Radiant in Roanoke!!

The drive from Charleston to Roanoke was gorgeous – winding four lane road through the beautiful misty lush green West Virginia, then Virginia mountains. Sometimes the peaks were hidden in low hanging clouds but it was still a completely pleasurable drive. Passed the New River on which I used to white-water raft years ago, scenic outlooks over valleys and gorges, and places with colorful names like Possum Hollow. No sooner did I arrive at my hotel when I got a call from online friend Feathers and we made plans to meet for dinner at one of the radio station pre-parties at Corned Beef and Company. We entered their drawings. We didn’t win the backstage passes for either Keith or Dierks, but Feathers did win 5 country CDs! Once at the arena I also met online friend Porcelain and made some new Keith-fan friends as well!

Dierks Bentley was a fun opening act! Another cutie (glad his curls are back!) who wears his jeans well! He sang all his hits as well as his most recent single. Because we were in Virginia he did Come A Little Closer as an acoustic performance with a little bluegrass music added to it. He joked around quite a bit. I liked when he sat down on the edge of the stage and started talking to some gals, asking their names, in the middle of How Am I Doin’, and then said “I have to get back to work now” and stood up to continue the song.

I also loved it when Keith brought him out later in the show and they had so much fun doing a duet of Take It To the Limit. The song was great but what was really funny was Keith giving Dierks a hard time for having written out all the lyrics on his forearm (and I saw it – his inner forearm was entirely covered with small writing!). : ) Dierks in turn tried to claim that he so admired Keith’s forearm tattoo that he had gone out and got this as a tattoo in the same spot on his left arm. What fun they were!

I like the Roanoke Civic Center!! Not too big, smoke free AND alcohol free and generally a nice set-up. I had lucked out and got a floor row 11 seat in the presale, just a couple seats from the aisle Keith goes down, so I thought I was set for at least a little close contact. But the evening exceeded my wildest expectations!! It was an absolutely fantabulous concert – Keith was stellar, truly perfect and so on his game last night!! I had such a wonderful experience – another definite Urban high – that I can’t hardly imagine a better concert experience in my future.

The big black curtains were back tonight and they actually used them to create an interesting effect. During the Celtic like music that introduces the show bright ceiling lights within the curtained stage flashed on and off erratically, creating almost the appearance of lightening inside the curtain. When they opened the curtain there was a huge vapor cloud this evening so that Keith could not be seen until he burst out of that cloud several steps onto the catwalk. The little plaid shirt was white/blue-gray/brown tonight and for a good part of the evening only 2 buttons appeared to be buttoned so we saw glimpses of both chest and tummy as he moved around that guitar! J

During the break after Dierks the security people became quite active, clearing the aisles and stage and catwalk edges of standers, giving the impression that they were going to be strict enforcers. Well, they were, during the break, but as soon as Keith came on the security up front pretty much disappeared (can’t speak for the back of the arena). So all those folks who had been chased back to their seats earlier made a mad surge (but still a polite surge I have to say) for the front, myself included. I never went back to my row 11 seat during Keith’s entire 2 hour+ show!! Initially I was on the move – I got to stand about 6 feet from the end of the catwalk where Keith sang the first couple songs, then during Better Half I moved to the ramp where he would exit the stage, then to the opposite side to greet him upon his return. (Gave his back a rub as he passed by and he was already soaking wet only 6 songs into the show!) Surprisingly, even though a lot of people moved up front they were not packed together (I heard that those with seats further back were not allowed to come up so I guess that limited the crowd). So it was pretty easy to move from one spot to another. After Keith returned to the mainstage I was easily able to slip up to nearly the stage edge (in front of the row 1 seats where no one was actually sitting) for the rest of the night. By the end of the show the only person closer to Keith was that camera man who films from the corner where the catwalk hits the stage! Who would have thought my row 11 would turn into row 1?? I was so tickled!!

When Keith made it back to the small stage he started out by saying “It’s nice back here, I think I’ll stay a while". Then, admiring the growing crowd around the stage he yelled out “I love you guys in the back section! Its so funny to watch security clear you away and then you are right back here again. I love that!! What the hell, it’s Friday night!” He put on a proffered hat briefly, said it was a bit small but told the gal “That’s a stylin’ hat you’ve got there."

He closed Once in A Lifetime with a bit of a rhythmic chant: “ You and me, you and me, we gotta once in a lifetime love! You and me, you and me, we gotta once in a lifetime love.” Tonight Making Memories was dedicated to anyone getting married or in love.

Keith told us more than once that we were in for a long night (Yay!) and we should call the babysitter and let her know we wouldn’t be getting home anytime soon. He seemed to be in a devilish and playful mood all evening long, using one of his deep silly voices during part of Blacktop, his ‘tropical bird call noises’ in Better Half, using what sounded like a little Swedish at one point (remember the Swedish chef of the Muppets?), throwing out an impossible to imitate African sounding scat in the middle of doing a little Day-o, Day –ay-ay-o echo round with the audience. And he had faces to accompany each of these auditory jokes. He was in a GOOD mood – I think he felt the wonder of this awesome show and at the end he thanked the audience for making it such a magical evening, commenting that it has been a while since they had such an evening. And thank you Keith for being the wand that creates that magic – we loved every minute.

The cherry on the top of this yummy music sundae was catching a guitar pick as the guys said there final goodbyes. What a night!

Off on another concert roadtrip in the morning - to "almost heaven" West Virginia tomorrow night and then the Roanoke, Virginia show on Friday! :) I've planned meet-ups with several other like-minded fans and am looking forward to the pre-parties.

Rowdy in Roanoke!

>Well I have danced and clapped myself to near exhaustion and sang, screamed and woo-hooed myself to hoarseness. Virginia definitely gave Keith some love tonight!! He said the crowd sounded like New Year’s Eve and that is not because they were drunk! I didn’t actually look for an alcohol vender, so I can’t say for sure, but tonight’s venue may have been a dry venue because I never saw anyone drinking or carrying beers tonight. But that didn’t keep the crowd from loudly participating!

The evening had a bit of an auspicious start however. I arrived at the Civic Center at 6:15 for the 7:30 show and there were already huge lines of ticketholders at each of the doors, with shuttle busloads more arriving every few minutes. The doors did not open at the expected 6:30, or 6:45 and the crowd was getting antsy. Close to 7:00 staff shouted something I could not hear over the sound of one of Keith’s highly decorated tour buses that was running next to our line, but the folks next to me heard the words “fire marshall”. So officials delayed doors opening until 7:00 meaning that they had to back up showtime to 8:00 to allow enough time for everyone to enter.

I only decided to go to tonight’s show on Thursday afternoon when I learned hubby had to go out of town and I’d be all by my lonesome for the weekend. I quickly found a reasonably priced flight and hotel. I knew I’d have to settle for what concert tickets were available at the last minute for what tonight looked like a sold out concert. I bought what I thought, from the seating chart on Ebay, was a “Club” seat or whatever they called that kind of mezzanine level above the lower risers. I was just glad that it was in the front row of that section, close to the stage and beggers can’t be choosers. But lo and behold it was not really a “Club” seat, but instead first row of the “Box Seats”. I think the Ebay seller perhaps didn’t know just how good a seat it actually was at the Roanoke Civic Center (a fairly small venue like the Mohegan). I was level with the height of the stage and sitting 10 ft from Keith’s microphone at stage right!! Face to face with the man every time he sang or strummed on that side – what a joyful experience!

Tonight it looked like the edge of the catwalk was a free for all – crowds lined the walkway during the break after Carrie. The glowing bulbs (red) that outline the catwalk and center front of the stage were used to good effect both during some of Carrie’s songs and one or two of Keith’s. But I was surprised that Keith and the guys did not make their usual first trip down the walk at the end of Faster Car. Tonight they all lined up on the front edge of the stage for that pounding guitar ending – that’s the first time I’ve seen them do it there. A few other staging elements were also new to me. The catwalk bulbs glowed blue for ROS and tonight Keith’s great Stupid Boy guitar solo also took place halfway down the runway. During the lead-in to the first ROS chorus Keith took an extra long exaggerated pause, leaning back in almost a back bend for so long that eventually both he and the audience cracked up laughing – laughing so much, in fact that he had a little trouble getting back to the ROS chorus! But he enjoyed that laugh and said we were his kind of crowd! God I love his various laughs. I couldn’t hear what later set off some sexy chuckles when they moved to the small stage, but I enjoyed the chuckles nonetheless. While on the small stage Keith brought up a darling 4 year old named Sydney who had a monkey for Keith and a sign to the effect of “I want to be your Monkeyville mascot.” They had a very sweet conversation and a couple of hugs. As she left the stage Keith said “I’ve got to get me one of those” – expressing his desire and excitement, I believe, about having a “little person” in his life! I wonder if they know they might be expecting a daughter……

On a completely separate note Keith and Verizon are really working together now. Verizon allowed audience members to send in text messages which showed on the big screen during the break as well as having some other special promotions in the lobby. But what really intrigued me is their contest to win a backyard BBQ with Keith!! And, if I understood correctly, another contest to appear in a Keith video. I’ll get the grills ready Keith!!!

Some of my favorite concert parts were made more special than ever. Keith not only dedicated GIRTT to Nicole, but tonight added “After all, I wrote this song for her!” and inserted some “Sweet sweet girl”’s in the song. After ROS he sang a little extra “And if it is raining or snowing on Sunday in Roanoke, it doesn’t matter – we’re staying!” He said a special hello to an old friend from Franklin County, Virginia that was in the audience and, earlier in the evening, thanked Virginia for the great weather Saturday because it had been perfect for riding the cycles.

But sometimes a change in a favorite moment is not as appreciated, even if it is skillful.

I have always loved the purity and intimacy of Keith singing TIWC at the piano, He was wonderful as usual – so heartfelt. But then the band came in behind him on the second verse and chorus – kind of like they do on the Celebration version of GIRTT (not quite as fullblown in TIWC but not subtle). I’m sorry Jerry (who was leading this guitar addition), but for this song I just want Keith’s sweet voice, expressive face and the piano.

Tonight Keith never made it off the floor during his brave venture into the crowd during YLGIMS. He was simply mobbed – some gals tried to hold onto him for the entire length of his walk rather than just being content with a touch or a squeeze. He made it halfway back in the arena and then stepped up on a chair to sing his verse (which helped protect him while on that perch). Again he signed and gave away a guitar but I couldn’t see who received it.

Tonight Keith really wanted ITYS to be participatory and the crowd obliged – it has joined the list of songs that much of the audience seems able to sing along with. And the cell phone wave returned tonight with great success!

Other bits and pieces – Brian Nutter sure looks different with a full head of dark hair! Sweet B seemed to be guiding around a family-looking group before the show – I watched him shepherd them back behind stage. I do like Keith’s new haircut, even if I miss the flippage. Keith was particularly profuse in his thanks to the crowd for staying “to the bitter end tonight” as he says it. There were a few empty seats after the pre-encore break but not many. He again outlasted the other guys after the lights came up – he continued to walk down the catwalk and to both sides of the arena, thanking, nodding, accepting roses, slapping hands, throwing picks, signing a few autographs. It was nearly midnight when he finally left the stage leaving a well-satisfied , happy audience.