Finally!! My Kenny trip post! It seems like forever since this trip happened!
When I got email that I had been accepted as someone to come to the Invitation Only show I was shocked, and flattered, but mostly shocked. It seemed like one of those things where you send in your information knowing there's no way in hell you're actually going to get picked. Except I got picked! And was crazy enough to rearrange my life for a week in order to attend! There were some rules and a dress code that I had to get a new dress to abide by, but I didn't care. I was seeing Kenny again!
So I got the email on Thursday that I was accepted and then had to frantically search for a dress, rent a car, pack for all of us to go to Hutchinson for Matt's high school reunion and pack for myself to leave from there to drive to Nashville on Sunday.
I picked up my mom (who knows this is insane and is going along anyways...) and we headed east. We got to Marion, IL on Sunday night then drove to Franklin, TN on Monday morning. We got there in just enough time to eat lunch, check out the place I was heading to that night and buy new shoes. Perfect.
When I got to The Factory (where this was being held) there were only about 15 people there. And I was running a few minutes late! Turns out there were less than 100 people attending! I got checked in and got my stamp to be admitted. (Like a groupie stamp instead of a tramp stamp.) You were seated based on looks and what you were wearing basically. They moved everyone around a few times but I scored a spot about 8 feet from Kenny so I was VERY happy.
It took a good hour of set-up before he even came out. It was a good way to get people to interact though because none of us knew anybody there. Kenny came out and sang a few songs with just a back-up guitar (Clayton) and the keyboard (Wyatt). It was a mostly acoustic show and it was amazing to see him so relaxed and happy. We got through all the "set" songs and questions and then repeated a few that he didn't like or the production company didn't like. In the meantime, he told lots of good stories and we all got a chance to chat with him and tell him about ourselves and where we came from. We talked about our favorite concerts, the ones we all remember, our favorite songs, his favorite songs, weird things that we've all seen over the years and just random stuff. Clayton and Wyatt joked around with everyone while Kenny was getting make-up redone and it was just like a bunch of friends sitting down to hang out. They ended up kicking us all out because they had to re-set the stage for the next night. We might have all stayed all night if they'd let us.
It was a once in a lifetime chance that I'm so thankful I was able to have. I've been very fortunate to have seen Kenny 3 times this year during his 'time off' and I know most of his fans weren't that fortunate. I know most people don't get it, but his music and concerts are a big part of my life. Being able to tell him how much I love 'I Go Back' simply because of that Dallas concert where we all stood in the pouring rain with him is something most fans don't get the opportunity to do. We were all able to share our stories of how he has affected our lives and he seemed genuinely touched that he means so much to us. I have a lot of respect for him and what he does and I'll keep going back and doing these crazy things just to be able to experience it all with him and the other fans year after year. Every song I have heard off the new album is fantastic and I think it could possibly be his best yet! I can't wait to be back out there next summer touring the country with Kenny!
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