PATTY LOVELESS

Jammin’ in the Country

Review by Brian Woodruff

August 6, 2000 12:00 noon

Butler County Fairgrounds Hamilton, OH

Patty Loveless · Joe Diffie · The Kinleys · Tim Rushlow

. . . Patty’s Set List . . .

Can’t Get Enough

I’m That Kind of Girl

The Lonely Side of Love

A Thousand Times a Day

You Can Feel Bad

He’s the Last Thing on My Mind

Strong Heart

You Don’t Seem to Miss Me

Halfway Down

Here I Am

That’s the Kind of Mood I’m In

Blame it on Your Heart

I Try to Think About Elvis

On Down the Line

This was such a great day. Well, I guess I better start at the beginning.

Around 10:30 I picked Lindsey up. It was raining, so we both were hoping the rain would stop. On the way home, we stopped at McDonald’s and ate some breakfast. When we left McDonald’s, the rain had stopped and the sun was out! We also stopped at Madison Market. While we were walking back out to the car, Lindsey tripped over her own feet, and about fell down! I started laughing. Other people saw her, and looked at her weird! She was so embarrassed!

We hung out at my house for a while. It started raining again, but then stopped. We waited until my mom got home from church around 1:30. Then we left for Jammin’ in the Country around 1:45. It took about a half-hour to get there.

Almost as soon as we got there, it started raining again! Mom and Dad went up to their seats in the grandstands, and me and Lindsey went down to our seats. They gave us “VIP” wristbands, so we could come and go as much as we wanted from our “Gold Seating Section”! It was guarded even! Our seats were so awesome! Fifth row from the stage, center section!

Not long after we sat down, Tim Rushlow, former lead singer from Little Texas, started his half-hour set. He was pretty good. I knew a few of his songs. One of them was “God Blessed Texas with His Own Hand.” About half through his show, it started raining again. They had given us ponchos at the gate, so we put them on! But it didn’t rain long, and when it finished, the sun came out!

After they were done, Tim and the drummer came out and sat in the row right in front of us! His parents were there, so they sat and talked. So that was kinda neat!

After a little bit, Lindsey and I went out to walk around. I bought all my ‘Patty Stuff.’ I bought a T-shirt, a key chain, and an 8x10 picture of her. Then we went back and sat down.

At about 3:45, The Kinleys took the stage. They were really good. They opened with “She Ain’t the Girl For You.” I really like that song. They were on for about an hour.

After their set, Lindsey got something to eat, and we waited for the next show. At about 5:45, Joe Diffie came on. He was good too. He opened with “Pickup Man.” And sang “John Deere Green,” “A Love Bigger Than the Beetles,” “3rd Rock From the Sun,” “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox If I Die,” and others. He finished at about 7:00, and then the stage hands began setting up for “The Main Event!”

I was getting so excited, I just couldn’t wait! I went up to see my parents for a minute. My dad told me he was gonna leave before the last song, to get in the autograph line for us! The weather was great, it was pretty warm, but there was a really nice breeze. The sun had set, and it was starting to get dark.

I went back and sat down. At about 7:20, I saw some of Patty’s band walking around beside the stage, so I knew it was getting close! Then a few minutes after 7:30, the band came on stage. They started the long intro to “Can’t Get Enough!” Then with all the lights on stage bright, Patty came walking on! I couldn’t believe I was watching her, and so close! She was so beautiful and sexy! She wore a sheer blue top, with a dark bra underneath. She also wore dark blue jeans, rolled up once at the bottom, and black sandals.

Most people stood up when she first came out. As soon as she started singing I just couldn’t believe it! We were so close, we could see her so good! About half through the first song, everyone but me and another guy, sat down! Lindsey sat down because she didn’t want people to think she was weird. But I was dead to the world! I didn’t take my eyes off Patty the whole time. And all the standing and everything paid off, she looked right at me at least twice and smiled her big ‘Patty smile’! Eye contact with Patty Loveless!!!!

After the first song, she went right into “I’m That Kind of Girl.” During this song, I walked down to the fence in front of the stage to get some really good pictures! Oh wow, she was so good!

After “Girl,” Patty started talking to us. She said “Okay, now we’re gonna take you back a few years to 1988, and do one from the ‘Honky Tonk Angel’ album. Maybe you might know it!” I thought maybe it would be “Chains,” but it was “Lonely Side of Love.” But I really like that song too!

Then Patty sang “A Thousand Times a Day,” and “You Can Feel Bad.” I love her live version of “You Can Feel Bad.” It’s faster than the original, and is just really cool.

After those, Patty talked about her new CD, and said “So we’re gonna preview a few of the new songs for you.” They played “He’s the Last Thing on My Mind,” and “Strong Heart,” the title cut. They were both really good songs.

Then Patty said how much she likes George Jones, how he made “this next song great, and it’s still one of my favorites.” And with that, she went into “You Don’t Seem to Miss Me.” Her guitarist sang George’s part, and did good on it too.

Next Patty started introducing part of her band. After she introduced Tom Britts, on guitar, he started playing a rocking intro to “Halfway Down.” This song was so cool. It was more of a rock and roll, wilder version than on the CD.

Then she finished introducing the band. And they started a really long intro to “Here I Am.” It sounded different, and it took me a while to figure out what it was! But she sang it beautifully!

When the band began playing “That’s the Kind of Mood I’m In” I was so happy! Patty sang it so good. I was singing along. And on the “that’s the kinda mood I’m in...” part of the chorus, the had those bright lights shine out on the audience, and I screamed it along with her! That is just such a fun song.

Then they started the intro to “Blame it on Your Heart.” Patty told everyone to get up off their feet (I already was!), and to sing along. And if they didn’t know the words, to make ‘em up! This was such a fun song! Two of the choruses Patty held the mic out for us to sing. I screamed the words at the top of my lungs! Of course, I practically screamed the words to the whole song!

After the song, everyone sat down again, but I stayed up! Then she sang “I Try to Think About Elvis!” I took a picture of her hand motions to the “..the creature from the black lagoon...” line. She makes this little claw thing, it’s neat! This song was especially cool, and here’s why. On the part where she stops on the song, I screamed at the top of my lungs “COME ON PATTY, GET IT TOGETHER!” I was the only one who did it! Everyone started laughing, and Patty looked right at me, and said “Oh yeah? Well, you can BITE ME!” Then she smiled and started laughing! I couldn’t believe that happened!!!! Then she finished the song, and left the stage.

A few minutes later, she came back out. She said “You all have been here all day and you still wanna hear more? Well, it’s like George Jones would say ‘We’ll play until 4 in the morning if you’ll listen!’” Everyone cheered! She was like “Oh, you’re all great. Well, you ready to rock with us again?” Then they went into “On Down the Line.” I love that song, and was so glad she sang it! She thanked us all, and walked off stage. The band kept playing the end of the song. It was so great.

Then we found my mom, and went to find my dad in the autograph line. We switched places with him, and waited to meet Patty! We were waiting in a barn, and it was so hot, sweat was dripping off my face! Lindsey took my “Mood” single to get signed, and I was gonna get the picture signed, and have a picture taken with Patty! After we waited about 15 minutes, a guy came out and said that Patty could only sign for 30 more minutes! When it was about 5 minutes left, we didn’t think we’d get in! Some really nice people in front of us (they remembered me, I was the only one standing up at the show!) asked if we wanted them to get anything signed for us? Lindsey gave them the CD, and I said to have it made out to Brian. They asked if I wanted them to take the picture in too, but I said no, just in case I did get to go in. Then, right before they went in, I asked if she’d take it for me. She did. And they brought the stuff back to me. The picture and CD both said “Hi Brian! Patty Loveless.” And it was actually written by her! That was so nice of those people.

Then the guy came out again, and said that Patty didn’t want to leave anyone standing, so we’d all get to see her! Except, only one autograph each, and no pictures with her, only of her. I asked if I could get a picture with her, since I had nothing else to get signed. They said no. That made me so mad, because posing for a quick picture is a lot faster than signing something. Well, I know if I had asked Patty she would have!

So when we got in the room, I couldn’t believe it! Patty was so hot! So much more than on TV or pictures! I took a picture of her, and she was like “Oh, what?” And then looked up at me and smiled that beautiful “Patty Loveless Smile!” But I had already taken the picture. I said “Thanks a lot Patty, you were so great tonight!” She looked up at me and was like “Oh, thank you SO much!” I can’t believe I met Patty, and talked to her! Even though I didn’t get to say all I had planned on saying, it was still really cool!

This was such an amazing day! I will never EVER forget it!

-bmw 8/7/00