I have had the opportunity to meet new artists/up-and-comers and be one of the first to listen to their new music. I've met icons and some of the greatest artists in the industry. I have gone backstage and on tour buses. I have also been a part of the behind the scenes of radio and concert programming all while promoting and representing Philadelphia's Country Station with great pride and integrity.
Country has been my favorite genre of music for a long time and took over my music collection once I out grew the boy bands of the 90's. I haven't looked back since. The industry represents more than just music. It tells soulful stories and represents a culture. I love everything it stands for.
I am lucky to have been given such great opportunity to work, get to know, and experience country music the way I have.
There are three days that I can pin-point as being my favorite moments of the year: The XTU 28th Anniversary Show, the Rascal Flatts Changed Tour concert, and the day I heard/met a brand new artist play acoustically at the station for the first time. These days were all unique in their own way, but the experiences are something that I'll never forget.
The XTU Anniversary Show: This concert is free to all in attendance. You can't buy tickets to this show. For months prior we hold tickets runs at various establishments, where many people (anywhere from 200-700) show up for a chance to get their ticket to the show. The tickets are given away by the pair in a raffle formation.
The concert has a head-liner and many other artists that perform throughout the day, starting around 2 o'clock. This year performers included: Laura Bell Bundy, Josh Thompson, Eden's Edge, Kix Brooks, Unkle Kracker, Jerrod Niemann, Chris Young, and Miranda Lambert.
On the day of the show I was in charge of pictures at the VIP Tent. All of the station's major sales accounts were there and I took their pictures and put them in souvenir frames. Most of the artists also stopped by the VIP Tent to take pictures with our listeners! This was amazing, because while each of the artists were there I had was able to have lengthy conversations with them and their entourage. Later in the day, Kix Brooks introduced the entire XTU Family to the crowd and they all sang "Happy Anniversary" to us! It was an amazing day and I was thrilled to be a part of it.
When I met Eden's Edge for the second time, they had remembered me and our conversations from the Anniversary Show and greeted me as if we were old friends. They meet lots of people at every show and I couldn't believe they had remembered me, I thought it was so nice of them.
While waiting in line for my meet and greet with Little Big Town, Philip (the blonde guy) kept peeking behind the backdrop for a sip of his drink. He joked with my co-worker and I that we might have slipped something in his drink. They were such a nice and friendly group. I told them how we listened to Pontoon all the time and especially when we were on our boat, they loved it! Later when we saw Philip again backstage as he was getting ready to perform, he joked that he was still awake and that we didn't do a job of roofie-ing him!
After the Meet and Greet with LBT, we were invited on Rascal Flatt's Tour bus. We were literally hanging out with the guys and having conversations like they weren't huge stars. It was so great to be able to interact with them like they're "real" people. We were in the section of the arena where their buses were and families hung out. We saw Joe Don's kids riding around in their toy cars and interacted with his wife. We then got in line for the official meet and greet. We did not have much interaction with them here, but they joked "long time, no see" from just being on the bus with us.
It's experiences and interactions like these that make me even more overjoyed to be a fan. They're so appreciative and take the time to recognize their fans. It definitely does not go unnoticed to us, well, me at least.
This was at least my 7th time seeing Rascal Flatts and every show is better than the last. For the encore they brought everyone in the tour on stage to sing a song together! That was one of my favorite parts! What a wonderful day!
The day I heard/met a brand new artist play acoustically at the station for the first time: Early in my internship Thomas Rhett came to the studio on his radio tour. This is when new artists go to visit and play their music for the Music and Program Directors of the station, hoping they'll play their new music on air. Thomas Rhett played his guitar and sang us a few songs including his first single Something To Do With My Hands, his second single, Beer With Jesus as well as Whatcha Got In That Cup. I instantly fell in love. That experience made me appreciate the new-comers so much more. They realize it's because of radio that their fans hear their music and help them succeed. It's going to be cool to see his career grow because his talent is amazing and he's going to be big time- he's that wonderful! It also doesn't hurt that he's so damn cute! I've seen him perform twice since originally meeting him in February 2012 :)
Visit my Music Review page to read more about my passion for country music
and my reviews of artists/new releases!
**The views presented on this blog are strictly my own and do not
reflect those of my employer or any future employer I may have!**
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