Sam Hunt on stage on Saturday at Levi’s Stadium
Where do I even start? The whole concert experience this time around was just crazy AWESOME. My cousin surprised me with two tickets to the show and I was so happy that I would get to experience the lineup of Old Dominion, SAM HUNT, Miranda Lambert, and headliner Kenny Chesney. SAM HUNT, y’all! What could be more awesome than free tickets and SAM?
Last year for the Luke Bryan concert, we sat in the club level. I thought maybe perhaps we would have the same kind of tickets again, which were pretty cool. But this time around, we had suite tickets. Very awesome but we didn’t discover the magnitude of awesome until we arrived.
We got to the Red Lot with plenty of time to eat and drink and watch our fellow tailgaters play cornhole. The sun was warm and bright but the breeze was cool. I was representing my other musical loves by wearing my Tyler Rich wallet buckle and using my Jacob Davis Squad koozie. I wore my cowboy boots with shorts and my Take Your Time t-shirt, which I had to stretch to make fit but fit it did. It was really a beautiful day. When it was almost time for the gates to open, we packed up and headed for the lines.
Levi’s Stadium has extremely strict rules on what you can bring inside so I somehow managed to go without a purse. Thank goodness for pockets! And really, I didn’t end up needing anything from my purse. Why don’t I do this more often? We found the entrance to the SAP Tower, stopped by the United Club for a couple of drinks, then headed up to suite 517 to check it out. When we said which suite we were in, we got a couple of, “Ohh, very nice” kind of comments. On the suite floor, the lady who opened the door for us said, “It doesn’t get much better than this one.”
And lo, she was so right.
Suite 517 is the Levi’s Suite. Yes, the Levi’s Suite of Levi’s Stadium. It sits at the 50 yard line and has a fantastic view of well, everything– the concert floor, the stadium seats, the stage. We were on a bit of an angle for the stage but we could see mostly everything. The sun shone on the other side of the stadium. The breeze was cool from our vantage point. The Levi’s Suite is a double suite with plush seats down front and a food area in the back. There was a refrigerator stocked with water, soda, and beer. Different kinds of foods were available– hot dogs, macaroni and cheese with bacon and chicken, chicken strips, tamales, pizza, sushi, and probably more I’m forgetting. This meant no lines for food or beer. We just had to get up from our seats and make our selections. How spoiled did I feel? Very.
The suite experience so added to the concert experience. The music was fantastic. All the artists sounded great! The group in our suite wasn’t too wild and it was comfortable considering we didn’t know anyone. I was perhaps a little enthusiastic during Old Dominion and SAM HUNT but I didn’t care and mostly got amused smiles from my fellow suite mates.
So how did the artists fare? Here we go:
Old Dominion – I knew every single song they played, which surprised me for some reason. But I guess listening to their album many many times over, as well as their EP just worked my mind enough. I loved that I could sing along to every song. They sounded fantastic, had great hearts, and just worked that stage with such enthusiasm and energy. I LOVED THEM. I wanted to wave at them and touch them and just watch them play their instruments. LOL
SAM HUNT – Oh Sam. HE WAS AMAZING!!! He was everything and so much more than I imagined. He sounded great, he looked good, he went into the audience not once but twice, and he was just everything. My heart was so full while watching him. Just being in the same space as him was enough. But hearing him sing live the songs I’ve had on my playlist since February of last year was such a blessing upon my soul. Being able to watch him, to sing with him, to feel the energy from the crowd because of him was worth the wait. Maybe just maybe I’m a little bit healed from not seeing him last year. One day I’d still love to meet him and thank him for opening up country music to me again. He is the reason I’ve had such great experiences and met new people and made new friends. He is the reason I love Tyler so much. Sam Hunt is just everything to me and I want to thank him so much. I’m so happy I got to finally see him live. He will always be one of my favorites. ALWAYS. And he did not disappoint in any way at all. He was simply perfect.
Miranda Lambert – It’s wonderful to watch the progression of an artist and I remember the one time we saw her open for George Strait and here she was performing second only to Kenny Chesney. Miranda sounded great, looked great, and worked the stage liked she owned it. But of all the acts, she seemed a bit disconnected, as if she wasn’t all there. But she’s a professional and maybe I was reading more into her facial expressions. She sounded great and that’s all that really matters, right?
Kenny Chesney – Just wow! He put on a fantastic show. He sounded great, performed with the same energy at the end as he did in the beginning. He brought up the Old Dominion guys for a song, which I just loved! Later Sammy Hagar came out to rock the stadium with “I Can’t Drive 55”. All of it was great! Kenny was damn awesome and a wonderful way to cap off the evening of music.
We stayed until the very end. Part of it was that we didn’t want to leave the suite, which was so comfortable and easy and meant to be enjoyed to the fullest. The other part was Kenny was just too full of energy for us to consider stepping away and not watching his whole set. He was so good!
Merchandise wise, I loaded up on Sam Hunt stuff. We headed down between Miranda and Kenny sets and had enough time for me to buy a hat, a koozie, and a tote. Passed on the t-shirt but would have bought one if they had still been selling it when we were leaving.
I’m sorry I didn’t get to see the friends who were at the concert too. I hope everyone had a spectacular time! It was such a good show, how could you not?
I don’t think there is any way to thank my wonderful cousin for giving us tickets to this concert. My heart is just so full with such love and gratitude for him. Because of him, I got to experience the stadium in a way that cannot be equaled AND I got to FINALLY watch one of my favorite artists perform live. My cousin has no idea what a gift he’s given me and I know I cannot thank him enough for his generosity. I am so eternally grateful to him. THANK YOU, LOVE YOU!!!