Reviews of Alan’s Va Beach and Raleigh concerts by

HopeRothrock

Promised myself when my family got back safe and sound from Dallas I would try to post a quick recap review from our concerts on our anniversary weekend.  So here goes.  Paul and I drove to Va Beach for our 22nd anniversary ....we always try to see Alan the weekend of our anniversary which is May 16th. We sat front and center thanks to the fan club.  The show was really good.  Alan wore his blue shirt AGAIN.  Sang his normal set. We did not bring a camera as last time we were at that venue they threatened to throw us out if we didn't put it away, so we didn't even bother.  Paul and I stood up and slow danced during When Somebody Loves You.   We also told this little girl in front of us how to get on the screen for Little Bitty and low and behold she made it up there. A funny thing happened during the show.  Alan was announcing the Strayhorns as usual.  We knew he'd save Danny Groah for last because he is from Va.  Well the next thing you know....he is saying "It's Five-OClock Somewhere" and he never introduces Danny.  Paul and I were wondering what happened.  Later during Blues Man, when the band starts playing solos and the lights go out, all of a sudden Alan says, "hey Jimbo, put the lights back on for a minute", and then he proceeds to talk about Danny during Blues Man saying he forgot to introduce him earlier. Pretty cool!!   At the end of the show during Mercury Blues, we went up to the stage and took the little girl who had been sitting in front of us up with us.  She wanted something signed.  Alan came within 2 people of us but didn't make it....we were wayyyyy over on the right and he had been signing a long time.  I felt bad for her, but her grandmom is a fan club member so she is going to send Alan the picture to sign.  After the show, Danny came out. I asked him about Alan forgetting him and then asked him if he'd give me the water jug.  He did!!!! This one HAD a blue cap on it so I could get it safely home and give it to Rachel.  We also got a playlist, which listed "French Fries" on it, even though he didn't sing it.   After the show, we walked to the parking lot.  It was jammed......really jammed.  We decided, what better than to play some Alan Jackson music while we waited.  We played Chattahoochee really loud and I ended up teaching people in the parking lot how to do the 38-step....an impromptu dance lesson.  We were line dancing out there in the parking lot for about an hour to Alan Jackson music until we could finally move the cars.  But without kids there, there was no stress.....just a good way to end the night!

The next morning we went on the beach in Va Beach.  The water was a cool 56 degrees......brrrrrrr........but I went in anyway.  Took me almost ½ hour to get totally in, but once I was in, WOW, it was incredible.  I grew up going to the Jersey shore every summer because my Grandmom had a house there and it made me feel like a young girl
again.  Paul and I had our first date at that beach in Margate NJ and he called me a "fish" cause I wouldn't come out of the water.   It was so wonderful that day in Va Beach I ALMOST didn't want to leave to drive to Raleigh for the next show.  But boy am I glad we did!!

Onto Raleigh.....It was a long drive and a few times I kept thinking.... is all this driving really worth it???   I had recently done the drive to Pittsburgh and Richmond and was already missing the Atlantic Ocean.  But Paul had a feeling this show would be worth the ride.  And it was.  
First off Martina added my favorite song back into her show.  She sang Where Would You Be.....a very powerful ballad.  I guess her throat is finally feeling better enough to sing it again.
When Alan came out he was wearing a RED shirt!!!  The curtains parted and there he was. The shirt is a duplicate of the blue one, just RED in color.  He really looks good in red, ladies!!!!    He started with his usual Gone Country..  But then, up next was.......... MERCURY BLUES!   What you say???  MERCURY BLUES???  Is the concert over already?  I can't remember the last time it wasn't Alan's encore song.  Maybe way back when Matt was a baby at the Delaware State Fair when LeeAnn Rhymes opened for Alan..... He may have closed with Chattahoochee or Who's Cheatin Who??  But Mercury Blues as the second song???   I LOVE this song, and because its always his closer, you really don't get to hear the whole thing as he is so busy signing.  It was great to hear it from start to finish with no interruptions.  Alan looked a little lost up there for a minute ....like what do I do if I am not signing.  Playing this song 2nd was a real inspiration though.  The crowd was so into it.  I have never been to a show where people were this pumped up.  The atmosphere and the crowds were the best I've ever seen.  It stayed that way the whole entire show.  So now the question is, what will he close with?   No time to think about that because next up Alan says something like  "Here's an old one I want to pull out"  and he sings CHASIN THAT NEON RAINBOW!!!!   Oh my gosh!!!!   We so rarely hear this in concert anymore.  I was SCREAMING.  Do you think he read my post a couple weeks ago about putting your favorite song in a "bin" and maybe someone will get lucky and hear their song???   Wow.....I felt like I had already died and gone to heaven and the show was just starting!!!!!!!!!    We were sitting in section 1 on the side.  It was a real difficult angle to the stage.  We actually were the second row in that section even though it said row 5, but at a really odd angle.  Alan walked over to our side of the stage at one point and flicked a pick towards us right at Paul.   He caught it!!!!  We also were sitting near 2 cute little girls.  One was her celebrating her birthday.  We talked with her before Alan came out about Little Bitty. Can you tell we were missing Rachel???  The second the song came on, I yelled to pick her up. Her grandmom held her way up high and she made it to the big screen.  Two times!!!  They couldn't stop thanking us.   Another thing I wanted to note is that they were letting anyone with little kids up to the stage.  Alan always seems to take time out for the little children.  One little girl came up to the stage in the middle of the show with a flower.  Alan walked over, bent down, and handed her a pick.  Then he kept pointing at her and saying he wanted the flower.  Finally she gave it to him and he held onto it for the rest of the song.  Alan did sing a new song this night....he said it was kindof a serious song......... I knew from other people's posts that it was the french fries song.  It was really cute and shows his humorous side.  Still we are wondering what the closing song will be. This time when Alan announces the band he jokes about forgetting someone last night.  He did not sing Blues Man either which was not the norm.  But maybe he just wanted to keep the place rocking because it surely was!!!!! Again I have to repeat that this crowd was probably the best I have ever seen. Finally (all too soon really),  Where I Come From is finishing up and Alan leaves.  When he comes back out, the music is not really recognizable....it sounds like a combo of a lot of songs at first.  Then Alan launches into ANOTHER new song.  Love is Bittersweet.  Only Alan Jackson could come out and debut a new song as his encore song!!!  We just stood and listened to it.....a very good song!!!!!!!  I really liked it alot.  Easy to remember the name because we used to live on Bittersweet Drive.  Overall one of the best shows we have ever seen.  Thanks Alan and the Strayhorns for making our anniversary weekend so special once again!!!
Hope