t agree with you more about an ICON being an ICON….and is also why I couldn’t help myself from becoming an instant super fan. Not only was this guy country when country wasn’t cool, he knew the benefits of “kind bud” long before others. So I am now stalking him.
Now that is the way to rock a concert! Smoke a blunt with Willie next time!
It’s on my bucket list!
Sounds and looks like a fun time!! 🙂 xx
http://www.sweetcandydreamer.com
It was almost too much fun but that’s not possible is it?!
Willie doesn’t know what he missed! The pic of you running is hilarious!!! And that sticker is brilliant, despite the blue collar mistake for you.😘
Isn’t the sticker fab? And here I was thinking that I was a Big Deal and then got back to the mini manse and realized that title actually goes to the gray fur ball that allows me to live with him.
I was so looking for a pic of you with the man himself. I suppose the shirt will have to suffice. 😦
I know! I would have died if I’d gotten a picture with Willie!
You got a stranger to give you the shirt off his back– while his girlfriend looked on? I feel like I should rub you for good luck or something.
I know. It was one of my prouder moments!
I’m still jealous after seeing the Instagram pic of your storming the stage. I saw Willie for the first time last year. Amazing. Just simply amazing. One of the greats, and I’m pleased to see him in concert.
Another great performer that I had the opportunity to see: Ray Charles.
You were lucky to go that Woods concert and it must have been a very beautiful event ! How great of that guy to (give) you that shotgun t-shirt, yes you can always try 🙂 ! Love the two photos of you where one of them you are smiling with your mouth wide open and the other with an expression of your eyes just a little bit (fun) dangerous………….great concert time you’ve had girl 🙂 🙂 !
I can’t help but have fun – or at least I always try to even if I make an ass out of myself!
Don’t worry about it, I rather prefer you than other million boring people who only do things like they were teach too !! 🙂
I was at the venue two years ago and I wanted to shoot myself by the time I got out. Getting out of that place took over an hour, I was going nuts. I’m pretty sure I was talking in tongues in the car.
Oh I feel your pain, Girl. Which is why I stuck around in my Shotgun Willie t-shirt, acting like a dumb ass as they struck the stage! There is no good way in or out of that place for mass traffic. Awful!