Hey y’all –

OK, so I promised a live blog…but instead y’all are getting an after-the-fact blog. I’m so sorry! My computer and the Arena’s internet did not get along. I’m blaming the rain. Anyway, here’s a recap of what happened when the “American Saturday Night” tour rolled into town…

First off, let’s set the stage.

Brad Paisley’s “American Saturday Night” backdrop was up when I came in, and they dropped the opening acts’ curtains down before each of their performances. There were two screens on either side of the stage, and in between sets they encouraged donations to Haiti relief efforts.

Justin Moore kicked off the night – his curtain had his name in huge, gray letters, and the two O’s in his last name were shotgun barrels.

His rowdy set included “Back That Thing Up,” “Hank It” “Small Town USA,” “I Could Kick Your A—” and “Backwoods.”

He thanked fans before singing “Small Town USA,” saying he and his band had “an incredible 2009” and they were “having a great 2010,” thanks to their support.

“Thank y’all for making my dreams come true,” he said. 

Miranda Lambert was next. 

Her plain white curtain featured the name of her newest album, “Revolution,” and she had pretty screens behind her.

She kicked off her set with “Only Prettier,” followed by “Kerosene.” 

“I see some of y’all are already partying. Maybe some of y’all will be famous in a small town tomorrow,” she said before she sang “Famous in a Small Town.”

Lambert also sang tunes like “Dry Town,” “Dead Flowers” and “Me and Charlie Talking.”

Her set, like Moore’s, was pretty rowdy – she danced a lot and really got the crowd going.

She calmed it down for a few mellow tunes like “More Like Her” and “The House That Built Me,” but then revved it back up with her two biggest hits, “White Liar” and “Gunpowder & Lead.”

I noticed before Brad Paisley came on, most of the songs in the pre-show mix were about Saturday nights – like Elton John’s “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting" and Bay City Rollers’ “Saturday Night.”

Paisley walked out to a simple mic – dressed like the famous Opry mic, if I’m not mistaken – and started “Start a Band.”

After the song really got started, though, a black curtain fell to reveal a much more elaborate stage set-up. There were still the two screens on each side, and there were also three smaller screens above the stage, with one long, large screen beneath them. 

Paisley’s show was energetic and completely fun.

He started out with “American Saturday Night,” of course. “Welcome to the weekend, everyone,” he said. “It’s so great to be in the place where Elvis Presley was born.”

He told the crowd he wanted them to pretend it was Saturday night.

“Thursday night crowds aren’t usually as good as Friday or Saturday night crowds,” he said. “Y’all are gonna change that for me.”

Paisley’s set included “Mud on the Tires,” “Waitin’ on a Woman,” “Ticks,” “Online” and “Then.”

The screens reflected the songs – for example, the screens showed clips from the “Waitin’ on a Woman” video during that song. 

One of the coolest sequences showed Little Jimmy Dickens, Taylor Swift, Dierks Bentley and others playing a Rock Band-like game to Paisley’s song, while another showed Paisley as a superhero saving his fellow country stars who were in trouble (Reba McEntire was being chased by a dinosaur, Carrie Underwood was tied to train tracks, Kenny Chesney was being attacked on a desert island, Sugarland and others were almost blown up..you get the idea).

Fans especially liked “When I Get Where I’m Going,” during which the photos of people who had died flashed up on the screens – folks like Reagan, Johnny Cash, Patrick Swayze, Don Knotts, John Ritter, Porter Wagoner and Brittany Murphy.

The laser light-filled encore included “Hey” and “Alcohol.”

Word from the Arena is that this was a sold-out show, with 8,188 in attendance. Pretty awesome crowd for a Thursday night. 

If you went, what did you enjoy?

Thanks for reading along. :)