Last night, we got to enjoy Nic’s Christmas present, a Brad Paisley concert in Louisville at the Yum! Center. Nic declared this was the best concert she’d been to, though I still have to go with the Bryan Adams concert where my husband proposed to me and Bryan dedicated a song to us and shook our hands. However, the concert last night was pretty awesome.

Opening acts included Danielle Bradbery, winner of The Voice, and Chris Young. Danielle did OK, and I’m sure as she develops and improves, her shows will get better. I’m not sure I’ll ever go out of my way to see her in concert, but if she hits it really big, we can say we saw her. In addition, I’ll say that she’s better than Taylor Swift, who neither Nic nor I like at all. Chris Young, on the other hand, did a really good show. If given the chance, he is someone that I’d be willing to go see again.

This wasn’t the first time we’d seen Brad Paisley. He was Nic’s Christmas present several years ago when we saw him for the first time in Charleston, W.Va. When we saw Brad then, Sugarland (when there were still three of them) was the opening act. We also saw Brad when we went to CMA Fan Fest in Nashville several years ago. Last night’s show in Louisville was definitely a lot better than the first show we saw, not that it was bad, and better than Fan Fest because he didn’t have to share the limelight with so many other people.

We were pretty happy knowing that with seats 1, 2, and 3, we had aisle seats. I’m just claustrophobic enough to not like being in the middle of rows. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that row C was actually the first row off the floor. In front of us was only the rail separating us from the floor. An even better surprise, being in the corner we were in, row C only had three seats. We had our own row! The security guy was chatty with Jimmy. At one point, he came over and pointed out a small, circular stage about 30 feet in front of us, and he told us that at some point, Brad would be coming down to do some of the show from that stage. We noticed steps on the side where we were sitting and eagerly anticipated that he may have to walk right in front of us to get to the stage. Needless to say, he did, and we were very happy about that, especially Nic.

During the show, Brad played a little bit on one guitar, then proceeded to give that guitar to a kid in the pit. Another kid had a sign that said it was his thirteenth birthday and his wish was to play guitar with Brad, who shared the sign and said he would make it happen. For the encore, Brad introduced the newest member of the band, the 13-year-old kid whose birthday wish was granted. Brad took a piece of paper and pen and signed an autograph while on stage. He even took someone’s cell phone, said “Let’s make a video,” and panned it around the crowd and then turned it on himself as he sang the next verse of the song before handing it back to the owner. After the encore, on his last trip around the stage, Brad gave away his hat. And, of course, everybody up there was throwing guitar picks left and right into the crowd. Even with all the other wonderful stuff entertainers do during their shows, it’s little things like these that make a show truly great. Taking the time to make someone’s (or multiple someones) night a special memory really means a lot, not just to the person who gets the great memory, but also to everyone there. When a performer gets too uppity to focus on his or her fans, it’s time for the fans to find someone else to support. Thankfully, Brad’s not there, and Nic and I will surely want to see another of his shows one day.

In addition to the great things already mentioned, Brad just put on a great, energetic show. We were on our feet all night. Since you can’t be on your feet at a concert without moving to the beat of the songs being played, Nic and I got an extra workout in yesterday. Brad also has great effects for his shows which allowed him to showcase other country greats such as Conway Twitty, George Jones, George Strait, Alabama, Charlie Daniels, Johnny Cash, Johnny Paycheck, Hank Williams Jr., Reba McEntire, Tammy Wynette, Andy Griffith, and a lot of others I know I’m forgetting right now. Brad remembers where country music came from and is proud to pay homage to that.

Another thing that was different is that Brad has a DJ. If you’ve been to concerts, you know that the venue plays music while seats are being filled. If there are multiple acts, music is played while the stage is being set up for the next artist. For this show, the DJ played the music and talked to the crowd, which served to keep a high level of energy throughout the evening and provided another nice touch.

All in all, it was a great evening spent with my daughter and my husband. Perhaps the greatest thing about it all is that my 23-year-old daughter isn’t too cool and isn’t embarrassed to go to a concert with her parents. I’m very grateful for my kids and the fact that we can hang out together. I love spending time with my kids, and I’m thrilled that they don’t mind spending time with me as well. If you’re looking for a good, clean evening of entertainment to spend with your country-music-loving child, you won’t go wrong with a Brad Paisley concert.