Thank you David Cook. Because of you, I found out about so many amazing bands, including NEEDTOBREATHE.
When I saw David and the EEB in Chesaning, I had no idea who NeedToBreathe was. I actually sat next to Seth for about an hour watching a softball game before the concert and Bear said hello to me about 3 times during the day. I had a feeling they were in a band...I just didn't know what band, or that they were so amazing. The first song, Bo came out with a banjo and I was like "oh, god, let's just get to David"...but I gave them a chance...and they blew me away! I couldn't get enough of Bo's dancing either...I was hooked.
I downloaded a ton of their music and I couldn't stop listening to them. I love how they don't really fit a mold. Some of their songs are very Christian, others seem more country, a few are real rock, some folk or softer rock...and I love them all. My favorite song is Something Beautiful...I love how strong Bear's voice is in it. I love all the messages in their songs. Let Us Love has wonderful lyrics. I think Valley of Tomorrow is beautiful. The Outsiders is one of a kind and it is absolutely fantastic. I love Washed By Water as well...I sing it to myself all the time. And Girl Named Tennessee needs to have the volume all the way up...I love rocking out to that song in the car =)
So, when I found out they were coming to Chicago, I got 4 tickets...for me, my mom, my aunt, and my uncle. My mom and my aunt had already seen them in Chesaning with David, and they liked them enough to come with me. I've been so excited for this for the past month and a half...ask my friend Marisa...I updated her on the countdown at least once a week =)
On the day of the concert, we ate at an amazing restaurant called Hackney's, which has great onion rings by the way (that's the reason we went there). We got to Lincoln Hall at around 8:00 and got our tickets at will call and walked right in. I was so excited when I saw the stage...it was so small and seemed like a perfect, intimate venue. I took a spot right in front of Bo's mic about 3 rows back. Soon, people started inching away from the stage, so I inched toward it, and ended up getting front row, DIRECTLY in front of Bo's mic. I was freaking out inside =)
The first opening act began. A one-man show. Alternate Routes was supposed to all be there, but their bus hit a deer and so only Tim, the lead singer could come. He was ridiculously awesome. He played like 3 instruments at a time…he played guitar, a drum, this foot stomper thing, tambourine, harmonica, and a tool box. It was awesome! Also, Toby, from NEEDTOBREATHE’s crew helped him on guitar and he was really good! Serena Ryder was next and I was really impressed by her. She had a great voice and she rocked on guitar. She was dancing too and she was really energetic and put on an awesome set!
Ok, NEEDTOBREATHE…They opened with The Outsiders and Bo freaking came out not only with his famous banjo, but also with those adorkable glasses. He was RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! And he was doing his amazing dance moves…at one point he even knocked the mic stand over. They finished The Outsiders and went right into Girl Named Tennessee. Oh. My. God. Bo!!!!! He kept winking at me and giving me that evil smirky smile and I almost melted. I don’t think I looked at the rest of the band. I tried to capture it on camera, but it kept running out of batteries. Then he came on the other side of the mic and was literally an inch away from me and bent down to our level during part of the guitar solo…I can’t describe it…it was just unbelievable. So yeah…the rest of the songs…I really did try to look at the rest of the band…and a few times Bear made eye contact with me and it was amazing…but I swear to god, Bo was just ridiculous (those of you who’ve seen them in concert probably know what I’m talking about). At least once during every song he would look down and smile or wink at me and I would pretty much be dead. I also really loved the jam sessions they would randomly have in the middle of songs. They would just all gravitate towards the middle and start rocking out. The crowd was really into it and they had so much energy on stage. Let Us Love was also a great moment when the entire room started singing “Let us love like we were children…” It was so amazing and brilliant. The encore was amazing as well. First, Bo sang LEAD for Won’t Turn Back!!!! It was great! I really love his voice and Bear was smiling really lovingly at his little brother =) It was a really adorable moment. Washed By The Water was amazing as well. In the middle of the song, they went into “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” for a little and then finished with the whole crowd singing along and Bear singing right above my head (I got a little video of this moment that I’ll post later). Finally, they announced they would close the concert on the balcony. They made their way up to the balcony and Bo and Bear stood on these chairs right next to the railing…I was afraid for Bo because he tends to get a little overzealous with the dancing, and I was afraid he’d fall over the edge. Then they started singing my FAVORITE SONG, acoustic, with no mics…just unplugged and natural and absolutely beautiful. They got through the first verse of Something Beautiful but had to stop because the fans were drowning Bear out. He asked us to stop singing so they could be heard. The crowd was silent for the rest of the song and it was absolutely 100% the best closing of a concert ever!!! Just perfect!
Afterwards, I was told to hang around and that the band was going to come out. I was just about to give up because my poor aunt and uncle were there with me and it was like 12:30 in the morning…but then I saw Joe. I freaked for a second and then composed myself enough to ask for an autograph. He was like “Sure!” and signed it and posed for a picture with me. He was so sweet!!! He’s like a huge teddy bear! Then, while I was waiting next to the stage, the crew gave a woman one of Joe’s drumsticks and I gasped at how cool that was. Then my awesome aunt asked if I could have one and one of the crew members gave me one of Joe’s other drumsticks!!! IT was so awesome! I went to have Joe sign it, and he was so sweet…he inscribed NEEDTOBREATHE on it and signed it =) Then I saw Bear off in a corner posing for pictures. I got in “line” and waited and a minute later I was standing next to him. He signed my picture and also posed for a picture. I didn’t know what to say and just kept mumbling about how amazing his voice is and how amazing the show was, particularly Washed By the Water. He was so sweet and thanked us and asked where we were from. I said something about it being a really small town that no one’s heard of, and he was like hey “nothing’s smaller than Possum Creek”. He told us they were coming back in the spring and that he hoped we could make it. It was awesome! After that, I asked around as to the whereabouts of Bo. They told me he was on the balcony, and I looked up and there he was. I ran up there and found Seth, who was really sweet and signed my picture and also posed for a picture. I told him the show was amazing and he thanked me for coming out and supporting them =) And finally, Bo. He was talking with someone, so I waited patiently until he was done. He saw me and I think he recognized me from the front row and he excused himself from the conversation and came over to me. He signed my picture and my uncle said “oh, Bo? She needs a hug” He was like “Of course!” And he gave me this huge, sweaty hug and posed for a picture with me. He thanked us for coming to the show and asked if we liked it. We were like YES! He told us to come back in the spring. We talked about seeing them in Chesaning and about the Showboat Festival. He said him and the band looked all over for the Showboat but never found it. We told him that it wasn’t there anymore and that they were lucky or else they would have had to experience the Showboat dancers. He laughed and said that Bear went swimming in the water and they told him afterward that the water was really nasty and that you’re not supposed to do that because of health concerns. I said I actually remembered Bear going out there and wondering what was going on (true story btw lol). Finally, I told him he’s an amazing guitar and banjo player and that he’s a great dancer. He laughed and thanked us and then it was over, but I was on a high, and I still am.

PICTURES!:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=9416&id=100000137575468&...