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| Photo courtesy of Janette Baxa |
Brad Paisley: Worth the Wasted Time
By Pat Denson, 10.06.05
Hollywood, Calif. - Enthusiastic fans moved to the music, singing along with Brad Paisley and his talented band.
“Time Well Wasted” is the title of Brad Paisley’s latest album and concert tour which drew a massive audience at Universal Studio’s Gibson Amphitheatre, on Friday, Sept 30.
The concert was a relaxed, lively performance amidst screen displays of music and animated videos. Décor of paisley, even on the guitars, were the finishing creative touches of Paisley’s concert.
“I chose ‘Time Well Wasted’ as the title of my new album, because it’s the epitome of the whole album,” Paisley said. “I hope somebody will put this in their car and spend as much time as they can listening beginning to end. When they are done listening, there would be nothing more I would wish for than for someone to feel like it was ‘time well wasted,’”
Paisley and his band opened with his arrangement of “The World” complete with colorful strobe lighting and a huge video screen, not surprisingly, showing the world. Soon the crowd was on their feet clapping as Paisley sang “We Danced” and “Wrapped Around.”
Sugarland was the opening band. It was easy to understand why this concert could command such a massive audience-there were many country music fans in California.
Sugarland’s song, “Baby Girl,” struck an endearing note as fans applauded its lyrics “Please mom and dad send money. I need the money to make it through, and make our dreams come true. I love you more than anything in the world. Love your baby girl.”
As Sara Evans sang “We All Want Something More” and “Moma’s Night Out” the audience laughed at the lyrics “While daddy’s doing dishes, it’s momma’s night out.” Evans finished her performance with “I Could Not Ask For More” as she shared video pictures of her family with her admiring fans.
Delighted by their enthusiasm, Paisley told the audience, “I didn’t realize there were so many cowgirls and cowboys in LA.” He cut loose with the song “Me Neither” Later in show he added, “I love playing in LA. You’re awesome every time.”
Greg and Susie, from Simi Valley, Calif., said they loved the concert
“I like the youth and vibrancy of the opening act,” Susie said. Her husband agreed.
“The older country voices of the headliners are great too,” Greg said.
Li Chen, from Santa Monica, Calif., said, “It was a great show. I’d heard Paisley’s songs on the radio, and now I saw them in concert.”
Paisley and the band performed “Celebrity,” a tongue-in-cheek look at U.S. pop culture paired with an amusing video of self-deprecating cameos by William Shatner, “Seinfeld’s” Jason Alexander, and Trista Rehn of “The Bachelorette.”
“Extravagant lifestyles, huge cars, and houses, cause celebrities to lose touch with who they really are, then audiences lose touch with who they really are,” Paisley said.
As Paisley performed his favorite song about his step dad entitled “He Didn’t Have To Be,” the audience clapped in support of the lyrics - “I hope I’m at least half the dad he didn’t have to be.”
As the concert came to an end, the realization hit me that Brad Paisley had accomplished his goal. For most of the crowd and for me, the time spent at the concert was ‘time well wasted.’
