Concert Tickets Giveaway (Ends 4/19) U.S.

What do you LOVE about going to a concert? My Devotional Thought's favorite thing about going to concerts is going to see Taylor Swift with my daughter!  And I love finding great deals on seats. Who doesn't after all?

Well... we are happy to join Blog with Mom and Adventures of My Family of 8 in this amazing giveaway event!

Have you heard of the online market place for all your concert ticket needs, ConcertTickets.com? Well they are your home for the hottest concert tickets at the lowest prices! As this concert season boasts numerous iconic artists touring throughout North America, 2013 is poised to be an unforgettable year for concert fans of every genre. You can search by Artist, Show, or Venue, or even browse by City or State to see what is coming to your area! And, don't forget to sign up for their daily emails to receive concert updates in your area! Don't miss out on FREE TICKET FRIDAYS - Every other Friday, during concert season, beginning on March 19, 2103, ConcertTickets.com will give one lucky fan $200 to be used towards the purchase of any tickets on ConcertTickets.com.

ConcertTickets.com Giveaway -

Prize- One lucky winner will win $200 credit to http://www.concerttickets.com/ - Details:

• This giveaway will run from April 1-19th
• All Mandatory Entries MUST be completed
• All entries must be IN the entry form
• All entrants must be 18 years or older and live in the US
• See full disclosures in the entry form

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Prize disclaimer - credit good through 2013. It can be used 1 time, so all money must be used when purchase is made. With the $200, someone could purchase 4 - $50 tickets or use it towards a huge ticket purchase. Pretty much anything goes as long as it is done in one single purchase and used before the end of 2013.

**DISCLOSURE** My Devotional Thoughts is acting as an advertisement for the Sponsor and is not responsible for prize. This event is brought to you by Blog with Mom and Adventures of 8 through Advertise with Bloggers! If you are interested in sponsoring an event like this, please contact Advertise with Bloggers. Please note that the winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted directly by ConcertTickets.com!

Music Monday--Brad Paisley Tacoma Dome Concert Review (Scotty and Band Perry too!)

Finally, another Music Monday.  I was just too tired to post this last week.  Last Saturday, February 11, my daughter and I had the supreme joy of attending the Brad Paisley Virtual Reality Tour.  I bought these tickets long ago.  I wasn't going to, but when I discovered that the Band Perry and Scotty McCreery were coming with him, I knew I wanted to go.

We waited out in the cold trying to win backstage passes, but we finally couldn't stand it any more.  So we had to go in.  We had fairly good seats even though we were not on the floor.  You will be able to see some great shots.  The food left a little to be desired, but all things considered, it was pretty par for the course.

I was grateful that the show started on time.  It had been so funny to see all these little girls who were going crazy over Scotty McCreery.

And, well, I guess he is pretty cute--in a teenage sort of way.  He knew how to work the crowd.  And at least he looks like he has grown up some!

My favorite thing about him is that he is a Christian, and he is not shy about proclaiming his faith. In time, I do believe that he will be a force to reckon with!

Next came the Band Perry.  If anyone knows me, they know that I was not an instant fan of theirs.  Their first single Hip to My Heart was really annoying for me when it was released, and until they sang If I Die Young, I always flipped the radio station as fast as I could!

They are now one of my favorites!

And they can sure give a fantastic show!  Their version of Fat-Bottomed Girls was absolutely unbelievable!

I look forward to the day when they will be the headliner.  My daughter is a huge fan of theirs.  She even said before the show that they were bigger than Brad Paisley.  I had to correct her.

Next and finally came Brad Paisley.  I think I have described my feelings about Brad Paisley here before.  I didn't like Brad Paisley in the beginning. And my friend, Martin, can't stand him.  The first Paisley song I ever liked was Then.  And it was his response to Taylor Swift's award win that endeared him to me.  So I became a "closet Brad Paisley" fan.  There were several songs of his that grew on me.  And I liked the story of him and his wife relationship.

I was blown away by Brad Paisley's concert!  When he said virtual reality, he meant it!  Even down to Carrie Underwood!

Indeed this tended to fool the eye!

I loved what he had to say about women trying to feminize men.

And I loved how close he got the audience and how many autographed guitars he gave away!

His energy amazed me, and his guitar-playing is out of this world!

Scotty McCreery and Band Perry both sang with him.

All I can say is that I am no longer a closet Brad Paisley fan.  I bought his greatest hits album, and I am currently listening to it!

If he ever comes to your city, go!  It's worth it!

Music Monday--Taylor Swift Speak Now Tour Review

Last Wednesday, September 7th, I had the privilege of seeing Taylor Swift live in her Speak Now concert tour at the Tacoma Dome in Washington state.  If you have followed my blog for any period of time, you will know that I am a big Taylor Swift fan.  In fact, since the concert, I have been able to play little else on my car stereo.

My daughter and my niece (she is an adult) went with me to the concert.  We arrived early, and my niece bought my daughter a Taylor T-shirt and glow stick.  Waiting for Taylor was probably the hardest thing because she had two opening acts.

Forgive the quality of pictures.  We had fairly good seats, but I used my cell phone.  My niece took better pictures, but she hasn't posted them yet.

From the moment Taylor took the stage, I was enraptured.  During her opening song, I was so emotional.  I was trying to sing along like everyone else was, but I felt like I wanted to burst into tears.  I think that all the emotions just built up, and I was so excited to get the chance to see Taylor live!

By the time the second song came, I was singing along.  I was even screaming right along with everyone else.  I was amazed by the pyrotechnics that were used on stage.  I don't know if I would have wanted to be on the stage while those were going off, but it sure didn't phase Taylor.  She gave those songs everything she had, and her energy seemed limitless.  I loved her costumes, the dancers (ballet, tap, wow!), and her instrumental prowess.  It was just as good if not better than a Broadway or Las Vegas show.  The backdrops were out of this world, and her musicians were incredibly talented.

This was an interesting moment in the show.  See the glowing tree?  Taylor is on it, singing away.  At some point, people flocked in that direction, and I had no idea this was the point when she came into the audience. We stayed put because we never would have gotten close enough.  This tree did a slow rotation like a music box as Taylor sang several songs.

This was our view of the stage.  The screens certainly helped as I'm sure you can see.  She sang the majority of the songs from her current album, but she did sing some old standbys.

See that basket?  This was how she ended her program.  She sang Love Story while touring the arena in a suspended basket.  It was definitely our best view of her.

I realize that many of you are not Taylor Swift fans.  If you know anything about me, you will know that initially, I couldn't stand her.  I was first drawn to her song Teardrops on My Guitar, and she kind of grew on me.  I am a trained classical singer, and if I listen to her singing and critique it, I can't say it is anything fantastic.  But she is an unbelievable songwriter, and her energy makes up for everything.  And it is so rare to see someone who is so personable with her fans.

I also appreciate that she is such a positive role model.  So many young actresses/singers--Brittney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Hannah Montana--have gone down the wrong road.  They started out naive, and then they lost it.  Thankfully, Taylor has not gone that road.  She even rewrote a couple of her early songs to take out objectionable lyrics.  If you don't believe me, look it up. As long as she remains grounded, I will be a fan of hers for years to come.  It was so nice to go to a concert and not feel like I had to shield my daughter from any of the sights or songs.