BRAD PAISLEY @ Hyundai

Last night, I attended the Brad Paisley show in San Bernardino with several of my friends... it was an absolutely AMAZING night as Jack Ingram opened... Kellie Pickler tthen performed an incredible set followed by the sensational Taylor Swift... That left the stage for the star of the show, Brad!!! It was truly an AWESOME concert... Now we didn't quite have the seats we were promised - were told we'd be in the first six rows - we ended up in row 18... but still we were VERY close and got to see everything!!!


In the picture above, my friends Jen and Katie are pictured at the right end, along with their friend Christy in between them, with my friend Paula next to me... As you can see, Jen & Katie were ready to rock with their "Taylor gear" on, while Paula and I were just as prepared with our "Brad gear" on... we were tempted to kick Christy out due lack of conforming to the concert dress code, but since her husband is also named "John," I decided she could stay. ;)


Jack Ingram (above) got the night off to a rousing start right after 7:30 PM with his number one hit "Wherever You Are." His twenty-five minute set also included his current hit single, "Measure of A Man" along with his remake of Hinder's "Lips Of An Angel"... the highlight of the show was definitely when he sang his hit "Love You" as he worked the crowd like a seasoned pro, getting the 15-some thousand in attendance to sing back to him...


One of the great things about last nights show is that the intermissions were so short... not even ten minutes after Jack left, American Idol 5 finalist Kellie Pickler (above) made her appearance starting off her set with "Gotta Keep Moving"... and let me tell you, she knows how to work a crowd!! She then played "Things That Never Cross A Man's Mind." Kellie then got more reflective, talking about how she idolized Dolly Parton before launching into her rendition of Dolly's signature hit "9 to 5." Then Kellie changed her shoes and broke into her first hit, the sassy "Red High Heels"... then came the moment everyone waited for and anticipated... and it actually almost didn't happen as Kellie said that she was almost too emotional to sing her current hit... in case you haven't heard it, the song I speak of is called "I Wonder." Kellie actually dedicated the song to a couple of girls who had come up to her in the Meet & Greet before the show... the song itself is a very up-close and personal look at Kellie and how she grew up without a Mom, and everything that she experienced that her Mom wasn't there for... so many people can relate to this song, and it REALLY brought the house down... yes, the kleenex was out in force! I always knew while watching American Idol that Kellie was going to be something special... her performance last night definitely did nothing to change that opinion!


Taylor Swift (above) took the stage around 8:45 PM and performed songs off her self-titled Platinum debut album... and let me tell you, Taylor is just an amazing performer... and she also wrote EVERY song on her debut CD... that's amazing! There were so many highlights to her 20 minute set... and every song had a story to tell. Most of course dealing with relationships... Of course, her first hit, "Tim McGraw" was the highlight... she interacted with the crowd and got everyone to sing it with her... Her current top 10 hit, "Teardrops On My Guitar," was another highlight. Every one of Taylor's songs tells a story and I think that may be why Country fans have so taken to this 17 year old... she left the crowd with "Picture To Burn"...

An intermission of about 25 minutes followed and then it was time for the star to appear... Mr. Brad Paisley!!! The crowd REALLY got into it as Brad performed all of his hits and had some AMAZING visual effects behind him... especially touching was when he performed his #1 hit "When I Get Where I'm Going"... though Dolly Parton wasn't there with him, the song's message still rang strong as images of various people that had been lost over the years played on the jumbotron in the background... the crowd would cheer as each image would appear. Other highlights included "She's Everything" along with his current hit, the tongue in cheek "Ticks"... and yes, I am wearing my "Show Me Your Ticks" shirt in that first pic)... Brad closed out the show with his hit "Alcohol" and then performed a two song encore to a rousing ovation... "The World," "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)" and "Mud On The Tires" were also highlights... Brad left the crowd wanting more, but just before 11 PM the show was over... but what a show it was!!!

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