On Feb. 23, I braved the remaining snow and ice and ventured to my home away from home, Nashville, Tenn., to see my absolute favorite up-and-coming country music act Sam Hunt.
He announced his first headlining tour a few months ago and the closest date to Murray was Knoxville, Tenn., a five-hour drive.
Back when I discovered Sam, barely a soul alive knew who he was besides a small group of fans. He had just put out his first single to country radio and was virtually unknown.
Well, I have a big mouth when it comes to talking about something I really love, and I talked my head off about Sam on every form of social media.
Almost a year later, he’s on the fast track to being country music’s newest superstar. I give myself a lot of credit for that. I have very few friends who don’t know every word to his songs “Ex To See” or his newest single, “Take Your Time.”
Anyway, back to Monday. I left for Nashville about noon and spent the majority of the day in the office of my good friend who just got hired at Broken Bow Records on Music Row. It was such a cool experience considering she is only 19 years old and working at such a high-profile label.
By the time I got to the show, there were so many more people than I could have expected there for Sam. It was such a “proud mom” moment for me.
While the venue, The Listening Room Cafe, isn’t big, it was packed shoulder to shoulder with excited fans.
The opening acts included Old Dominion, who will be in Murray next month. Then it was finally time for the act we were all waiting for.
Not only did Sam sing his original songs, he also performed a medley of 1990s cover songs including Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name.” That might have been the best part of the night.
While I didn’t get to meet Sam again after the show — he dipped out pretty quickly — it was still such an incredible experience because of the time I spent with good friends listening to such good music. I wouldn’t trade these small, intimate, pre-superstardom concerts for the world, and I know one day I will tell my grandchildren about the time I saw Sam Hunt play for 300 people instead of a stadium full.
Column by Breanna Sill, Features Editor