What a fantastic night in GA..... Alan headlined the local country station's "Country Fair" last night, along with host Kix Brooks (who thrilled us all with an unplanned acoustic song or two), Jana Cramer, and Clay Walker. it was a perfect, transitioning-to-fall night, and when Alan hit the stage around 9:15pm, the crowd was more than ready. We had seats in the "Fan Pit" on the 2nd row, but someone from Alan's group came out before the show and told us to "move against the stage" when Alan began performing....no problem! Although I can't remember the exact set list, I noted that (a) it was packed with The Hits, and (b) it was different than when I saw Alan perform last Spring. He opened with "Gone Country".....and the best thing about this tune was the great reception he received, and the fact that he walked over to us and handed my 10 year old daughter (who was on my shoulders) a pick and a big "hi there, honey!" She was thrilled. After about 3 songs, Alan and the band took to stools and moved a little quickly through a series of (unfortunately) abbreviated hits.....but it was pretty clear, as he took the time to talk with the crowd, that he wanted to give us all as much as he could. Nearly 90 minutes later, during an encore of "Dixie Highway," my 12 year old son got his encounter.....Alan reached over and took my son's hat off his head, signed it, and handed it back with a big smile. All in all, a magical night...a few drunks here and there, but it only added to the atmosphere! :-) I've only been a fan for a short time (thanks to my son), but strong, reliable, hit-packed performances like the one last night.......and what I can only describe as a true sense that AJ is the real deal.......is keeping me hooked.
My goodness! What a nice review! I'm a new fan, too - only since Thirty Miles West came out. I saw him last week at The Big E and will see him again in a couple of weeks. One of the things I love about AJ is the raport he has with his fans. You can tell it's genuine. When I saw him last week he made a point of thanking all of his fans for supporting his career over all the years. Although, I'm a new fan, I'm sure all the seasoned AJ fans in the audience where appreciative of this nice shout out to them. So glad he took a minute to thrill your children. A little gesture like that will be remembered forever by them, I'm sure.
