Wednesday, November 16, 2011

If you drink, don't drive, do the Watermelon Crawl!

Who is your favorite singer?

Now? I seriously couldn't tell you. What and who I like to listen to changes all the time. But here's a sampling of who is on that list:

Brian Stokes Mitchell
Norbert Leo Butz
Matt Nathanson
My dad
My uncle
Nathan Pacheco
Tori Amos
Mary Fahl
Audra McDonald

As a kid? Tracy Byrd

Tracy Byrd is a country singer from my same town in Texas - Beaumont. We actually lived in the same apartment complex when my family moved there and he was an up and coming local singer, just starting to make it nationwide. I think we heard him for the first time at a March of Dimes WalkAmerica event.

One day, when I was probably nine or ten, my best friend Chantal and I had been tasked with throwing out some old magazines and a tree that had died. We got the magazines into the dumpster just fine, but as two little girls, we were having some trouble with the tree, since it was about the same height as we were. As we were pondering what to do, we spotted a man walking his dogs in the courtyard and decided to ask him for help. He agreed, as long as we'd watch his dogs.

While he was gone, I mentioned that he looked like Tracy Byrd. Chantal insisted that I ask when he got back. So I did.

Me: You look a lot like Tracy Byrd.

Tracy Byrd: That's because I am.

*fangirl SQUEE!*

We ran home and told everyone who would listen. Sisterpants insists that she was there. I honestly don't remember that, but it's possible.

When I was 12 or so, my mom and I went to his concert at the Beaumont Civic Center. The ticket was $15 and I'm pretty sure I had to earn that money myself. It was a great concert!

When I was 18, I was working lunch at Durango Grill in Orem, Utah, and, for some reason, recounting the story of the tree and Tracy Byrd to my coworker.

Coworker: You know he's playing in Kamas tonight, right?

Me: WHAT!?!?

And then I called my mother immediately. We canceled whatever plans we had that night and she dug out my old concert tee from his Watermelon Crawl concert tour (incidentally, not the one we saw, but it was cheaper than the current one when I was 12). Mom picked me up after my shift and we drove up to Kamas.

If possible, this concert was even better. There was a much smaller crowd (it was Kamas and past his heyday, after all), so I got to be right up next to the stage. (Mom was a little farther back, in a lawn chair.) He actually noticed my Watermelon Crawl tee and, from stage, asked me where I got it.

Me: Beaumont, Texas!

Tracy Byrd: What are you doing up here!?

Me: Dad's job moved us.

*fangirl SQUEE!!*

A little later, he was actually signing things, on stage, that people were handing him - beer cozies, napkins, tickets, whatever. I had nothing on me like that, so I became that girl that took off her shirt and handed it to the handsome country singer to sign.

*fangirl SQUEE!!*

Don't worry, I had a tank top on underneath.

It was one of the best nights of my life.

To this day, I still love him. I turned on my Tracy Byrd playlist to write this post, and, in one format or another, I think I own everything (or almost everything) he's ever produced.

This is one of his two biggest hits:

*swoon*

4 comments:

Giggles said...

I've been to three popular concerts in my life, and all of them country and none of them anywhere as close to your experience.

Your list today shares several on mine as well.

watsit2u said...

Love him, but my favorite is Clay Walker, also from Beaumont, Texas!! I would give about anything to meet him in person! Awesome post, RTing right now! :)

AmandaStretch said...

Thanks, Rebecca! Clay Walker IS pretty great. :)

Emily said...

Oh goodness- I was SOOO there! When will you ever believe me?!