Brad Paisley’s “American Saturday Night” Tour- Tampa, FL

Before the show, I had the opportunity to attend both Jimmy Wayne and Dierks Bentley’s meet and greet sessions. Both Wayne and Bentley were super nice (as always!).

Jimmy Wayne was first to hit the stage. I honestly didn’t know what to expect from his live show because I haven’t seen him in concert in quite a few years. I have to admit, I was really impressed!

Wayne performed his hits such as “Do You Believe Me Now” and “Stay Gone” as well as his new single, “Sara Smile.” He also mixed in a few fun, upbeat songs to get fans on their feet.

Wayne’s infectious personality really shined through toward the end of his set when he pulled out a series of homemade signs that began with the word “clap” to get the crowd to interact. Everyone burst into laughter when he showed the final sign that read, “[clap] if you remotely know who the hell I am.”

Dierks Bentley was up next. He hit the stage with “Sideways,” which got everyone on their feet. Bentley went on to sing hit after hit including “Feel That Fire,” “What Was I Thinkin’,” “Settle For A Slowdown,” and “Come A Little Closer.”

I absolutely love watching Dierks perform! His high-energy set kept everyone up and singing along the entire time he was on stage. One of my favorite things about Dierks is how he interacts with the crowd. At a few different points during his set, he handed the mic over to fans. At one point, he literally sat down and had a conversation with a fan from the stage. You know that’s a moment she’ll NEVER forget.

Bentley is at the point in his career where he could quite possibly fill large venues like this on his own and from the way the crowd responded to his music, I have a feeling that many of them were just about as excited about seeing Dierks as they were for Paisley.

When the lights went down Brad Paisley walked on stage, picked up his guitar, and started singing an acoustic version of the No.1 hit “Start A Band.” There was no video behind him, no flashing lights…just him, his guitar, and a mic. Toward the end of the song, the lights and video came on and his band joined him on stage. It was a really cool opening. I like that he brought along the Grand Ole Opry style mic too- it was a nice touch.

I know it’s pretty much a country music sin, but I haven’t seen Brad’s headlining show since the summer of 2007, so I was definitely excited for the concert. He was 10X better than I remember. You really don’t realize how many awesome songs he has until you see him live.

One of my favorite moments of the night was when Paisley sang “When I Get Where I’m Going.” He paid tribute to celebrities that have died over the past few years by playing a video montage during the song that showed photos of actors and actresses, political figures, and singers.

We all know that Paisley is known for his great sense of humor…fans definitely got a taste of that during the show. The background videos that played during songs such as “Online,” “Celebrity,” and “Catch All The Fish” were down right hilarious. I don’t wanna give too much away, but let’s just say the celebrity cameos were awesome!

It still amazes me that Brad has yet to win the coveted Entertainer Of The Year award. He puts on an awesome show and definitely deserves the recognition for it.

Also, kudos to Paisley for giving fans their money’s worth. Great lineup. Awesome show.

**Special thanks to Crissy, our “official photographer”- She used our photo pass to take these awesome shots for us!**