Paisley At Staples

Pam and I went to see Brad Paisley at Staples at the end of January.    It was his first stop on the extension of his Weekend Warrior World Tour.  When it was announced that he would be playing in Los Angeles, there was no doubt in our minds that we would be going.  We did not care that we had just seen him in mid-December when he put on an acoustic show at the intimate Saban Theatre.  We did not care that we already had tickets to see Justin Moore at the Microsoft Theater the very next night.   We did not care that he would be performing at Staples, arguably our least favorite venue.  We only cared that we were going because we love Brad Paisley shows.

Brad Paisley is one of the greatest natural entertainers we have ever seen.  He may not write the deepest songs.  In fact, many of his songs, like Alcohol, I’m Still A Guy, I’m Gonna Miss Her, Crushin’ It, and Ticks,  could be construed as sophomoric at best and disturbing at worst.  He may not have the best, most melodic country voice.  He may not be the best guitar player (but he is damn close).  But none of that matters.

From the opening notes at a Brad Paisley show, it is obvious that he is in his element when he is on stage.  His shows are fun.  He has enough thought provoking, sensitive songs, including Waitin’ On a Woman, We Danced, Last Time For Everything, He Didn’t Have To Be, She’s Everything, to balance the sophomoric ones.  His voice, though not overwhelmingly great, is really good, and he rarely misses a note.  His band is spectacular.  Then there are his videos and animations.  They are unique.  They are a work of Brad.  He has a great sense of humor and is happy to share it with the audience.

The show at Staples was no exception.  The opening acts, Lindsay Ell, Chase Bryant and Dustin Lynch were all really good.  Though I sometimes have issues watching Dustin Lynch perform, I thought he did a really good job, and when I shut my eyes, I thought he did a better job.  I was surprised at how well Lindsay Ell and Chase Bryant could shred on the guitar.  They were great, and each had an opportunity to accompany Brad as he wailed on his guitar.  They were really fun to watch and listen to.

But we went to see Brad Paisley, and we were not disappointed.  His show was stellar. and we enjoyed it tremendously.  Studies have shown that endorphins are released while attending a concert, which can affect your sleep, as it does to me.  Hence, I usually rate a show by how well I don’t sleep when it is over.  Thankfully, I slept like s**t after the Brad Paisley show at Staples.

That was the good news.  The bad news was that Pam and I had to rally to go see Justin Moore the next day.  We went and were glad we did, as he also put on a great show.