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The country music duo, Sugarland, rocked a sold-out James Brown Arena on Thursday night, June 23. I can honestly say it was one of the best concerts I have ever been to, and Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush were nothing shy of amazing!

The duo sang several of their well-known/award-winning hits including: “Settlin,” “Stay,” “All I Want To Do,” “It Happens,” “Every Day America,” “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” and of course, “Baby Girl,” “for fans who have been there from the beginning,” she said. And the crowd sang along; the energy was high and everyone was having a good time. They also sang songs from their newest album, Incredible Machine: “Stuck Like Glue,” “Tonight,” “Little Miss,” “Shine The Light” and “Every Girl Like Me” are my favorites!

The duo seemed right at home in the Garden City. Nettles even gave a shout-out to local trendsetter and business owner CoCo Rubio, owner of Sky City and Soul Bar. Nettles said she remembers the days before she “hit it big” playing shows at the Soul Bar and drinking $1 PBR specials; a special that is still offered today!

Being born and raised in Douglas, GA, a short drive from Augusta, the crowd was full of her family and friends. Even her high school band director was there; she jokes saying that it was a good thing the “audience hit all their P’s and Q’s.”

It was one of the best shows I have been to in a long time! I cannot wait to see another show at the James Brown Arena when Keith Urban takes the stage on Saturday, August 13 right here in Augusta, GA! Will you be there?

James Brown Arena

601 7th Street
Augusta, GA 30901
(706) 724-2400

http://www.augustaentertainmentcomplex.com

(This is a repost from June 11, 2010.)

The first time I heard about a new event called the ‘Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que’ that was happening on Memorial Day weekend I knew it was going to be great. The name is so original and catchy.  The Banjo-B-Que is all about bluegrass music and barbeque, and so much more! 

How can you beat a Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned barbeque cook off?  There were over 20 teams cooking for days to see who had the best chicken, ribs and pulled pork. As we walked in the gates all we could smell was sweet, sweet meat. A good number of teams cooked enough to be able to sell some of their barbeque for people to try.  I think by the end of the day we tried meat from 3 or 5 different teams, along with boiled peanuts and other culinary delights. I was in heaven!

The promoters of the Banjo-B-Que stated that it was perfect for folks of all ages and they were right.  There were carnival rides and games for kids, and even a petting zoo. 

There was also several food tents with cotton candy, funnel cakes and fried goodies, and for the grownups there were plenty of beer tents, so we were never far from refreshments.

I also got to experience something I never had before…pig races!  Throughout the day they had little piggies running around a miniature racetrack.

I learned that the pigs were in hot pursuit of Oreo cookies.  Seriously, that is what they race for!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHSI7c8pnh4]

They even had a swimming pig.  His name is ‘Swifty’ and apparently he’s a big deal on the pig race circuit.

Another highlight of the day was all the great music.  The lineup was fantastic!  I think the bluegrass musicians we saw were quite talented, and great sports considering that it rained on and off during the last three sets.

We got to see Chatham County Line, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Ricky Skaggs.  Their styles of bluegrass are each a little bit different, but all of them were fantastic!  I was especially excited to see Ricky Skaggs since he is such a legend in the country music world, and he did not disappoint!

Even though it rained a little bit, the whole day was really enjoyable and I can’t wait to see what is in store for next year!

The 2011 Banjo-B-Que  full music schedule for Friday includes: John Popper & the Duskray Troubarours, the Blue Dogs, The Whiskey Gentry, Sibling String and Crosstie Walkers. Saturday’s main stage music line up features Old Crow Medicine Show, Doc Watson & David Holt, Frontier Ruckus, Charlie Parr & the Clack Twig Pickers, Chatham County Line, Little Roy & Lizzy, Bloodkin and Peachtree Station

Hippodrome

5540 Jefferson Davis Highway
North Augusta, SC 29841
(803) 400-3609

http://www.banjobque.com/index.php

I always struggle with what to get my mom for her birthday, but this year her visit to Augusta coincided with the perfect gift.  My mom is a big fan of music from days past, so I surprised her with tickets for us to see Tony Howard’s Motown Review.

The show was held at the Imperial Theatre, and we were fortunate enough to have seats in the lower first balcony.  We had a fantastic view of the whole stage and were able to see every bit of the action.  The theatre was packed, and there was plenty of clapping and dancing.

The show started out with a few Stevie Wonder songs and then went into a Marvin Gaye tribute.  That performer was fantastic.   So was the tribute to Aretha Franklin that followed it.  Man, she could sing!  I loved her performance of “Respect.”

By far the best part of the night was the finale, The Motown Review, which featured songs from The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Four Tops, among others.  Mom’s favorite song is “My Girl” by The Temptations, and she wasn’t disappointed.

We had a great time at the show, and it is definitely something I would see again.  I love the Imperial Theatre, such a fantastic historic venue and they host a lot of great performances.  To see which shows they have coming up, visit www.imperialtheatre.com.

(Both images courtesy of Jeff Hines)