I was taking into account all the great performers I had the opportunity to see tonight and the evening wasn't even over with yet there was still Brad Paisley to take the stage and yet I had already seen a star studded show. No wonder this show was getting such great reviews, the level of talent is suppurb. Brad took the stage to deafening roars from the crowd as his video "Online" was playing on the screen behind him. He joked with the crowd saying that they could skip work tomorrow since this was the first night of the fair and we would be up late, because he was going to play as late as they would let him. What a wonderful idea but someone forgot to tell our bosses that, so most of us had to get up early and drag ourselves into work and struggle through another day. The sacrifices we make to hear great music. He continued with "Mud On The Tires." It is always a good song to get the crowd revved up and it did just that. Brad performed a spectacular guitar solo during "She's Everything." The hits kept flowing, the crowd kept cheering and the night just kept getting better and better as he sang one hit after the other. "Celebrity" featured a video clip of different stars and ordinary people singing different parts of the song.
Brad has a wonderful sense of humor and shows different cartoon clips throughout his show however, he also has a softer more sensitve side which became evident when he sang "When I Get Where I'm Going." That song ended with a sign of 35W with the words "08/02/07 In Memory" illuminating the screen. Minnesota fans genuinely appreciated the acknowledgement of the recent tragedy. The band left the stage and Brad took his place on a chair at center stage. He told the crowd, this is the time in the show where the band takes a little break and it's just you and me. He started strumming the first few notes of "We Danced" on his guitar and the crowd got wild again. After he completed that song he told the crowd you may not be Southern, but you sure sound country to me and broke into Alabama's popular song "Dixieland Delight." He would crack up the crowd with the amusing song that only Brad could pull off called "I'm Still A Guy." My husband totally loved that song and found many phrases hysterical. As the band members were backstage goofing around, a video camera was capturing the escapades for all of us to see. Brad would introduce them individually doing silly stuff like playing cards or whatever. Brad's versatility as a performer keeps the crowd guessing what he has in store for us next as he did a complete turn around and sang "Whiskey Lullaby" featuring video performance with Allison Krauss. After the band rejoined Brad on stage they would complete the set with "Ticks" and "Alcohol." People around me were holding up their beer glasses, singing and dancing or at least swaying to the music. Brad left the stage but quickly realized that this crowd was not ready to call it a night so he came back onstage wearing a Minnesota Gopher jersey to the delight of the fans. He broke into "I'm Going To Miss Her" and when he completed that song he asked the crowd, "Are you having fun tonight? Should we keep going?" and finished the party playing "Folsom Prison Blues," Paisley style. All I can say about Brad Paisley's performance is wow, did he deliver the goods. His opening acts were fantastic, his videos were hysterical and his music offers something for everyone.
