One Ticket To Paradise With Bragging Rights
When I get ready to move to a new location there are a couple of things I do. First, I reach out to the local Patriot Guard Riders. Next, I look for any Harley dealerships or motorcycle groups running charity rides. Third, I look for concerts. Michigan did not disappoint.
I’ll save the motorcycle groups for another post…but let’s talk concerts!
I love music so when I get the chance to see a great artist from my youth I always jump at the chance. I regret not seeing Journey or Tom Petty when the opportunity arose. So when I looked in Michigan and saw Pat Benatar was playing I was all over it!
Pat Benatar
She was performing at the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids and I was not going to miss it. The location is absolutely stunning and I love outdoor amphitheaters. Seating was general admission so no surprises. With COVID still lingering the atmosphere seemed disjointed at first. Piped music preconcert was 50’s, the opening act was local and completely obscure and the crowd just seemed tense to start so I was worried it wouldn’t be a good night. Then Pat Benatar hit the stage.
First, she looks incredible! Unreal she still looks so young. Then she started. That voice hasn’t changed one bit. Power, strength and beauty. The crowd hit their feet and never sat down.
Her set list was amazing. At one point over four songs, each building on the prior, she worked the crowd into an absolute frenzy.
She left the crowd thrilled with her performance but still wanting more. I’ve been disappointed in the past with aging rockers whose voices are faltering. She couldn’t be further from that. I would gladly line up to see her again soon.
Blake Shelton
I have a confession to make. I have never been to a country music concert before. I make a point of looking for new to me artists and genres to attend and with Blake Shelton playing at the Van Andel Arena, also in Grand Rapids, it seemed like it was time to do some people watching. I found the cheapest single floor seat I could find ($84) and thought it odd that a pair of seats two rows back were listed at $899 a piece, but whatever.
Well I’ll be damned. Wouldn’t you know it? Turned out the stage extended into the crowd. My cheap floor seat turned out to be front row!!!
In all honesty, I went into this concert knowing only one song likely to be played but it didn’t matter. These folks are successful because they are talented. If you just take some time to focus on that the time spent can be wildly entertaining. Even more so if you people watch the drunk urban cowboys drinking beer by the gallon.
The show was quite impressive. Blake and his friends (like Martina McBride) played for over four hours without a break, taking turns on stage playing everything from what I’d call classic country to pop.
The highlight of the evening for me was having Lindsay Ell toss me one of her guitar picks. Security was very impressed I caught it in the air.
They finished with an All Star performance right in front of me that made me feel like I was kicking back in the living room having my own personal concert, which I kind of was. It was a great touch.
One last thing. As I almost always do, I took the time to get to know the people around me. You meet the sweetest, most interesting people that way. The couple I met at the Pat Benatar concert were kind and inquisitive. The two older women that left early from Blake Shelton because they were tired had to make sure they hugged me before departing.
Never stop being kind. Talk to the people around you. The world is a better place when we treat those around us as friends we have yet to meet.
