Out Alive...Literally

When I had first thought about writing a blog entry about what happened last week, it was supposed to be about seeing my favorite singer-songwriter for four consecutive shows and how awesome that was going to be. As fate would have it, things changed and I decided to shift my focus a little bit.

First of all, my favorite singer-songwriter is Kris Allen. He is currently out on the Out Alive Tour in support of his most recent album, Thank You Camellia. Exactly one week before the first scheduled tour stop, Kris was involved in a a head-on collision, which led to a broken wrist and surgery. That alone, brought a whole new meaning to the aptly named tour. Being the trooper that he is, Kris refused to postpone or cancel any tour dates and proceeded as scheduled, just days after surgery.

Armed with a cast and a make-shift sling using a scarf, Kris kicked off the tour in Killington, VT on Tuesday, January 8, 2013. I didn’t get to see him on the tour opener in VT, but I did see him the next four nights in Boston, Ridgefield, Philly and NYC and what a treat that was! Boston was awesome because it’s a hometown show for me. The venue was intimate and Kris loved the crowd!

This is where the unexpected twist of events began. When I was on my way to the Ridgefield, CT show, I was rear-ended by another car that forced me into hitting the car in front of me. All I remember was that things in my car went flying, and I was jolted back and back from the impacts. I was in a complete state of shock and disbelief, as I just sat in my car for a few minutes, trying to process everything that just happened. Eventually, the police came and took down everyone’s information and statements. Sadly, my car was not drivable and had to be towed. As if to add insults to injuries, the tow guy locked my car door and took the keys with him to another accident, so I couldn’t even grab my purse or any of my belongings out of my car! All I had with me was my license that the officer had handed back to me, and about $30 that I found in my jacket. Since I was over two hours away from home, and I didn't break anything nor was I bleeding, (just a bruised knee and sore muscles), I figured that I might as go and enjoy the concert instead of going to the emergency room. By that time, my friend had already met up with me at the scene of the accident, so we just took a cab to the venue.

Of course we got to the venue later than had expected. All my friends there embraced me with big hugs, as tears just rolled down my face knowing that I am loved. My friend managed to get us in to see Kris after the fact because we had missed the official meet and greet. Kris could not have been a sweeter guy! He was genuinely worried about me and my well-being. He even offered to give me the Advil I had given him the previous night for his wrist! 

Kris put on an amazing show that night, as he did every night. A special moment of that night, though, was when he dedicated a new song to the people of Newtown, after the recent tragedy. Ridgefield is very close in proximity to Newtown. It was a beautifully, haunting song that simply left people speechless. At the end of the song, everyone stood up with heavy hearts, teary eyes and simply thanked Kris for that! You can see the video of that performance here:

Oh, and I did get checked out by a doctor later that night, so no worries. After dealing with some of the car issues, on to Philly we went. A friend who saw Kris and his tour manager before the show told me that they both asked about me and my knee. It’s always nice to know that someone genuinely cares and asks about you. After Philly, we went to NYC. My cousin and a couple of my best friends joined me for that show. It was at a great venue where we were able to sit back and enjoy a meal with wine during the show. Because this was an artist showcase instead of a regular stop on his tour, Kris had a shorter set than the previous three nights. Shorter set or not, it was still amazing and my friends loved it! It was their first time seeing him live. We got to chat with Kris and his band mates afterwards. Once again, Kris was still worried about me and my knee. We talked about how the soreness sets in a couple days after the accident. I have to say that Kris is exactly who he appears to be – a genuinely nice, humble, down-to-earth, caring and truly talented guy. And I love knowing that he is surrounded by really good people while on tour – Sean Porter (only the best tour manager around!), Cale Mills (guitarist/pianist/long time friend of Kris), Chris Torres (bassist/percussionist), Andrew St. Marie (pianist/bassist/guitarist) and Jordan Dettmer (merch). Special props to Andrew for stepping up on short notice and learning all the songs in under a week since he was not a part of the band before. Such a talented musician! 

I love the fact that World Vision is out on tour with Kris, which allows people the opportunity to make a one-time donation or sponsor a child with monthly donations. The money will help give the child necessities such as food, running water, electricity and the ability to go to school and learn. 

Back to the original reason for this blog…can you actually see a musician live for four nights in a row and still be entertained? The answer is this…YES, if it's a dynamic performer like Kris! In fact, he leaves you wanting more. Each night, Kris brought on a different energy. Plus, he switches things up with a request song of the day. So, if he is bringing the Out Alive Tour to a city near you, I strongly suggest you do yourself a favor and go check him out. I promise that you won’t be sorry!

Despite the car wreck, this has been one of the best experiences of my life. If anything at all, this made for an even more unforgettable road trip for me. I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason. I got to spend some quality time with my cousin and friends, and do some sight-seeing in addition to seeing one of the nicest, talented and under-rated singer-songwriters out there. In the end, we all made it “Out Alive” and that’s all that really matters. Praise God! Oh, and congrats to Kris and his wife, Katy, who are expecting their first child in July!

2012 In Review

Oh wow, 2012 has totally come and gone! And, I just realized some of my blog posts never actually posted. Instead of posting them late now, I'll just recap here real quick. Seriously, 2012 has been an amazing year for me, in terms of adding to my concert experiences! Looking back over my pictures and videos from the year, I think I went to over 30 or 40 concerts/radio events/festivals and met a lot of wonderful artists and friends along the way!

Over the past year, I have driven many miles and even flew to some places for concerts. Some unique experiences include meeting The Fray on their tour bus and having one of their drumsticks thrown right at me after the show, winning a M&G with Lady Antebellum, working the merch table for Rachel Platten and winning a soundcheck experience with Jon McLaughlin. When Lifehouse was in Boston for a radio show, I had someone tweet me that they had an extra ticket to the show and invited me, even though she didn't know me. Thanks to Sarah, I got to stand about 5 feet from Jason Wade for a half hour and then we got to take a picture with them afterwards. That was an exciting day!

I loved all my concert experiences and got to see a couple of my favorite artists multiple times but there were two concerts that were of special significance to me. My sister came with me to both of these concerts. The first one was for Anthem Lights in NH in June. That was a long day for Anthem Lights because they missed their flight due to a ticketing problem, I believe. I wasn't sure if they would make it, but they did. They managed to put on a great show without a proper soundcheck since they got there late. My sister and I got to meet the guys after the show and I told them I was the "gifter" of their acoustic EP (see my previous blog post for that story!) and they couldn't be happier to meet me! They were so appreciative. The reason that night was special was because one of the songs they sang that night was the popular worship song, "Here I Am To Worship." Funny how God works because the very next day, my husband (who is a worship leader at our church) had chosen that very song to be part of that morning's worship set, unbeknownst to me. For the next few weeks, my sister kept telling me how that song was on her mind. She's not Christian and does not listen to Christian music, so that meant a great deal to me.

The second unforgettable concert was The Proof of Your Love Tour with for King & Country, Dara MacLean and Jason Castro. My sister and I drove 3 hours to Maine in November to see them. Heavens to Betsy actually opened with a couple of songs, followed by Dara, fK&C and Jason. Everyone came back out for the final set and my favorite moment was when everyone sang "Hallelujah" with Jason (he sang it when he was on American Idol) and did such a wonderful job! We got to meet and chat with everyone after the show too. On our 3 hour drive back home, we listened to Dara's CD and I could tell that my sister was really enjoying it. I had also bought my sister one of the Priceless necklaces from fK&C, which has an Australian penny as the pendant to signify that women are so much more. I'm proud to say that she's been wearing that necklace ever since! It may not seem like much, but these little things with my sister means a lot to me and I pray that one day, she will believe!

Now, onward to 2013. Looking forward to many more concert experiences and praying for more time for me to write so I can share more often and in a timely manner! Happy concert-going to everyone! Happy New Year!