This was my third time seeing Sara live. Even though the venue wasn’t the best (Sara is WAY too good for it), this was probably my favorite Sara concert so far. Even at nearly 8 months pregnant, Sara can still rock the place. Many people get the wrong idea about some country artists. They think their music is just a bunch of “yee-haws” and “hey ya’ll’s”, when really it is much more than that. Sara is definitely more than that. Yes, she still has that element in some of her songs, but that is not what her music (and many other artists’ music) is all about. She has songs that rock, but she also has songs with depth and meaning behind them. Sara definitely gets better with each performance. She has such an amazing stage presence. She really connects with the audience and makes them feel comfortable and at home—even at smoke-filled venues such as the Royal Oak Theatre.

I arrived at the Royal Oak Theatre about 6:15. The doors were to open at 7:00 and the show was to start at 8:00. Once I got in, I went over to the merchandise counter to get my meet & greet pass. Craig, the guy who sells the merchandise (and is also the webmaster of Sara’s site and co-manager of her fan club) was really nice. He made sure everyone knew where to go for the meet & greet. I also bought a poster and photo of Sara. At 7:45, it was time to go line up at the left side of the stage for the M&G. They decided to have it outside, so around 8:00, they had everyone go outside and line up on the side of the building. Towards the end of the line was a DJ from the local radio station. I learned that the night shifts are pre-recorded! Sara’s tour manager came out and explained the procedure. He also joked that if she goes into labor, the line would have to be cut short. At around 8:20, a van pulled up to where we were. The driver and Craig (Sara’s husband) got out of the front, and Sara got out of the back. She started signing stuff and taking pictures right away. I had her sign the poster that I bought (you are only allowed to have one item signed). After I had my picture taken with her, I told her that some people are starting to believe her story about getting married at 13 (that will be explained below). She laughed and said, “Good…then they’ll think I’m 23.” I told her that she looks 23, and she said “Thank you!” The opening act was still playing when I got back to my seat. It was a local band called Shipwreck Union. They sounded like a shipwreck…they were that bad. I could not wait until they got off the stage. They seriously gave me a headache. They left the stage around 8:50. They moved their equipment off the stage, and Sara’s band came out to get theirs all prepared.

At about 9:05 or so, the lights went out, music started playing, and spotlights moved around the stage. The band came back out and began playing the music to Rockin’ Horse. Sara came out from the the left side of the stage and began singing. At first, the band and the cheers from the audience were drowning out her voice, but that was soon fixed by the sound person. She really rocked on this song. After that was over she said, “Here’s a song for you ladies,” and she sang I Keep Looking. She joked a lot with the audience throughout her show. Towards the beginning she said, “Before we go any further, I have an announcement to make…” (laughter from the audience) “Craig did it again!”  After that someone yelled, “You don’t look pregnant.” She responded with, “Thank you! You get a free T-Shirt for that!” But then she said, “I may not look pregnant, but I FEEL pregnant!” Later on she said, “Yeah, this is going to be #3. We are hoping to love this one just as much as our other children…so we’ll see how that works out.”  J

Sara: I wrote this next song about life’s little surprises…like unexpected pregnancies!...and it’s about realizing that life doesn’t have to be PERFECT! (of course she went into Perfect then). The audience was really loving this song and were even loudly singing along with her. After she was finished, she sat down on a stool and said “These jeans are sure getting tight! I promised myself that I would not wear maternity clothes this whole pregnancy…It’s really getting uncomfortable, so I don’t know why I’m doing this.” Before she started to sing, some girl in the audience yelled out that she was getting married in a week. Sara told her congratulations and that she would dedicate the next song to her. Then she said, “Wait, we’ll dedicate the next one to you…this one’s kind of a cheating song.” Sara is so hilarious! Then she did an acoustic version of Tonight which was AMAZING! That song was never my favorite until I heard her perform it that night. Wow!!! Country music now has a second queen! Sara is right up there alongside Martina as a powerhouse voice!

Before doing the next song she had to thank the audience, because it (No Place That Far) was the first number one song of her career. She then said how she wrote it for her husband Craig to show how much she loved him. She said, “We have been married 10 years now (applause from the audience), and it was kind of rough in the beginning…being 13 and all. (laughter from the audience) “I don’t know why everyone is laughing…I think that’s kind of rude.” Before singing it, she dedicated it to the girl who said she was getting married. Next came a favorite of mine—the main YEE-HAW song that Sara has. Sara said that this song relates to her from when she was growing up. She talked about how she lived on a farm and “some guy was always around hitting on me or my sisters…….ok, just me.” She said she could say that since her sisters weren’t there. J She said, “so I guess you could say I was white trash.” After her great introduction, the band started playing the music to her newest single at country radio—SUDS IN THE BUCKET! It was an awesome performance. And now Sara has bubble machines that create bubbles during that song. It is a great effect. (You will know which song is Suds by looking at the pictures!) While she was introducing her band, she would say their name and say where they are from. After naming the first few, she named different countries as if that's where they were from. For example, "On the keyboard, from Tokyo, Japan..." It was so funny how she kept doing it. Later she said how her husband doesn't like when she does that, because he's patriotic and loves America (he ran for an office in Oregon a couple years back). Another funny thing was when she introduced her brother, Matt, who is a member of the band. She said when they were growing up, their mother used to make them sing incestuous love songs together, and that she is still scarred from it. I swear, she could also be a comedian.

She talked about how she thanks God every day for what he has given her. She said how thankful she is to the fans and everyone who plays her music. She said she really Could Not Ask For More. After Born to Fly, Sara and the band left the stage. The show was coming to a close. But this was what I was looking forward to the most—the 3-song encore she has been doing. All 3 of the songs are cover songs that I had never heard her perform before. I loved her new version of Dock of the Bay. I could not picture her singing that song, but her voice is excellent for it. Finally, she rocked everyone out with the well-known 80’s Heaven is a Place on Earth. Seeing Sara is ALWAYS a good experience. I wish her well with the remaining weeks of her pregnancy and I hope she makes another stop around here on her 2005 tour.