Shine All Night

As a Christmas gift Chris, Melody and children gave me a ticket to the 'Shine All Night Tour' featuring Trace Adkins and Martina McBride. Melody remembered that attending a Martina concert was on my Bucket List. I'm glad that she has a good memory. Melody and her friend Kate are fans of Trace so this was a win~win ~win concert. We went early so we could eat at this really wonderful Italian restaurant, Buca di Beppo before the concert. They serve the food family style in large bowls that you fill your plate from. The food was delicious and abundant.

Trace's performance was really outstanding. Our tickets were for the 3rd row center. The only way that our seating could have been better would be if it was right on the stage. The stage was high enough that if we had sat any closer I wouldn't have been able to see. Did I mention once that I am not short, but we'll just say that I am Fun Sized. Even in the third row we were up close and almost personal.

There was a group in front of us on the first row that spent pretty much all of the performance on their feet. I don't know what they were saying, but at one point between songs Trace asked them if they realized they weren't watching television, because he could hear what they were saying..... lol

I was quite impressed with Kate and Melody. Not once did I have to restrain them from trying to climb up on the stage and neither of them threw underwear on the stage. There was a little gal about 3 years old that had a poster saying that she wanted a kiss from Trace. Trace had her passed from row to row to the stage and she received her kiss. I know there had to be some envious big girls in that audience.

WOW!! I hardly know where to begin when I write about Martina. She is every bit the person I thought she would be. She was one with her audience...... Not in the least did she act as if she was above any one. It was more than obvious that she has not forgotten where she came from. All of which puts even more meaning to the words of her songs. When she sang 'Love's The Only House' you felt the sincerity of every word. She is just a little bitty thing with a big voice that filled that arena.

At one point Martina sat on the edge of the stage and sang a few songs. Mingling with her audience and being more on an eye to eye level with us. She kept us all amazed and waiting to see what would come next. She disappeared briefly while we were being entertained by her band. Out of the floor of the stage arose a blue crescent moon and there was Martina sitting on it. The moon carried her to the back of the floor seating area to another stage where the moon lowered and Martina stepped onto that stage and sang a few songs for her fans that were seated there.

Did she climb back on the moon and ride it back to the front stage? No, Martina walked among her fans back to the front stage touching hand to hand with all along her way.

I had an amazing night that I will never forget. Thank you Chris, Melody and children for my Christmas gift. Kate and Melody only added to how special the night was for me. Thanks girls, I would go any where with the two of you.

For a little while that night I was able to take my mind from the grieving of my heart over Buddy. Trace gained a new fan that night and my admiration of Martina increased twofold.

May God's blessings rain down on you.......