On Friday, Cara and I went to the Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts concert at Thomson-Boling Arena (where we'll watch our #11 Zags battle the Vols in a few short months!!). We got all "gussied up" as Cara would call it and headed to the concert which started at 8pm. Of course, we left at about 7:45 figuring traffic wouldn't be too bad. We were mistaken. There was a steady stream of last minute concert-goer traffic so we were about 20 minutes late and missed some of Taylor Swift's set. I must admit, she puts on quite a show. Her stage presence is fun - very light-hearted - and her songs are kinda catchy. Some of them are even pretty good -- "Love Story" is my fave. Wow - just now I saw a bit of my manhood disappear in admitting that. I'm sure it's at some bar sipping whiskey, watching sports, and soaking up some classic rock; recovering from the Taylor Swift-ness I just ambushed it with!
Okay, so now that the cat is out of the bag - I'll move on to my review of Rascal Flatts. I like some of their songs - "Here's to You" is one of my all-time favorites. You can bet your britches I danced, rocked and bounced along when they played that one. Otherwise, I spent most of their set thinking about how badly my feet and legs hurt from standing the entire time (we were in the General Admission "Bob Your Head"section. That's either a sign that (a) I'm getting old and crotchety, (b) Rascal Flatts does not put on a great show, or (c) both. I think the answer is (c). The other day at the doctor's office I was writing my age as 26 on all the forms. Clearly, I seem to have forgotten my recent birthday (August 25th) which I share with Sean Connery, Rachel Ray, Regis Philbin, and Elvis Costello among others. Newsflash: I am now 27. I write that more to hammer it into my own head than to broadcast it worldwide. The reality is, 27 is not THAT old.
So, Rascal Flatts must not put on a great show. And that's a fact. I think they are worth seeing once - concerts are a fun experience.
And they do have a few songs that really get the crowd enthused. But, overall their show seemed to be low on energy, a bit fake, and the bad kind of cheesy that leaves a bad taste in your mouth (e.g., not good cheesy - which is something I have made into an art form as is clearly evidenced in the photograph to the right!). Also, Rascal Flatts makes full and blatant use of text messaging during their shows - they must get some serious revenue from the text messaging service they use because they had the whole arena texting. Before the show you could text a message to have it shown on the arena jumbotron and you also had a chance to win backstage passes after the show. Cara and I both texted and neither one of us won, nor did we see our respective messages displayed in the arena. What we did get was enrolled into the Rascal Flatts text message fan club - so we've been receiving sporadic, gimmicky, and annoying text messages from Rascal Flatts telling us about other offers and chances to win tickets. Annoying! About halfway through the show, Joe Don told the concert goers to text him at his special text number for a special gift. Cara did that - and to this day still hasn't received her gift. And if he thinks singing a special song was the special gift, well than I got the special gift too without having to text him...so ummm...yeah. Kinda lame. The icing on the cake? The encore consisted of two songs complete with confetti and balloons. Two songs?!? Balloons and Confetti?!? What kind of a lame-o encore performance is that?? By that point I was just wishing we were in the car headed home. But, don't let my cynicism fool you - Cara and I had fun and I'm glad we went. I just wouldn't do it again for Rascal Flatts. For Taylor Swift? Maybe. Just don't go telling anyone I said that. My manhood has taken enough of a blow with this blog already.On Saturday Cara and I got up and did some serious cleaning and reorganizing to make ready for my old roommate Quinn to stay the night with his fiancee Deborah, who were coming into town for the UT vs Alabama game (which has come to be known as the Third Saturday in October, down here in SEC football country). The two met while in the MAcc (Masters in Accounting) program at UT and are getting married next May 2nd. I am honored to be a groomsmen in their wedding.
On an unrelated note, I'll have to try and get some good pictures of the reorganized house up soon. It looks pretty good. Cara and I are going to try and tackle some interior painting this weekend. She's even started with the blue tape. Wish us luck! And you can count on a few pictures and a blog to keep you updated on that excitement...whoo hoo!
Quinn and Deborah arrived around 4pm with Deb's adorable little Maltipoo, Snuggles. Snuggles and I had quite a bond back in the day, so it was a nice little reunion.
It was awesome to see Quinn and Deborah too! After catching up for a bit at the house, we all headed out to a pre-game tailgate across the river from Neyland Stadium. The evening could not have been nicer! Sipping whiskey and coke, a few cold beers, and eating some delicious bbq with friends and foe alike (Deborah is a huge Alabama fan...grrr!!) was the perfect way to prepare for the big game. And for Cara, it was her first experience with Tennessee footbal. See Cara's take on the game in her earlier blog. As the game drew near, we got in line for the water taxi that would ferry us across the river for the game. Due in part to misjudgment by us and conservative passenger limits (only 19 people at a time, no ifs, ands, or buts!), we waited for 45 minutes to board the water ferry. 
The game started to the roar of the crowd. We waited. But, we didn't let the wait dampen our spirits. Cara and I kept each other warm and the the evening was too perfect to be stressed. 
When we finally did board the water ferry to head across the river, it was really starting to get cold and Cara and I were both excited to get into the stadium for some SEC football! The water taxi ride was brief and afforded us an awesome view of the Henley Street bridge, which they had all lit up in orange and white for the big game. All in all, a pretty impressive sight, wouldn't you say? The view from our seats wasn't bad either. Well...unless you count the way the Vols played. They got manhandled by the visiting Crimson Tide, much to the satisfaction of the houndstooth cap wearing, cigar smoking Alabama fans in front of us. The final score: Alabama 29, Tennessee 9. BOOO!!! Behold a photo montage of the game (the stadium, the 'Bama fans, the halftime show, and a picture of Cara and I - blog storyline follows below):
As the closing seconds ticked off the clock, Cara and I had the distinct honor of hearing firsthand one of the more hated traditions in all college football - the dreaded Rammer Jammer cheer. That video is from the game. I did not shoot it. But, you can tell how loud and boisterous the visiting 'Bama fans are. There were quite a few of them still there celebrating as the dejected Tennessee fans streamed from the stadium. I can tell you one thing -- I will ALWAYS root against Alabama after hearing the Rammer Jammer in Neyland Stadium. Go Vols! "It's great to be a Tennessee Vol!" After the game, we all hit Cool Beans (a local watering hole) for a few drinks and then headed home, thoroughly wiped out from an eventful day.
Cara and I woke up the next morning and had brunch with my buddy Adam and his wife, Katie. We went to the Crown and Goose and the food was awesome. The mimosas weren't too bad either. Or, are they called molasses? Marmelade? Adam couldn't seem to get it right. We all had a great time visiting and were sad to see the time come for Adam and Katie to head back to their cabin (they were staying in the Smokies for their one year wedding anniversary). Overall, Cara and I had an incredible weekend. My fantasy football team (Westbrook's Walking Wounded) even managed to pull out a big victory and the high score for the week, which was a big step in securing my team a trip to the Fantasy FB playoffs. On that note, I've ranted, rambled, and raved for far too long by now. It's time for me to get back to course prep. I'm taking the afternoon at home to get some errands done around the house and also to get some research done! Wish me luck!!
