**Concert Review by RF's #1 teenage fan in this family (well, RF's only teenage fan in this family)**
A steady stream of people flooded the AT&T Center, which usually serves as a home building for the San Antonio Spurs or the San Antonio Rampage (a hockey team). But neither teams were present. No court was on the floor, and neither was ice.
I attempted to snuggle into my seat in nosebleed section 202, row 10. At first the sheer height and steepness of where we were made me nervous and dizzy. For thirty minutes, Mom, Brant, and I waited, chatted, took pictures on Mom's cell, and watched the stage.
I attempted to snuggle into my seat in nosebleed section 202, row 10. At first the sheer height and steepness of where we were made me nervous and dizzy. For thirty minutes, Mom, Brant, and I waited, chatted, took pictures on Mom's cell, and watched the stage.
Finally, the lights went out. A rowdy cheer erupted from the crowd. The Still Feels Good concert was on!
Guitars began to blare and twang as Jason Aldean, opening singer and country star with inclining popularity, began his part of the show. People cheered heartily as his modern hits such as Johnny Cash, Hicktown, Amarillo Sky, and Why rolled by. Soon enough, people discovered that he not only sang great, but was extra generous in hand shakes. The audience began to flock to the stage in hope of getting one.
Not too soon, Jason left the stage. By now, the Pit was pretty full, probably largely due to the text messages that you could send to enter for your chance to win a pass into it, and thereby getting an almost on-stage experience.
The lights went out again. By this time, the crowd was more than ready, and they didn't fail to welcome the stars with the screaming and applause that ensued. And the stars were......Rascal Flatts!!!
An orange light and smoke began to emmit from behind the staircase that led to another section of the stage. While we ooed and aaahhhed over this, the violinist came on stage, along with some guitarists.
"Here they come," I whispered amidst the screams and applause.
The whole stage suddenly illuminated and flashed in white and other minute colors. Needless to say, we were awed and excited.
The introduction to the song Me and My Gang played. But no one on the main stage was singing!
"Look, they're down there!" Mom said, pointing.
Brant and I followed her finger. She wasn't pointing to the main stage, but to a smaller, circular stage more towards the back of the room that earlier appeared to be nothing but part of the sound system. And on top of it, were the band members themselves! The guitarists and violinists on the main stage were performers, but were also decoys to lure the eye to the wrong place!
Mom had also had a hunch that the three Rascal leads were going to come out that way because earlier she had seen men rolling in big boxes that appeared to be sound equipment. Now we're not completely sure, but we believe that the trio were in the boxes!
I rose to my feet, singing along to the tune that I knew and loved so well (Me and My Gang). Hands raised up in the air as lead singer Gary LeVox sang, "Raise up your hands if you all wanna hang with me and my gang."
The band made their way onto the main stage by a bridge that was raised up when not needed. They continued by delivering hit after smashing hit. Gary's voice, which has a very large range, tends to err on the high side, but with a uniquely tomboyish tinge, was complimented skillfully by the startling talent of his two backups and their guitars (really, they could probably make it by themselves). Just some of the songs performed were These Days, Bless the Broken Road, Backwards, Feels Like Today, My Wish, I Melt, and Pieces, the last of which the two backups sang by themselves. Upon being asked which song they would like to hear, the audience yelled back "Mayberry! Mayberry!" So, upon command, the band performed the song perfectly.
In addition to this, the lights were amazing. They took on different shapes and were constantly changing colors. After one song, green lasers criss-crossed and were held in the air for a moment before vanishing. During Backwards, the stage was littered in red, blue, and white stars. When they played music videos, the floor of the main stage was so shiny that the whole platform looked like it was one big screen.
After nearly two hours of songs and anecdotes, the band ascended the staircase and walked onto a part of the stage that lowered them down. I was disappointed. They hadn't sung Here's to You, the song that I wanted to hear the most. Neither had they sung Life is a Highway, their most popular song.
The lights came back up. People began to leave. Then the lights went out again. A blue light shone onto the drummer, who had remained on stage. He gave us a few upbeat rhythms that allowed him to show us his skill. The whole time, I was going, "Okay, are they coming out again or not?"
Bright red and white lights suddenly blared onto the platform. Guitars twanged. Gary's voice came on again (he was back on the circular stage!). He began to satisfy the silent cries for encore with none other than Here's to You, a song that thanks the fans for being fans! It also has a fast-paced, fun beat where the guitars and drums match perfectly.
They ended with Life is a Highway, which credits much of its popularity to the motion-picture Cars (yeah, they're the ones who sing that!). The whole crowd stood and sang good an' loud. The whole building rang with it! I'm sure that we could be heard for miles.
Somewhere in the middle of the song, Gary got out to mingle with the people nearest the stage. Once he said something like "This is to all you guys there in the back!" and then continued with the next line, which was "There was a distance between you and I. A misunderstanding once, but now, we look it in the eye."
I was sad when it ended. I was having a good time, and I wasn't ready for it to stop. But, Dad was waiting for us when we got home, and, as usual, I was eager to relay all to him.
In short, even though we couldn't see all that well, it was a great evening and "kid's date" (as I called this evening out with Brant and Mom). I can't wait for my next concert and hope that Rascal Flatts will come back to San Antonio again.
I hope that you'll stay here and listen to a few songs. They sang these at the concert. Enjoy!
In addition to this, the lights were amazing. They took on different shapes and were constantly changing colors. After one song, green lasers criss-crossed and were held in the air for a moment before vanishing. During Backwards, the stage was littered in red, blue, and white stars. When they played music videos, the floor of the main stage was so shiny that the whole platform looked like it was one big screen.
After nearly two hours of songs and anecdotes, the band ascended the staircase and walked onto a part of the stage that lowered them down. I was disappointed. They hadn't sung Here's to You, the song that I wanted to hear the most. Neither had they sung Life is a Highway, their most popular song.
The lights came back up. People began to leave. Then the lights went out again. A blue light shone onto the drummer, who had remained on stage. He gave us a few upbeat rhythms that allowed him to show us his skill. The whole time, I was going, "Okay, are they coming out again or not?"
Bright red and white lights suddenly blared onto the platform. Guitars twanged. Gary's voice came on again (he was back on the circular stage!). He began to satisfy the silent cries for encore with none other than Here's to You, a song that thanks the fans for being fans! It also has a fast-paced, fun beat where the guitars and drums match perfectly.
They ended with Life is a Highway, which credits much of its popularity to the motion-picture Cars (yeah, they're the ones who sing that!). The whole crowd stood and sang good an' loud. The whole building rang with it! I'm sure that we could be heard for miles.
Somewhere in the middle of the song, Gary got out to mingle with the people nearest the stage. Once he said something like "This is to all you guys there in the back!" and then continued with the next line, which was "There was a distance between you and I. A misunderstanding once, but now, we look it in the eye."
I was sad when it ended. I was having a good time, and I wasn't ready for it to stop. But, Dad was waiting for us when we got home, and, as usual, I was eager to relay all to him.
In short, even though we couldn't see all that well, it was a great evening and "kid's date" (as I called this evening out with Brant and Mom). I can't wait for my next concert and hope that Rascal Flatts will come back to San Antonio again.
I hope that you'll stay here and listen to a few songs. They sang these at the concert. Enjoy!
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