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| We looked cute even in the heat! |
I was supposed to see Little Big Town in concert a few years ago at Wolf Trap, but my friend ended up needing to leave early, and I didn't want to stay by myself. So I knew I had to get tickets when I saw they were going to perform at MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater. I have made more country friends down here, and I planned to go with two girls I met through Pure Barre. Unfortunately one of them had to cancel, but the other was still game, so we carpooled up to Tampa for the evening.
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| This is a rooster mural at the Barrio Tacos restaurant in Ybor City. |
We didn't want to eat at the venue, so we stopped by Ybor City first. I had been up there once before with my husband (read that blog post here), but she hadn't been up there, and I figured there would be plenty of places for us to choose from for dinner. We ended up going to Barrio Tacos, since we both like Mexican food. And we were in time for happy hour! So I had an orange margarita (very yummy), and the tacos were so stuffed that two was plenty. It was also fun watching wild roosters fly up into a tree across the street. It was built-in entertainment just outside the window! I would definitely go back to this restaurant, so I'm sure the next time I'm in Ybor, I'll suggest it to whomever I'm with.
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| Laura was very happy with our wine! |
After dinner, we had perfect timing to make it to the concert before the music started. My friend wanted wine, but at first it looked like the only options were these tiny cans of wine which she didn't like. We then found the wine bar, but they only sold wine by the bottle. I don't think I've ever seen that at a concert before! For safety reasons, they have to pour the whole bottle into a plastic carafe before you can take it back to your seat. My friend really wanted wine, so we opted for a bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle (which of course is $60 at the venue but $12 at any grocery store) and split it throughout the concert. I had never done that before, but it was kind of fun and certainly refreshing on such a hot day!
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| Image found here |
But onto the concert! The first opener was Carter Faith. Neither of us had heard of her before, but we enjoyed the few songs she sang. She also did an Eagles cover, so that was fun. She's only 25, so I think she could have quite the career ahead of her!
Here are some of her songs:
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| Image found here |
Ashley McBryde was the second opener. I mainly know her song, "One Night Standards" (see the video below), and she has a duet with Carly Pearce called "Never Wanted to Be that Girl" (also below). But I had never seen her live before. She looks great! She's lost a lot of weight (and has added tattoos to her sleeves), and she truly seemed joyful and grateful to be on stage. I love when stars are still so thankful for the opportunity to perform and seem down-to-earth. She also gave shout-outs to all her band members, which I always think is cool. I hope she gets to headline her own tour someday!
This is a sample of her songs:
Never Wanted to Be That Girl (She did not perform this song, but it's a good one!)
Light on in the Kitchen (I love the message telling girls and women to love themselves!)
Brenda Put Your Bra On (There is part of the chorus that makes me think of Garth Brooks' "Papa Loved Mama" song.)
She also covered Don Henley's "Boys of Summer," which was awesome.
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| Image found here |
And Litte Big Town of course was the main act. It's funny: I think I recognize them best by Kimberly Schlapman's big blonde hair, but Karen Fairchild has the better voice (But Kim is by far the fashionista of the group; compare her cute outfit to Karen's Haraguchi-style ensemble in the last photo here.). And the two men in the group, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook, almost feel like back-up singers to the ladies, even though they do lead a few of the songs (but everyone knows the girls' songs better). Even though the band has been together since 1998, I really only know a handful of their songs. But I really like those!
Better Man (written by Taylor Swift!)
Girl Crush (They closed the show with this one, but we left early, so we didn't see them sing it.)
Pontoon (Perfect summer song, especially in Florida!)
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| The four women from the evening did a cover of Jo Dee Messina's "Lesson in Leavin'," which is a great song! |
Laura and I had so much fun, and I think I might have found a go-to buddy for future country music concerts! I'm tempted to go see Lee Brice in Clearwater next month, or maybe Jason Aldean in October at this same venue. We'll see!
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