Blown

Friday morning at work I received a company wide email from the owner's assistant, asking if anyone was interested in purchasing some tickets to the Zac Brown Band concert on the next night. My boss bought these tickets and was not going to end up going. I knew that my daughter, Abby, really like this band. I also knew that two of my sisters already had tickets to this show. I gave it some thought.

Popular country music, which is where the general consensus on the Zac Brown Band currently falls, just isn't my bag. Most of today's "country" music is studio created bullshit. No real talent. Tight jeans, fancy haircuts, pretty faces, and the same two songs over and over. I have heard a few of their songs on the radio though, and they seemed to me to have something different and promising. I knew Abby would be thrilled to go and that a daddy-daughter date would be very cool, so I jumped on the tickets. What a great move.

I've been to some great concerts over the years. I saw Paul McCartney while he could still sing. I saw U2 in their prime. I went to an Aerosmith concert and saw some opening band no one had ever heard of at the time, Guns and Roses. I was rendered comfortably numb by Pink Floyd at the Unidome.

This band was real. They don't fit the "country" label at all. I saw southern rock, bluegrass, and AC-DC all together. These were six men, playing six instruments masterfully. So much talent. I was blown away.

I'm a picky music listener. I loathe Top 40 auto tuned photoshopped crap. This was the real deal. I was just hoping for a fun night with my daughter. I got so much more.

I sit here, well after midnight early Sunday morning, smoking a cigar and un-blowing my mind. My wife just landed a sweet job at an awesome facility, ISU beat OSU, Iowa finally won a road game, and tonight I saw an awesome spectacle of pure talent and real-ness. How lucky I am.

Peace-
Matt

(PS - Don't go buy a Zac Brown Band cd and tell me I'm full of shit. Go see them live and then we can talk)