The Allen Events Center was filled with country bumpkins anticipating the rodeo Friday night, Nov. 11, young families with elementary-aged kiddos excited to see real cowboys also packed the stands. Then there was my group: high school girls who like country music and attractive singers, especially Josh Turner.
     Texas Stampede hosted Friday night’s event, which included a rodeo and the Josh Turner concert afterwards. All proceeds went towards children’s charities in North Texas. The rodeo was fun. Handsome cowboys were bucked off of broncos, pretty cowgirls weaved around barrels, and the cutest kids raced on sheep’s backs. Although the rodeo was enjoyable, it seemed like the Josh Turner concert was the main event everyone was looking forward to.
     Once Josh entered the stadium, hundreds of screams filled the room. These shrieks did not stop until after the concert was over, and even then, some random cries of giddiness continued to pierce the air. Josh’s angelic voice caused women of all ages to swoon at each note. A majority of the songs he sang were from his newest album, “Haywire.” As a relatively new fan of country music, I must say that I was very impressed with his stage presence, overall talent and his band’s contribution to the music. His performance made me want to attend more country concerts in the future.
     I’ve been to many concerts where the singers were awkwardly standing in the middle of the stage, belting out in their own world, not connecting to the audience in any way. But Josh did a great job walking around the stage to all four sides of the audience, drawing everyone in to his music. He waved and winked at the crowd, a couple times toward my group of friends – but mostly directed at me, of course – causing us to squeal like 4-year-olds on Christmas morning.
    Josh Turner’s voice sounded exactly like it does on his CDs, which is a rarity in the music business, thanks to technology. His range was incredibly broad. He sang both high and low, deep parts, hitting all of the right notes with his soothing voice. Josh included his band members when dancing and entertaining the audience, as well; he even introduced all of them before performing his last song. Many artists these days show up, sing songs and do not give their band members credit for contributing to the performance. These artists believe the show revolves around them and only them. However, Josh knew that his members were also a large part of making the music and did not let them go unnoticed.
     My friends and I were not the only ones who enjoyed the music that night. Many couples danced in the crowd, a large number of girls repeatedly screamed, “I love you, Josh!” and everyone was smiling, laughing or singing along to the upbeat country tunes. Josh Turner’s concert did not disappoint in any aspect, and I am looking forward to the next time he comes into town.