Gary Lloyd
It’s time to face the music.
Literally.
Before this spring, I hadn’t been to a live concert in five years. Had it really been that long? Wow. Well, when your first child is born and two months later the COVID-19 pandemic rears its ugly head, time tends to fly.
Anyway, my wife and I decided, after half a decade, to drink the 200-milligram caffeine drinks at 3 p.m., shake off their jitters, drive straight for downtown Birmingham traffic and get in the fray. Twice. In a week. So much for dipping our toes in the water.
First, we attended the March 16 concert at Legacy Arena that featured Dillon Carmichael, Justin Moore and Cody Johnson. Aside from a slowdown on Interstate 59, parking was a breeze. I was shocked by it. We found a restaurant to eat dinner and somehow were seated approximately 17 seconds before a wave of Carhartt-clad folks came rushing in.
As for the concert, it was awesome. Carmichael sang about family and pickin’ up girls. Moore, who we had seen previously at Oak Mountain Amphitheater, rocked, as usual. The man is a storyteller at heart, and I think that’s why I like him so much. Johnson came on stage about the time that I brush my teeth before bed on Saturday night. After a song or two, he said something to the effect of “For the next 90 minutes, we’re going to play authentic country music.”
Authentic country music? Great. Ninety minutes? Come on, Cody, I’m in my mid-30s.
Six days later, we drove I-59 back to Legacy Arena, this time for Zach Bryan. No slowdowns this trip. Parking was easy. We had reservations for the meat sweats at Texas de Brazil. Salad bar? Fries? Rolls? No, no and no. Those appetizers and sides have no home in such a wondrous place.
I bought a beer and bottled water once inside Legacy Arena. I opted for the six-month, interest-free payment plan. By the time you read this, I’ll only have two months left on this payment plan, and I highly advise it.
Bryan, my favorite artist of the last five years, was fantastic. The stage for his concert was placed in the middle of Legacy Arena, and he paced from one corner of the black square to the other so that he sang facing each section of the crowd. Genius. I recorded him playing “Open the Gate,” my son’s favorite song and the second of Bryan’s 25-song set. He played for just over two hours.
After the song “Quittin’ Time,” Bryan and the band exited the stage, disappearing into some dark tunnel. The crowd remained and cheered. It was deafening. A few minutes later, all the band members returned. An encore.
Everyone knew it was coming because Bryan always ends his concerts by playing the song “Revival” for about 12 minutes straight. The chorus is repeated a dozen times, and each band member is called by name and plays his instrument solo.
“We’re having an all-night revival!” Bryan belted, sometime after 11:15 p.m.
It’s an encore unique to Bryan, and I love it. Don’t get me wrong.
The crowd roared. I think I yawned.
Gary Lloyd is the author of six books and a contributing writer to the Cahaba Sun.
