Nashville review. (Yes, I'm still long-winded.)

[tgee]

I wasn't going to go to this concert. I've never been to Nashville before, and I wasn't even sure how far away from Atlanta it is, but I've been checking Ticketmaster habitually for months now and when I saw those front row seats, I didn't hesitate. I just hit the buy button. I then, of course, let everyone know about it and someone named strandinthewind e-mails me and offers to ride up to Nashville with me. Me being me, I said thank you, but no because I would feel completely weird about driving anywhere with someone I hadn't met or had much contact with online. It took me six years to meet my favorite author and my goddess, remember?

So we get to Nashville early (even earlier than we'd planned because I didn't realize that Nashville is in the central time zone) and walk around, buy souvenirs and eat. I saw a lot of gals in Stevie outfits. We signed up to win an autographed tamborine from one of the radio stations there. (There were three or four radio stations with their posters and vans everywhere for this concert.) Then we once again get wanded by security (oh joy) and the little female guard makes me unzip all of my purse compartments, but somehow still manages to not notice (or care about) my camera. So we go over to the will call window and pick up our FRONT ROW tickets. The girl did a double take and said, "I'm sure you'll enjoy the show!" So we go over to the merchandise counter and I get a t-shirt. Still no tourbooks, and I guess at this point, we're not getting one. Then we go down to our seats. Front row. Front row. OMG. The security guards at this venue wear these cute little waiter looking vests, very non-threatening. I can take 'em. One of them came over and chatted with us for a while and another came up and asked, "Just curious, but how much did you pay for your tickets?" I think he was shocked that I only had to pay sticker price People are filing into the venue and I hear yelling and clapping coming from behind me so I turn around and there is a bride and groom, in full wedding attire, heading down to their seats. They groom acknowledges the applause, but we are all disappointed that they are so far back on the floor.

It's getting close to show time, and I think I get as nervous as Stevie before a concert, but a man comes over and sits next to me and immediately asks me where I'm from. I say Atlanta and he goes, "Are you Tracy?" I'm kicking myself for not lying, but I'm such a bad liar anyway. I say yes, and he tells me he's strandinthewind. And he's the most gregarious, fun person and totally made up for my shy weirdosity. He then introduces me to Livia, who is a totally down to earth, friendly lady who I think thought I was someone else for a minute there

The crickets start and my heart starts pounding. We stand (and most of us in the FRONT ROW didn't sit once). Here they come again. Mick, John, Lindsey and Stevie. The Chain. I can't ever fully appreciate it because I'm always shocked that the band is *right there* in front of me. Then Dreams, and I am again amazed by how much I'm loving it during this tour. Stevie is totally into it for the first time in YEARS. And then Stevie says the "Welcome Nashville, city of country music" thing and I smile. She's so cute. Fashion note, she's wearing her Reeboks from the first note. Lindsey has changed out of his Sanford and Son t-shirt and is wearing one of his fished-out-of-the-laundry-basket white long-sleeved shirts.

Peacekeeper is such a boring song. I don't understand why they chose this one as the lead single. Blah. Lindsey mouthed the bird call thing. I thought that was cute Afterward, someone yelled out that Out of the Cradle was great, and I made sure my love for Red Rover was known.

I *LOVE* Eyes of the World so much. Stevie obviously loves singing on that one, too. She always does the eyes-widening thing as she's singing her parts.

Stevie always goes over to the side of the stage to change into her Rhiannon blouse. I'm like, couldn't they get you a little curtain, Stevie? It's just odd. But then she joins Lindsey on Second Hand News and it's that old Buckingham Nicks magic. You gotta love the bam bams. Stevie obviously does.

Rhiannon was wonderful. Stevie wraps her arms around herself again, and I see shadows of the past fall around her. Never Going Back Again is perfection. I still can't believe Stevie's doing harmony on it and I get to hear it live.

Stevie walks across the stage and pauses to touch Lindsey's arm. I'm not sure if she said anything to him, but it was a sweet moment. Then it's time for Come. Man, oh, man, if you haven't seen it live, you need to find a way to do so. He just goes completely nuts. It's amazing. I can't honestly remember if it's this song where he comes down to our side, but whatever song it was, he gets down on the stage like he's done before and he's *right in front of me* so I go up to him and reach out and touch his arm and then his guitar. Ok, I'm freaking out. I am such a groupie. Oh, complete tangent, but three guys told me I was pretty last night (which almost makes up for the fact no one has complimented me in like, a decade). Strandinthewind was first, but I think he would have said that if I were half-mongoose. This other guy was standing next to me, and just looks over and tells me I'm pretty and chats with me for a few minutes, and when he saw Lindsey COME down and play he was like, 'Man, he's awesome!' He was totally egging me on to groupie-dom.

Landslide was beautiful. Stevie flashed her fingers again, signifying her new senior citizen status. She didn't hold the 'well maybe...' part very long at all, but she sort of lifted her hands up a little like she was telling us to 'take it' and rushed into the end of the song. She totally needs to milk it. We so wanna go there with her. They hugged at the end. I didn't have a very good vantage point for it, but I know there was no mouth-to-mouth action

I'm sure my idea of the setlist is completely out of order, but I got so excited when the Big Love curtain was raised behind Lindsey. I love to see him do the song. He was getting ready to introduce it, and there was a problem with the spotlight, and he says, 'Albert (or whatever his name was), we're going to get the lights right eventually, aren't we?' I'm sure I have the quote wrong, but it was funny.

Say Goodbye. Elga is right. I'd come just to see this song. But WHY do the idiots always have to announce themselves during this song!?! It's so beautiful, so quiet, and these girls behind me think it's the perfect opportunity to yell out, 'We love you Stevie!' Neither Lindsey or Stevie reacted, but I just wanted to yell back that Stevie already knows we love her and probably doesn't appreciate the interruption during such a heart-wrenching performance. It's just so rude to do this during LINDSEY's song, especially. Oh, and I think Lindsey had a different intro for the song. I made a mental note to remember whatever it was that he said, but obviously it didn't stick. *smacks forehead*

I actually liked What's the World Coming To more so than I have at any of the other concerts so far. It was probably performed in exactly the same way it has been all tour, but it just seemed to have more of an acoustic opening to the song that I totally enjoyed. And Lindsey gave the spontaneous speech again

Apparently, Stevie stuttered at the beginning of her Beautiful Child intro. I missed it and asked strandinthewind what she said, and he told me she said something like, 'St..st...say something, Stevie!' and then went into her usual, didn't-think-we'd-do-this-live speech.

Gold Dust Woman was a show-stopper. Strandinthewind made sure to point out Stevie's beautiful long red nails. She's still stunning in her gold shawl. She did all her hand motions and spider fingers, but no twirling. But she walked over to the center of the stage and faced Mick's drums and sort of half-leaned in this beautiful pose for a full minute. She's so awesome.

So Afraid moved me again. I think I'm finally becoming a fan of this song. It's hard not to when Lindsey's sweating and straining and breaking guitar strings all over the place. He got so excited he was holding his guitar over his head and I became enamored with his little belly immediately. It then became my mission in life to capture it on film and to gaze at it adoringly whenever it peeked out from under his wrinkled shirt. But yes, he is a little white-y

Silver Springs I had difficulty concentrating on because this photographer who had been running back and forth in the front row kept running in front of me and standing there to take pictures. This is also when the guy who had told me I was pretty earlier decided to ask me out. And I'm so distracted because Silver Springs is one of my favorite songs. I ended up missing most of it, but now I have a date with a guy from Nashville.

Ok. Tusk. Dayum. How can I express it? Lindsey was all over the song and towards the end, he runs over to the amp RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME and puts his leg over it, and I'm looking straight up at Lindsey who is playing the hell out of his guitar and he stays there for a nice long time and I am in awe. Lindsey did the head butting thing with John and starts circling Stevie and she was play-acting like she didn't want any part of it and it was completely and utterly adorable. She wasn't really upset, and it was so fun to see this in person. They are having a ball up there.

Ok. Stand Back is one of Stevie's best live moments this tour, but I couldn't keep my eyes off Lindsey (it's hard when he's RIGHT IN FRONT of you). So I'm singing along to the song and glancing over at Stevie when I finally catch Lindsey's eyes, and he's not near his mic, but he's singing, too. He was half-smiling while singing it with me. And let me just say, he is so awesome to the fans this tour. He singles you out and gives you that moment where he is completely focused on you and no one else. He did this for several of the girls in front of me during all of his songs and he did it during Come with his finger wagging at people. He's doing all he can to make it special for us.

Go Your Own Way. Lindsey was all over the stage, all over the audience, all over his guitar. And he reaches down and takes the hand of the guy next to me and I reach up my hand and he takes it with his left hand. And yes Elga, his hands are soft, it's just the tips that are calloused. I thought his hands would be sweaty, but they weren't. I was going to let go so he could take someone else's hand, but he squeezed my hand a little and I squeezed back and he held it another second or so before letting go. I couldn't believe it. Still can't, but I have witnesses! Of course, he held Livia's hand for a half-hour, but I didn't mind

As the band are making their way back onto the stage, Livia (who had joined us from the second row) points out that Stevie had a sour expression on her face as they walked up, but I didn't see it. I may have gotten a picture of it, if they turn out. World Turning gets better every time. Stevie was *totally* into it. Torri found her way to us during Mick's solo and once again I prove just how blonde I am and start yammering away AGAIN about nothing significant (because no one cares about Mick's stupid drum solo), but I had forgotten that she's taping the show. So I'll be the blithering idiot on yet another recording of a Mac show. I think it took me about five minutes before I remembered, too. I don't know why she doesn't just smack me and tell me to shut the hell up. Anyway, Mick finally goes back behind the drums where he belongs and the rest of World Turning kicks ass. Oh, but Lindsey did sit on the edge of the stage in front of us and acknowledged a few of the fans that were yelling to him.

Don't Stop was fabulous again. They've reinvented the song and I don't hate it anymore. My heart was beating time to the drums because I was right in front of the amp and I think beginning with GYOW things got a lot LOUDER.

Stevie comes out in her pink shawl for Goodbye Baby and I notice (for the first time) Mick's tiny Barbie-doll looking drumset he uses on this song. Stevie sang it beautifully. Big smiles at the end. Lindsey signed someone's CD before leaving the stage.

I was just standing there still grinning like an idiot when a guy who was standing next to me looks at me and asks me if I am the Nashville Idol. I tell him I have no idea what that is (and think to myself that I'm scared to find out) and he tells me I'm pretty. I think I need to move to Nashville.

On the way home, Lightning 100.1 played most of the setlist of the concert. So thanks to them for helping me write down some notes because my memory is shot.