Fan Fair Extraordinaire? Or Not!?
Just by the title of this article, I feel like Andy Rooney from
60 minutes. I grew up watching him with my Grandma, although he
looks just the same as he did when I was 3. So last night, when
I turned the on the TV and he was there, I thought I would watch
him to bring my Grandmother closer to me. Low and behold, he
began talking about the packaging and marketing of items, and
how companies, even software companies, have more hype then
product. And judging by Fan Fair, I would have to agree with
him.
This was my first Fan Fair, so maybe I should give it a few
years, but I also got the pulse of the situation from other Fan
Fair attendee's, the tried and true dedicated fans of Fan Fair.
So let me start at the beginning. Being a novice Fan Fair
attendee, I did all of the wrong things. I didn't make
reservations, and I didn't purchase tickets ahead of time. When
I arrived at the airport, there was a woman waiting for me with
a sign that had my name on it. (One of the perks of being part
of Fan Fair I guess, but trust me, one of the very few! And I am
smiling at that!) I arrived at my dear friend's house and
started to unpack. The next day would be a busy one with the
baseball game and some interviews.
When the next day arrived, Nashville was hit by a major thunder
and lightening storm and when calling to rent a car, there were
none available. My first lesson at Fan Fair, reserve a car! So I
would be stuck hitching rides with friends or relying on taxi's
that are very cost prohibitive! The problem was that we couldn't
get to the baseball game. All the taxi's were taking forever and
had to be called many times and they still did not show. The one
person that was nice enough to come get us didn't want to head
in that direction because of the storm. Okay, then I would head
to the Indie fest that had already begun.
When I arrived at the Indie Fest I met up with some friends from
my last European tour and saw Jack Green and Ernie Ashworth,
Grand Ole Opry Stars and true stars they are. You really should
go check them out at the Grand Ole Opry whenever they are on! I
already knew Ernie from touring last year. The Indies' played
their hearts out, Sean O'Brien being one of the best I have seen
in a long time. What a crooner, and someone else whose show you
must check out if he plays in your town! You won't be
disappointed! And women, he's a doll! BUT keep your lips for
screaming when he sings only, because he is married to a very
lovely and sweet wife. The Indies' were backed by some of
Nashville's finest musicians; Bess Travers who played bass was
awesome! "The Nashville Players" were there and incredible. Then
I was told by someone at Indie fest who was working there, that
the Grand Ole Opry Stars who were supposed to be playing at the
Indie Fest, all 22 of them, were told they could not play there.
I won't go into the reason's why, but when the crowd found out,
they were disappointed! Stella Parton graced the Indie Fest
stage as well as Bobby G. Rice.
After the show, a bunch of us headed down to the famous
restaurant, Houston's. While the prices were expensive, it was
worth every single bite! The food was fabulous and I would
recommend anyone visiting Nashville to give it a try! While we
were waiting, I ran into Jamie O'Neil and Neil McCoy (a true
cowboy at heart). Neil was very casual and friendly. I thought
wow, this is the beginning of what I expected at Fan Fair, the
fans, meeting the stars and Fan Fair hadn't really begun yet!
After Houston's, we headed down to Broadway, and for those of
you not familiar with Nashville, this is where you will find it
all. The Ryman is less then a