The Real McCoy

"Would you like a couple tickets to see Neal McCoy?" a friend asked me.  "I have a couple of fair passes, too, if you would like to go."

Oh man!!  Would I!!  So though we didn't think we would be able to fit the nearby county fair into our schedule this season, how could we say no!

Neal McCoy - Photo by Matt C.

Fortunately, both Matt and I had the day off work yesterday, so we were able to attend together. It could not have been more perfect.  The weather was beautiful, the evening presented a luminous, full moon as a backdrop, and Neal McCoy is one of our favorite country music artists. We only thought we knew what a great entertainer he is, but boy, amp that opinion up by about 10 times and that might tell the story of Mr. McCoy's performance.

He not only sang his own hit songs, he treated the audience to renditions of songs from just about every generation, singing hits from the '40's, '50's and  (showing which era he grew up in) especially the '70's. The "spotlight" he shined on his own band, giving each member a chance to "show their stuff" revealed his true professionalism.

Dance moves - "The Shake"



And funny!!  Oh, my!  He danced, and crooned, and told stories with energy that was nothing short of contagious, keeping his audience entertained from the beginning to the end. Before the concert was over, we felt like we had known him all our lives. We knew he was just an ordinary kind of guy. Someone who is real, and down to earth, but with a talent that is unquestionably unique.



His interaction with the audience was amazing and made the concert so much fun! He held a pose so that members of the audience could get the best picture. He made sure children had a souvenir from the concert to take home; he brought attention to girls from a volleyball team whom he had met on the plane when he was coming into the area. He mentioned moms with their sons, ;-) and best of all, he honored our veterans.

 At the end of the concert, he made a point to ask all the veterans to reveal who they were by raising their hands while the audience offered them a resounding thank you with our applause. One young man that sat behind us fought back tears as he raised his hand in the emotion of the moment.  Then as Neal recited part of the Pledge of Allegiance, he pointed his microphone to the audience as we all shouted out the words "under God".  It was especially moving.  Neal has continually revealed his real heart by the giving of his time, taking his music overseas to our service men and women with 15 USO tours.

His final number was a song that he has finished every concert with since the beginning of his career, he told us.  This song also revealed the man's heart. The song was dedicated to the fans.  Our coming to see him, was only half the story he said.  The other half of the story was that he came to see us, and he had the best seat in the house.  This is what he got to see from where he stood:

The Fans

Oh, by the way; did I mention that our seats were in the front row, almost dead center?  It all could not have been more perfect!  Neal McCoy is the real thing and after that concert he has in us, two forever fans, among many, I'm sure; "No Doubt About It"!



"No Doubt About It"

All photos by Matt C.

I'm Your Biggest Fan

Neal McCoy

You stand in line
And you spend your hard earned dollar for a little piece of my time
You cheer me on
Right up through the very last song
You say you came here to see me
But that’s only half the truth
The other half is simply that
I came here to see you

Cause I’m your biggest fan
No one I know, puts on a show quite the way you can
Hey I’m your biggest fan
And to me the best seat in the house is right here where I stand
Cause I’m your biggest fan

Well I thank you
For giving me the chance to do what I love to do
And now it’s time to go
But I’ll try to keep in touch on the radio
Let every spotlight in the house tonight turn and shine on you
So you can see what’s it like from my point of view

I’m your biggest fan
No one I know, puts on a show quite the way you can
Well I’m your biggest fan
So everybody stand up and give yourselves a hand
Cause I’m your biggest fan

Everybody, we appreciate ya!
Thank you y’all
God Bless America!
Have a great year!