Entertainment Performance Review

SECTION I: INTRODUCTION 

In early May this year, I attended a country music concert which starred such musicians as Hunter Hayes and Sam Hunt, as well as Lady Antebellum, a famous American music group. Charles Kelly is one of the major musicians in the Lady Antebellum trio. Other musicians of the group include Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood. The musicians possess different skills in complementing each other. Hillary Scott is the major singer of the group. She also provides backdrop vocals for the group’s songs. Charles Kelley is a singer and a backdrop vocalist of the group, who also plays guitar. Dave Haywood, in his turn, provides backdrop vocals and plays several musical instruments. This makes him an invaluable member of the music trio. The group has won various music awards. Some of their albums include Own the Night, Golden, and 747, the latest album of the group which debuted in 2014. The music trio also has a Christmas album which is called On This Night. The trio has several top ranking singles. The group’s albums have 16 singles on the Hot Country Songs, and 9 of them have been the top hits at one time or another. Lady Antebellum is my favorite country music group. “Goodbye Town” and “Own the Night” are their songs that I really love.

Sam Hunt is also a popular figure in country music. Apart from being a singer, he is also a popular songwriter. He has written a lot of songs for various popular country music artists whose songs have topped country music charts. Initially, Sam was only a songwriter. However, he has recently started singing after signing a contract with one of the leading recording studios in Nashville. His debut album includes such famous songs as “Leave the Night On” and “Take Your Time.” Hunter Hayes is the youngest of the country musicians who was invited to take part in the show. Hayes is a singer and a songwriter. He also plays various music instruments. Hayes has been very successful due to his versatile talents. He has been nominated for four Grammy awards and won several country music awards. “Wanted” is his most popular single. Hayes has sold millions of copies of this single.

The discussed music concert took place at United Supermarkets Arena, Lubbock, Texas in May 1, 2015. It was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. The ticket price was $69, which is quite modest as compared to the price of other music concerts of country artists. The music concert was organized as a part of Lady Antebellum’s “Wheels up Tour.” Lady Antebellum took part in the tour to promote their latest album, 747. Hunter Hayes and Sam Hunt were also engaged in the tour despite the fact that they did not have any album launch. Inviting other musicians on a tour to promote an album is a standard practice in country music. This shows that the two musicians support Lady Antebellum. Other musicians also helped in attracting people who would like to visit the concert in order to listen to them. ”Wheels up Tour” started in February 28, 2015, in Oslo, Norway. The tour is expected to end on October 3, 2015, in Las Vegas. Therefore, Sam Hunt and Hunter Hayes were supposed to open the concert for Lady Antebellum, the main attraction of the tour. Before discussing the details of the concert, it is pertinent to present some of the unique terms related to country music. They include:

• Red necks
• Hillbilly
• Cowboy
• Dixie chicks
• Mandolin
• Honky tonk
• Bluegrass
• Hankering 

I decided to attend this event as Lady Antebellum, my favorite country music group, would perform during the show. I also expected to come to Lubbock in order to visit my aunt. Therefore, I could not miss an opportunity to attend the show. I asked my cousin, Ted, to book tickets for me and some of his friends. Attending the show would also enable me to socialize with people.

The concert was promoted by major country radio stations in Lubbock. They included KLLL-FM and Lonestar FM. Promoting music in the radio stations gathered a large audience since the listeners liked country music. The concert was also promoted using billboards. Organizers of the concert advertised the concert on four billboards, which were strategically located in the town. The location of the billboards helped in attracting both young people and adults. Social media was also used in attracting people to the concert. The organizers targeted the musicians’ social media followers, as well as used print advertisement such as newspapers and magazines to promote the music concerts. Using multiple methods of event marketing ensured that the information reached broad audience. Social media was one of the most effective marketing channels as it reached people who liked country music.

Some of the sponsors of the event include Quicken Loans, a company that provides mortgages and Citi. According to the sponsorship deal, Quicken Loans’ brand name would appear on the tour’s tickets. Through the partnership between Lady Antebellum and Quicken Loans, Lady Antebellum would pay the mortgages of seven fans for one year. On the other hand, Citi is an official credit card of the tour.

SECTION II: VENUE/ FACILITY ASSESSMENT

The music concert occurred at the United Supermarkets Arena. The ground is a multi-use arena located in the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock. It can hold more than 15,000 people at the same time. This restricts the number of people who attend the music concert prompting the event organizers to increase the costs of tickets. The arena is the home for various sport teams of the Texas Tech University. Previously, the arena used a different name, which was changed when United Supermarkets had bought its naming rights. Being located at the university campus, the arena is not equally available for all the volunteers.

The arena has previously held concerts of famous musicians including Elton John, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, George Strait, Martina McBride, and Paul McCartney. In 2000, Elton John became the first musician to hold a concert in the arena. It also hosted WWE RAW. As such, the arena has certain experience in hosting music concerts or various sporting events. Its size made the audience feel close to the musician. It felt as if the musicians were performing to the audience individually. The size and lighting of the arena made the concert unforgettable.

Despite certain limitations, United Supermarkets Arena was suitable for the discussed event. It was the only arena in Lubbock that was capable of holding such a large crowd. The size of the arena made the audience feel closer to the musicians.

SECTION III:  ENTERTAINMENT EVENT ASSESSMENT

The event was attended by country music fans of all ages who accounted for approximately 15,000 people. Event marketing on the radio informed people of the event. Dozens of people won tickets on the radio and received a possibility to attend the concert. The event started at 7:40 p.m., 10 minutes late, with a performance by Sam Hunt. He sang various hits from his debut album. The songs included “Leave the Night On” and “Take Your Time.” “Leave the Night On” received a warm reception from the audience who sang to the lyrics of the song. After performing other tracks from his debut album, Hunt finished his performance with “Break up in a Small Town.” Hunt’s exit paved the way for the entry of Hunter Hayes, who was received by fans’ cheers prompting him to delay his performance for several seconds as he was receiving his dues. Hayes started his performance at 8:30 p.m. with “Tattoo.” He also sang some of his most popular songs such as “Somebody’s Heartbreak,” “Invisible,” and “Everybody’s Got Somebody But Me.” He finished his performance with “Wanted” and “I Want Crazy.” Hayes’s exit signalized the time for the main attraction of the event, Lady Antebellum. Fans went wild with joy when the trio stepped onto the stage. I have never been to a music concert where there was such an electric feeling. Lady Antebellum began their performance with “Long Stretch of Love,” their new single, at 9:15. During the performance, everybody was dancing to the beat of their songs. They performed both old and new songs such as “I Run to You,” “American Honey,” “Freestyle,” and “Bartender.” Lady Antebellum finished their performance at 10:30 p.m. As such, the concert lasted for about 3 hours.

The event organizers hired Contemporary Services Corporation, a private security firm. The security firm has extensive knowledge of the way to handle security in case of large crowds. The experience made the concert progress smoothly without any major incidents. Police were also on high alert in case the event organizers needed their intervention. Thankfully, their help was not needed. Hiring a private security firm was the most effective method of handling security, as the security firms are experienced in conducting such events. 

The artists performed in the comfortable environment with the audience eager to listen to their songs. The audience comprised of country music lovers who knew most of the songs the musicians played. For example, they sang along to “Wanted,” by Hunter Hayes and “Dancing Away with My Heart” by Lady Antebellum. The musicians were performing for a comparatively long time and had time to play most of their songs. Sam Hunt, in his turn, is a relatively new singer. Despite the fact that most people know the songs he wrote for other artists, most of his own songs were relatively unknown. Therefore, his participation in the tour helped increase the popularity of this artist. This highlights the support that the three country music artists offered to each other. During the show, they addressed each other in public respectfully.

Interruption of the performance due to the cheers from the crowd was one of the major issues the performance faced. Constant cheers made the musicians cut their performance short. Nevertheless, such behavior was not properly handled. The interruptions provided the artists with an opportunity to address the crowd.

SECTION IV: CONCLUSION

The musicians performed in a highly charged environment. All people who attended the concert were country music lovers. Before, I have never been in the company of such a large company of country music lovers, though it has always been a special music genre for me. On the concert I also received an opportunity to meet Lady Antebellum, my most favorite country music group. I even got a souvenir from the music concert, an autographed 747 album, which is currently one of my most prized possessions. The aura of the arena as Lady Antebellum was performing “Bartender,” the hit from their new album, is the most memorable event for me. The crowd went wild with joy as the trio performed this song. I truly enjoyed the concert. Therefore, I would recommend my friends to attend a performance by Lady Antebellum.