Concert Review
My beloved and I recently attended a George Strait concert at the DCU Center in Worcester (formerly the Centrum). Opening acts were Miranda Lambert and Tracy Lawrence. I've graded various aspects of the performances, venue, commute, etc as such:
George Strait's Performance: A+
"King" George and his band Ace In the Hole played a great set. One neat-o thing about country music is that most of the musicians who make it big are genuinely talented people. Unlike many record company-manufactured pop acts who rely heavily on pitch control and other studio trickery, country stars usually sound just as great live as they do on the record. Favorites like "Amarillo By Morning" were as heartbreaking as they were pitch-perfect.
Tracy Lawrence's Performance: A
Unfortunately I was not in the audience for most of Tracy's set (see "Concession Stands" below). What I did hear sounded quite nice. Tracy is one of those country radio regulars whose voice and style you might not immediately realize is his, but we all sing and hum along to his stuff. He also sang a powerful tribute to our military servicemen and women without being sappy or hawkish, for which I give him mad props. (Do people say "mad props" anymore?)
Miranda Lambert's Performance: A+
We've been fans of Miranda's for quite some time now. She's an energetic performer with a voice that's both strong and melodic, serious guitar chops and a songwriting gift that belies her 22 years. She's also really gorgeous in a wholesome, unpretentious way. Miranda and her band got the ball rolling in electric (and acoustic) style. And Rich & I stood up, singing along with every word.
Backstage Meet-and-Greet: A-
As members of Ran Fans, the official Miranda Lambert fan club, we were invited to meet Miranda backstage after her set. Her security was a little tighter than at our previous meetings, but that's a reflection of her growing fame and success. We had a nice time chatting with fellow Ran Fans, some of whom we recognized from previous shows, while waiting in line backstage.
Miranda herself was very gracious, happy to pose for pictures and sign autographs. She signed two pictures Rich took of her at FanFair in Nashville last June, and our copy of Country Weekly with our pictures at her Ran Fans club party (I'm kneeling in the front row, Rich is in back holding her up with a bunch of other dudes). And yes, she's just as adorable up close as she is in print. Yet Rich still came home with me...
Driving To & From: B
Getting to the Worcester area was easy enough, but the on-ramp for our exit was backed up a few miles, mostly by drivers wearing cowboy hats. (Country music is more popular here than you'd think, and it'd been eight years since George Strait had performed in New England.)
After waiting in bumper-to-bumper for about 15 minutes we decided to skip ahead to the next exit, past Rotman's (Fan-tastic!) and made our way through a few one way streets to the DCU Center. We parked in the Worcester Common Outlets garage for $20 and crossed two streets, aided by traffic cops. I noted for future reference that the Worcester Commuter Rail is a short walk from the DCU Center.
Concession Stands: D-
As I previously mentioned, I missed most of Tracy Lawrence's set because I was standing in a looooonngg frickin' line to purchase two $3 bottles of water. (Rich and I were both parched after singing along to Miranda's songs.) Dunno what the people at the front of the line were buying, but two of them were at the counter for close to 20 minutes, apparently getting refreshments for their entire row or something. Jerks.
Once I got to the register the service was fast and friendly, but it pissed me off that I had to miss almost a full set waiting to buy overpriced Aquafina. Maybe it'd be more efficient if they had one line for beer and another for everything else? I also noted for future reference that while the beer selection was decent, they charge $5.75 per beer. Yikes! Next time I'm sticking a 40 oz in my vagina to smuggle it past security, damn it!
(Just kidding, that would probably hurt and the beer would get warm.)
Merchandise Table: B+
Variety was good for all three featured acts. We each spent $30 on a Miranda shirt, both of which I later found online for $20 each. Doh! But $30 isn't unreasonable, I've seen concert tees that cost well over $50. The service was friendly and, unlike the concession stands, we didn't have to wait long to make our purchases.
All in all, a good night. I give it an A for Excellent.
George Strait's Performance: A+
"King" George and his band Ace In the Hole played a great set. One neat-o thing about country music is that most of the musicians who make it big are genuinely talented people. Unlike many record company-manufactured pop acts who rely heavily on pitch control and other studio trickery, country stars usually sound just as great live as they do on the record. Favorites like "Amarillo By Morning" were as heartbreaking as they were pitch-perfect.
Tracy Lawrence's Performance: A
Unfortunately I was not in the audience for most of Tracy's set (see "Concession Stands" below). What I did hear sounded quite nice. Tracy is one of those country radio regulars whose voice and style you might not immediately realize is his, but we all sing and hum along to his stuff. He also sang a powerful tribute to our military servicemen and women without being sappy or hawkish, for which I give him mad props. (Do people say "mad props" anymore?)
Miranda Lambert's Performance: A+
We've been fans of Miranda's for quite some time now. She's an energetic performer with a voice that's both strong and melodic, serious guitar chops and a songwriting gift that belies her 22 years. She's also really gorgeous in a wholesome, unpretentious way. Miranda and her band got the ball rolling in electric (and acoustic) style. And Rich & I stood up, singing along with every word.
Backstage Meet-and-Greet: A-
As members of Ran Fans, the official Miranda Lambert fan club, we were invited to meet Miranda backstage after her set. Her security was a little tighter than at our previous meetings, but that's a reflection of her growing fame and success. We had a nice time chatting with fellow Ran Fans, some of whom we recognized from previous shows, while waiting in line backstage.
Miranda herself was very gracious, happy to pose for pictures and sign autographs. She signed two pictures Rich took of her at FanFair in Nashville last June, and our copy of Country Weekly with our pictures at her Ran Fans club party (I'm kneeling in the front row, Rich is in back holding her up with a bunch of other dudes). And yes, she's just as adorable up close as she is in print. Yet Rich still came home with me...
Driving To & From: B
Getting to the Worcester area was easy enough, but the on-ramp for our exit was backed up a few miles, mostly by drivers wearing cowboy hats. (Country music is more popular here than you'd think, and it'd been eight years since George Strait had performed in New England.)
After waiting in bumper-to-bumper for about 15 minutes we decided to skip ahead to the next exit, past Rotman's (Fan-tastic!) and made our way through a few one way streets to the DCU Center. We parked in the Worcester Common Outlets garage for $20 and crossed two streets, aided by traffic cops. I noted for future reference that the Worcester Commuter Rail is a short walk from the DCU Center.
Concession Stands: D-
As I previously mentioned, I missed most of Tracy Lawrence's set because I was standing in a looooonngg frickin' line to purchase two $3 bottles of water. (Rich and I were both parched after singing along to Miranda's songs.) Dunno what the people at the front of the line were buying, but two of them were at the counter for close to 20 minutes, apparently getting refreshments for their entire row or something. Jerks.
Once I got to the register the service was fast and friendly, but it pissed me off that I had to miss almost a full set waiting to buy overpriced Aquafina. Maybe it'd be more efficient if they had one line for beer and another for everything else? I also noted for future reference that while the beer selection was decent, they charge $5.75 per beer. Yikes! Next time I'm sticking a 40 oz in my vagina to smuggle it past security, damn it!
(Just kidding, that would probably hurt and the beer would get warm.)
Merchandise Table: B+
Variety was good for all three featured acts. We each spent $30 on a Miranda shirt, both of which I later found online for $20 each. Doh! But $30 isn't unreasonable, I've seen concert tees that cost well over $50. The service was friendly and, unlike the concession stands, we didn't have to wait long to make our purchases.
All in all, a good night. I give it an A for Excellent.
Labels: Music, Pet Peeves
posted by Chloe @ 4:06 PM
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