Concert Junkie

2010 (I think I can remember that far back)
April- Carrie Underwood w/ Craig Morgan
June- CMA Music Festival (100+ artists)
August- Tim McGraw*
October- Miranda Lambert & Eric Church
October- Carrie Underwood w/ Billy Currington


2011
June- CMA Music Festival (100+ artists)
June- Grand Ole Opry (Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker, Jerrod Nieman, Oak Ridge Boys, Little Jimmy Dickens)
June- CMT Music Awards (multiple artists)
Oct- Steel Magnolia at the NC State Fair
Nov- Lady Antebellum w/Eden's Edge


2012
Jan- Winter Jam (Group 1 Crew, Building 429, For King & Country, Dara Maclean, Peter Furler, Sanctus Real, Newsong, Skillet, Kari Jobe)
Feb- Wynton Marsalis --thanks sis!
Feb- Aretha Franklin--thanks sis!
March- Casting Crowns (w/Matthew West)
March- Elton John
April- Martina McBride
April- Kat Country Jam for St. Jude's Hospital (Lauren Alaina, Hunter Hayes, Kelli Pickler, Craig Morgan) http://www.wkktfm.com/pages/969thekat.html?article=10072522
April- Sugarland (w/Dave Stewart)**
May- Esperanza Spaulding
May- Chris Young
June- CMA Music Festival in Nashville (100+ artists; you can see who was there this summer http://lineup.cmaworld.com/)
June- Grand Ole Opry (Carrie Underwood, Love & Theft, Easton Corbin, Kip Moore, Little Jimmy Dickens)
June- Gavin DeGraw & Colbie Caillat
June- Martina McBride (not a typo, I saw her again. This time with opener David Nail)
July- Toby Keith**
July- Jason Aldean & Luke Bryan**  I'm still pretty ticked about this, but a severe thunderstorm rained us out
Aug- Rascal Flatts & Little Big Town, Eli Young Band, Eden's Edge ** A little less ticked about this, but rain and traffic made me miss this one. No Pontoon for Adwoa :(
Aug- Jason Mraz (w/Christina Perri)
Aug- Brad Paisley (w/Easton Corbin & The Band Perry)**
Sept- Kelly Clarkson & The Fray
Sept- Hillsong Live
Oct- Randy Travis (w/Randy Montana)
Oct- Scotty McCreery @NC State Fair
Oct- Jake Owen @NC State Fair
Oct- QDR Halloween Harvest Ball (Craig Morgan, Rodney Atkins, Lauren Alaina, Parmalee)
Nov- Carrie Underwood*
Nov- Dustin Lynch and Lost Trailers
Nov- Carrie Underwood (I won tickets on the radio!!! and 2 meet and greets!!!!!!)
Nov- Opry at the Ryman (Vince Gill, Mike Snider, Jim Ed Brown, Bill Anderson, Riders in the Sky, Kathy Mattea, Little Jimmy Dickens, The Grascals, Jimmy C. Newman, The Time Jumpers)
Nov- Kat Country Jam (Martina McBride, Gary Allen, Brantley Gilbert, Jana Kramer)
Nov- QDR Country for Kids (Lee Brice, Josh Thompson, Scotty McCreery, Gloriana, Jason Michael Carrol, and Kix Brooks)
Nov- Songwriters Night (Tim Nichols, Ben Hayslip, Deric Ruttan, Rodney Clawson, Marv Green, and Jimmy Yeary)
Dec- Martina McBride (I won tickets and a meet & greet for her Joy of Christmas show!!!!)


I didn't realize until March 2012 that I'd either seen or planned to see a concert each month during that year. Once I got started it's like shows were coming to town every week. The list is long so you may not have caught it but I saw Carrie Underwood in concert 4 times (2x in Nashville and 2x in NC) and I saw Martina McBride 5 times in concert (Durham, Nashville, Vienna, Charlotte, Fayetteville). I think "FUN" is an understatement when I reflect on all shows I went to. I'm especially grateful for the friends and family that either volunteered or were drug along to some of these concerts with me.

The Martina show was the most special one for me because it was the icing on the cake. In October I started praying, wow if there is a way for me to meet Martina that would be a miracle, a tremendous gift. I'm not going to get into deep theology right now but there is something to be said for the desires of my heart being fulfilled in such rapid succession. So the short answer to the "HOW" question I got asked a lot in 2012 is that I believed. I believed it could happen and I believe it would happen and I believed that I deserved it (meaning if it could happen for someone else why couldn't it happen for me). That belief prompted action and it made me put myself out there. I always responded to a gift with an expression of gratitude. I sent up a lot of "thank you" prayers last year.

* with my friend Marche. She's gonna kill me for this video but we had a blast (see video below)
**QDR Summer Concert Series. Manders and I hung out at the Pavilion all summer long

  

You already know it...

The best is yet to come,

~Adwoa