One Of My Favorite Acoustic Show Memories

Over the years, we’ve had some incredible artists pass through our acoustic shows. As I was thinking back on them, I realized there were some great stories that happened with these shows that people have never heard.

Like this one that happened with Blake Shelton…

It was our Fall Acoustic Concert of 2007. Yup…we’ve been doing these things for over 10 years now. The lineup was amazing as we had Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, and Sarah Johns. Two of country music’s biggest stars in the same night!

I was actually working the night shift at the time so I actually missed the show. While I heard it was incredible, the fun part that night happened afterward.

I texted my buddy Wendy Lynn after my shift to see if anything was happening with the artists after the show and was pumped when she said that they were going out for a bite to eat afterward and that I should meet them out.

Ok…you don’t have to threaten me with a good time.

So I met them at the restaurant and sure enough, as I walked in, there was Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton sitting at the table talking with Sarah Johns like they were best friends from way back. I just hung out and watched as Blake entertained. Even after he was off the stage, he was still the center of attention at that table.

Luke Bryan saw that I was wearing a University of Georgia hat as I did most days and started asking me about how I thought the “Dawgs” would do that year.

Then the talk started about what we were going to do next. Blake wanted to go somewhere else. Luke was done. He headed back to his hotel.

I’m not sure who decided on it, but someone suggested we go to “Average Joe’s” in Amherst. So we did. And Blake was so excited when he found out what the entertainment was that night. I’ve never seen a man literally sprint from a car to the front door of a bar as fast as he did when he found out it was karaoke night.

He references singing karaoke in some of his songs, and he seemed to really like it that night too. He was really into it. I was singing “Sweet Caroline” and he was sitting right up front watching. As a matter of fact, when it got to the “touching me, touching you” part of the song, he jokingly reached over and touched me. It was weird and very funny at the same time.

All night as a joke (because Luke Bryan called it quits early) Blake was entering songs to sing under the false name of ‘Luke.’

Take a second now to think about that. You’re in a bar singing karaoke and one of the singers is Blake Shelton. Would you be able to recognize him? These days, just about anyone would be able to recognize him. But back then, he wasn’t as famous as he is now.

The best part of the night was a result of that. Blake, or Luke as they were calling him that night, wanted to sing a song called “Some Beach.” He waited all night for it. Finally when his name was called he started to sing. I really wanted to take it all in so I went to the other side of the bar. There were two guys watching him sing in front of me and I remember seeing one of them elbow the other as if to say, “what the heck is up with this guy?” I couldn’t help myself. I had to let them in on the fact that the guy singing the song in that karaoke bar was the one who made it famous.

It was an unreal night.

And there have been tons of others like it that were unreal in their own way.

The next one is coming our way. Our WYRK Fall Acoustic Show lineup is set and tickets are on sale now. We’ve got two up and coming artists in Carley Pearce and Tyler Rich, and a very well known Nashville singer and songwriter who has written some of the most well known songs on the radio today.

Don’t miss this one. Get your tickets today.