Great story! It shouldn't be embarrassing for a guy to (admit to) liking Taylor. Taylor is a
real man (unlike some in popular music today who shall remain nameless
) and we are all perfect examples of Taylor Hicks fans who up until knowing him, had great taste in music for years/decades! We know real talent! Why does he still get bashed after having won AI and receiving the most votes ever?
A bit off topic but why the hell is someone like Perez Hilton such a popular celeb? It says a lot about pop culture and how lame things have gotten!
Good points Andrea. Im soooooo sick of hearing that so and so should have won. The talent is obvious to all of us. Im sure Taylor got many new fans that nite. Get down with yer bad self Taylor.
MB
Today's pop culture baffles me.
I'm sure Taylor made quite a few more fans that night. Judging by how big a crowd was still there at the end, I doubt many (if any) people left during the show.
Hi mak,
Glad we ran into you before the concert. Saw you and hubby at the Poverty Neck Hillbillies show - we were over under the trees so I could stand up and move. Was going to catch up with you after the show to see what you thought of them but you had already left.
So - - what did you think ? ?
I bought a CD more out of support than anything else but did enjoy their music even most of the fiddle and that is saying a LOT coming from me ! ! ! The keyboard player was very talkative and was glad to hear they had won over someone not so big on country music. Told him it was probably because a couple of numbers made me think of Gov't Mule and he loved that !
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I doubt many (if any) people left during the show.
My hubby and cousin were sitting about a third of the way back and said 4 people in front of them left after the third song saying it was too "noisy" and certainly wasn't anything like American Idol.
Maybe Taylor should have a T-shirt that along the lines of the Oldsmobile ad
"This is Not your American Idol Taylor Hicks! " 
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It was fun talking to a young guy who sounded so much like "us" when speaking about how Taylor's music touches him. (I'm quite certain he wouldn't get the
, though.)
RE: young guys liking Taylor - - - and don't be so sure they don't get "thudding" - they know their own reactions to certain female performers 
Hubby and I stood with a young couple at the Myrtle Beach show - they both liked Taylor's music and he not only got the *thudding* he was actively encouraging the idea - smart guy
Have told this before so a condensed version - Avalon in Boston - noticed and chatted with two mid-twenties guys - were there because they live nearby and go to every show they can - knew nothing about Taylor - asked me questions during show and talked after - told them I wanted the truth and they both said they loved his music and the show - said he was about the best live performer they'd seen and one asked which CD he should get - said IYT because it was the roots, could hear the original Somehow and was the hardest to find
34 year old son and wife have been fans since the beginning - - he gets it and no longer makes fun of it since his and his father's reaction to Toby was duly noted in Hampton Beach - - he seems quite relieved his mom is of the "mother hen" variety though
and am remembering the reports of various signs and T-shirts over the course of the tour - - the guys get it - just not all of them will admit it 
I am sorry this took so long since there are some nice pictures of the NESP that I took. My computer died and I am just up and running - not at full speed, but at leat I can get on the internet. I still don't know if I lost everything, but luckily I have loaded pictures onto photobucket before I crashed. sooooo.
The Big E, West Springfield, MA - September 29, 2007
Now remember, it's a country fair!
and my personal favorite!
Waiting on the line and Stephen comes out to greet the fans:
Soundcheck!
We're in and get up front seats!
The concert was great! The venue held 5,500 people and I would say it was nearly full by concert time. The bleachers were even packed. The weather was perfect and it was magical to see the lit up rides in the back of the stage. There was this torture thing that swung upside down and the people were up there with their heads hanging down screaming. You could see them from the audience. You would think it would be distracting, but somehow it wasn't - it was great!
From the first note of Soulfinger, the crowd was up and dancing and yelling. You could see Taylor was feeding off the energy and just seemed so happy during the performance. The whole band did. They changed a couple of songs on the setlist. Planned setlist:
the actual setlist was:
Give Me Tonight
Heart and Soul (BEHM tag)
Just to Feel That Way
Medicated Goo (scat tags)
My Friend
Young Turks
The Deal
Gonna Move
Soul Thing (Eastbound and Down)
Heaven Knows (What'd I Say tags) Booty shaking!
The Maze (Warm Love, Want Ads, Let's Get It On)
The Right Place
The Runaround (Big Boss Man tags)
Encore: Long Train Running
At the soundcheck, they practiced Don't Let Me Down and I called my friend Sherry in Missouri and let her listen to her favorite song on her own personal cellcert.
Very nice!!!
I kind of like it that you posted this now. Reliving a great memory here!
I see my melon in one of those shots!
