Jason & I spent the holiday weekend in Texas/Oklahoma with friends. While we were there we took advantage of the opportunity to see Kenny Rogers in concert, FREE. Now, you may not be a Kenny Rogers fan. I am. You maybe did not grow up listening to his psychedelia fuzzed rock sound morph into standard country fare. I did.
He sang the hits and I sang right along with him. He told some funny stories, engaged the crowd and was backed by a stellar group of musicians. It was a top-notch entertaining show, but it was not the singing or the entertainment value that made an impression on me. It was something he said early in the show. (I paraphrase:) "There are 4 kinds of people at a Kenny Rogers show; you're either A) a die hard fan, B) not a REAL fan, but you know a few of my songs, C) You don't care one one or the other about me, but you LOVE this shirt, or D) You are counting the minutes until this night is over. If you are anything other than an A, my goal tonight is to move you firmly into that A category."
I've been to my share of live shows. I've seen bands I adore and bands I've never heard of. I've stood in the rain, snow and blazing heat. I've sometimes left an event feeling like I put more effort into it than the performer. It was refreshing to hear Kenny Rogers tell the crowd he was there to WORK to earn their loyalty. He didn't need to work for mine, but the sentiment was much appreciated.
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