Carrie Underwood Concert, Paradise City?

I got a phone call Tuesday evening from my friend Janet. Her daughter "Burger" and Burgers boyfriend "Suave'" had gotten several free tickets to attend the Carrie Underwood concert at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center (BJCC).

Janet wanted to know if I would go with them. Carrie Underwood is certainly not one that I would pay to go and see-especially as an opening act-and of all places the BJCC, which I swore I would never attend a concert there again. The acoustics in there are beyond horrible. But the tickets were free and I hadn't seen Janet in far to long. It was a date. I had all of 5 minutes to brush my teeth and out the door I went. We loaded into the car: me and Janet, Janet's other daughter and her boyfriend T as well as a friend's daughter and rushed downtown.

We missed the opening act, Jason Michael Carroll . Although, he too was not one I cared nothing about. Honestly I can't even tell you a single song the guy sings. I was that uninterested.

Fortunately, we arrived in between acts. Perfect time to people watch-a favorite past time of mine. And boy, Was there much to see! I often wonder, when attending a concert, where the likes of some of these people come from. Interesting. Of course, I saw the several young girls who certainly changed in the car after leaving their parents house. That is the only explanation for that one. One that needed explanation was the pair of middle aged women wearing what appeared to be their high school majorette costumes. I kid you not. I ask you why, but kid you not. I could go on and on but I am sure that if you have ever attended a concert you know exactly the clientele. It is quite funny.
We found our seats.

We were seated right next to the drunkest guy in the entire place. Fortunately this guy was not obnoxiously drunk, he was quite entertaining there in his own world--oblivious to most of what was going on outside his. This being the concert of Carrie Underwood (I will get back to the drunk momentarily). Carrie Underwood took the stage singing a song that I had never heard. She went on to sing several more tunes to which I was unfamiliar with. True, though, this girl can sing. She has a set of pipes on her. And beauty!!! She is a living barbie doll.

She is achieving all kinds of musical accolades and achievements-most recently her induction into the Grand Ole Opry, but there was a definite something at her concert for me that was lacking. That something? Substance, emotional connection with her songs, and perhaps a bit of seasoning that will only come with experience. Seasoning to give her some grit and something to latch onto that makes her songs more believable. I recall I had this same feeling towards Leann Rimes in her days of a young crooner. Though I still wouldn't go as far to call myself a fan of her's either, I am more appreciative of her now than I was in the early days (it was her song "probably Wouldn't be This Way" that impressed me. Boy emtion seems so raw on that song).

But back to Carrie......The BJCC was cut down to half of it's size using curtains. As Underwood sang her way through such songs as "Wasted,""Some Hearts," "Last Name", and "Jesus, Take the Wheel" I felt as though I wasn't the only one in the audience that perhaps felt the lack of emotional connection. But maybe it was just me. What I did find funny, however, was during the performance of one of her songs, Carrie took a fans cell phone camera and took a photo of herself with it. When she went to return the phone the guy asked for her number. It surprised the singer, who in the middle of the song, quipped, "He just asked for my phone number. I give him props. No one has ever asked for my number in the middle of a performance". The highlight was also the most strange song Carrie played-"Paradise City" by Guns and Roses. I thought it was a strange song choice for a girl, but I give her props for singing it. It was that song and the following song, "Before he Cheats" that brought me outta my seat for a gig.....and then out the door.

Now back to that drunk...

The guy went from sleeping in some portions of the concert (or was he just bored like I was?) to playing a rather uninspirational air guitar to dancing about during songs. Really, he was quite entertaining!! A bit of a worry at one point when he tried to hit on one of our 14 year old girls in tow, but after a bit and a reprimand from a friend of his, he went back to the "music".I got so tickled at the guy and spent far more time watching him than I did Carrie. I laughed so much at him that my side hurt. Everyone in the surrounding sections was just as entertained by him. I love this photo, a perfect demonstration of our night with "HIM" :

I will bet his back hurts today, just like my side does. All in all, I must say, the concert WAS worth the price of admission-FREE. I had a fun time and was great to catch up with my friend Janet and the gang.