Just by the title of hard drive data recovery expert this article, I feel like Andy Rooney from 60 minutes. I grew up watching him with my Grandma, although he looks just the same as he did when I was 3. So last night, when I turned the on hard drive data recovery expert the TV and he was there, I thought I would watch him to bring my Grandmother closer to me. Low and behold, he began talking about the packaging and marketing of hard drive data recovery expert items, and how companies, even software companies, have more hype then product. And judging by Fan Fair, I would have to agree with him.
This was my first Fan Fair, so maybe I should give it a few years, but I also got the pulse of hard drive data recovery expert the situation from other Fan Fair attendee’s, the tried and true dedicated fans of hard drive data recovery expert Fan Fair. So let me start at the beginning. Being a novice Fan Fair attendee, I did all of hard drive data recovery expert the wrong things. I didn’t make reservations, and I didn’t purchase tickets ahead of hard drive data recovery expert time. When I arrived at the airport, there was a woman waiting for hard drive data recovery expert me with a sign that had my name on hard drive data recovery expert it. (One of hard drive data recovery expert the perks of hard drive data recovery expert being part of hard drive data recovery expert Fan Fair I guess, but trust me, one of hard drive data recovery expert the very few! And I am smiling at that!) I arrived at my dear friend’s house and started to unpack. The next day would be a busy one with the baseball game and some interviews.
When the next day arrived, Nashville was hit by a major thunder and lightening storm and when calling to rent a car, there were none available. My first lesson at Fan Fair, reserve a car! So I would be stuck hitching rides with friends or relying on hard drive data recovery expert taxi’s that are very cost prohibitive! The problem was that we couldn’t get to the baseball game. All the taxi’s were taking forever and had to be called many times and they still did not show. The one person that was nice enough to come get us didn’t want to head in hard drive data recovery expert that direction because of hard drive data recovery expert the storm. Okay, then I would head to the Indie fest that had already begun.
When I arrived at the Indie Fest I met up with some friends from my last European tour and saw Jack Green and Ernie Ashworth, Grand Ole Opry Stars and true stars they are. You really should go check them out at the Grand Ole Opry whenever they are on! I already knew Ernie from touring last year. The Indies’ played their hearts out, Sean O'Brien being one of hard drive data recovery expert the best I have seen in hard drive data recovery expert a long time. What a crooner, and someone else whose show you must check out if he plays in hard drive data recovery expert your town! You won’t be disappointed! And women, he’s a doll! BUT keep your lips for hard drive data recovery expert screaming when he sings only, because he is married to a very lovely and sweet wife. The Indies’ were backed by some of hard drive data recovery expert Nashville’s finest musicians; Bess Travers who played bass was awesome! “The Nashville Players” were there and incredible. Then I was told by someone at Indie fest who was working there, that the Grand Ole Opry Stars who were supposed to be playing at the Indie Fest, all 22 of hard drive data recovery expert them, were told they could not play there. I won’t go into the reason’s why, but when the crowd found out, they were disappointed! Stella Parton graced the Indie Fest stage as well as Bobby G. Rice.
After the show, a bunch of hard drive data recovery expert us headed down to the famous restaurant, Houston’s. While the prices were expensive, it was worth every single bite! The food was fabulous and I would recommend anyone visiting Nashville to give it a try! While we were waiting, I ran into Jamie O’Neil and Neil McCoy (a true cowboy at heart). Neil was very casual and friendly. I thought wow, this is the beginning of hard drive data recovery expert what I expected at Fan Fair, the fans, meeting the stars and Fan Fair hadn’t really begun yet!
After Houston’s, we headed down to Broadway, and for hard drive data recovery expert those of hard drive data recovery expert you not familiar with Nashville, this is where you will find it all. The Ryman is less then a ½ block from Broadway, world famous Tootsies is on hard drive data recovery expert Broadway and of hard drive data recovery expert course is a must see and then there is Legends next door to Tootsies just to name a few. All the bars had no cover charge and some of hard drive data recovery expert the best music I have heard in hard drive data recovery expert a long time. We danced the night away and landed home around 4 AM. The next day I hit Riverfest that had an inexpensive all day ticket of hard drive data recovery expert $10.00. The first 2 hours were acts signed to major Indie labels, and let me tell you, some of hard drive data recovery expert the acts could not sing on hard drive data recovery expert key. It wasn’t just my musicians’ ear that was tweaked, I looked around and the crowd was cringing too! But then acts like T Graham Brown, Joe Stampley and The Great Divide came on hard drive data recovery expert and spiced up the crowd, giving renewed hope to audience. They were crowd pleasers and crowd stoppers and everyone loved them.
In between, a DJ from one of hard drive data recovery expert the radio stations in hard drive data recovery expert Nashville asked the audience how they liked the new venue. The crowd roared a huge “boooo, we hate it!” The DJ actually seemed overwhelmed and surprised by the reaction. I decided I would ask one of hard drive data recovery expert the people who was sitting beside me why he and his wife did not like the new venue. They said they had purchased platinum tickets to the Adelphia, where all the Fan Fair booths and concerts were held, and they were seated so far away during the concerts, that the stars looked like ants. I decided to do some research. I went around the crowd asking the same question, “Do you like the new format of hard drive data recovery expert Fan Fair. Why or Why not?” It was always the same answer. Too many people. Too much corporate, not enough stars and the few stars that actually showed up for hard drive data recovery expert something other then the concerts were only there for hard drive data recovery expert a brief time. Extremely hard to find parking spots, and too much traffic.
My friend took out the Fan Fair booklet and counted only 26 actual signing booths for hard drive data recovery expert stars out of hard drive data recovery expert the 100 some odd booths in hard drive data recovery expert the Adelphia building. WOW! Wait a minute. I thought this was Fan Fair, not Gizmo and latest Gadget fair. According to previous Fan Fair attendee’s, Fan Fair used to be held at the fair grounds. There were a lot of hard drive data recovery expert stars and star booths, concerts, and everything was in hard drive data recovery expert one place. No hopping about, trying to find parking and trying to make it to something that already happened before you arrived. Another huge complaint was that the venue used to be held during the week and was longer, and now it was held during the busiest time, the weekend and it was shorter. I did not hear a single positive remark from the fans about the new format.
But let’s get back to my experience at Fan Fair, the Riverfest stage. Sherrie Austin came out, and the men went wild. She sang up a storm and sounded as good live as she does on hard drive data recovery expert her CD. After she finished, a bunch of hard drive data recovery expert us decided to go grab a bite to eat before we watched the next round of hard drive data recovery expert people on hard drive data recovery expert stage. We headed up to Broadway and started looking. I went into a cute little store called Cotton Eyed Joes, to get a bag to carry some things I had in hard drive data recovery expert hand. Nice little store, inexpensive, with a lot of hard drive data recovery expert touristy type items for hard drive data recovery expert those of hard drive data recovery expert you looking for hard drive data recovery expert that type of hard drive data recovery expert thing. As we walked up the street one of hard drive data recovery expert the gals I was with said she wanted some french fries and that she wanted to go into Hooters to get them. I said, ‘Are you crazy?! I have never been in hard drive data recovery expert a Hooters in hard drive data recovery expert my life and I don’t want to start now.’ For those of hard drive data recovery expert you who have seen me live, it’s not a threat to me; it’s that I feel it’s degrading to women. Of course none of hard drive data recovery expert the men in hard drive data recovery expert our group objected…LOL! Like they would. Snicker. So, in hard drive data recovery expert we went, into Hooters, and my friends were pushing me in hard drive data recovery expert saying I should get a job there. NOT! Okay, so I was wrong, it wasn’t at all what I expected it to be. Instead of hard drive data recovery expert the bikini-clad women I had seen in hard drive data recovery expert the ads, they were wearing T-shirts, which didn’t offend me while I was eating.
Our plans were crushed, while we sat eating our cuisine at Hooters (just the name is offensive to me, sorry guys!), as the rain starting pouring and a lighting storm of hard drive data recovery expert huge proportions starting hitting the fair city of hard drive data recovery expert Nashville. It rained the rest of hard drive data recovery expert the day, so our plans to head back to Riverfest to see some of hard drive data recovery expert the more popular artists for hard drive data recovery expert that week, were dashed. By evening, the rain had stopped and we headed for hard drive data recovery expert the Nashville Palace with some friends. The cuisine left much to be desired. Not one of hard drive data recovery expert us liked our food or our drinks, but the entertainment was great. Vern Gosdin showed up, greatly improved after his stroke a few years ago and sang a few tunes, much to the delight of hard drive data recovery expert the entire audience. What a legend! The house band was awesome and I started realizing how ordinary one feels amongst such great talent that is everywhere, on hard drive data recovery expert every corner!
What was surprising to me, was that the cover bands were playing mostly Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Willie Nelson songs to name just a few of hard drive data recovery expert the legends and the crowd would roar for hard drive data recovery expert more. You would hear, ‘We want more Merle’, ‘Play another Dolly tune’, ‘I want another Waylon tune’. And these requests continued throughout the night. You rarely heard a Shania Twain or Faith Hill song, and never a Jessica Andrews song. What I found so interesting was, whether the people in hard drive data recovery expert the crowd were 25, 72, 43, or 14 (and there were quite a few in hard drive data recovery expert the teenage group around), they all knew every single word to the old standards and wanted to hear more. I even heard several teenagers, when one of hard drive data recovery expert the newer songs was played yelling, ‘We don’t want to hear that! We want Merle!’ So the trend record labels have of hard drive data recovery expert letting the “old” ones go may not be what the public wants, who knows, maybe that is why Country Music is dying and record labels are going out of hard drive data recovery expert business. Could it be they aren’t listening to what the people want, and only seeing the demographics of hard drive data recovery expert what they consider the main buying populace? Is there a place for hard drive data recovery expert the “old” with the “new”?
Could it be that this industry and others that are following suit have thrown away traditions because anyone over the age of hard drive data recovery expert 40 is too old? That’s sad. It seems the people in hard drive data recovery expert charge have taken over what we are allowed to think, feel and see. Somehow, in hard drive data recovery expert the Americanized part of hard drive data recovery expert the world, anyone over the age of hard drive data recovery expert 25 has become outdated and too old and forget it if you are 40 or older. I don’t know about the rest of hard drive data recovery expert you, but I love my Grandma more then anything. I think of hard drive data recovery expert her more highly then anyone I have ever known. And on hard drive data recovery expert top of hard drive data recovery expert everything else, she is a virtual library of hard drive data recovery expert information. She is beautiful and interesting and fun. No one is going to tell me that because she is older, she is not of hard drive data recovery expert value!
Recently, when I was viewing the site of hard drive data recovery expert a popular radio station, I saw a statement and list that read as follows: “Artists we play”, “Artists we respect, but don’t play”. All the older more established artists and the legends were on hard drive data recovery expert the ‘respected list’, and all of hard drive data recovery expert the “up and comers” were on hard drive data recovery expert the ‘we play list’. I called up and asked for hard drive data recovery expert the Program Director and asked why a certain artist, who I thought was “newer” because she had had a number one hit just last year, was on hard drive data recovery expert the ‘respected, but not played’ list. I already suspected why the other ones were on hard drive data recovery expert there, although I did not agree. I was told that while they respected the older artists, the artist I was referring too was too old because she had just turned 40, and they didn’t play females past the age of hard drive data recovery expert 40 on hard drive data recovery expert their station. What amazed me was that he had the guts to tell me this. Aren’t there age and sex discrimination laws? He said their demographic listening group liked younger artists only. How I wish he had been in hard drive data recovery expert Nashville that night!
What an eye opener that statement was for hard drive data recovery expert me! My reply to him was, “Okay, so you’re telling me that Cher, Ella Fitzgerald, and Kenny Rogers have lost their voices and can no longer sing and we should put them out to pastor now? Right!” I hung up on hard drive data recovery expert him. Cher and Kenny Rogers have both had huge hits in hard drive data recovery expert the past several years and we all know they are over 40! Okay, enough of hard drive data recovery expert my ranting. Back to Fan Fair and the original point. In the majority of hard drive data recovery expert the bars, the old standards were the most popular, especially Merle Haggard, and that was what people wanted to hear.
The next day we rehearsed for hard drive data recovery expert singing at the Blue Bird Café, which was a huge thrill for hard drive data recovery expert me. I had never been to the Blue Bird. We rehearsed, hung out by the pool, and then went to the Blue Bird. There was some big talent there. So many wonderful singers I can’t name them all! For those of hard drive data recovery expert you, who have never been to Nashville, please make sure to hit the Blue Bird Café. It is very small, so get there early or there won’t be a seat for hard drive data recovery expert you. If you can’t make it there or to Nashville, they broadcast live on hard drive data recovery expert the Internet so you can hear the talent there too. We did the gig with Joanne and people came up to us telling us they loved it, and we were a breath of hard drive data recovery expert fresh air. That was nice. We headed back to downtown and back to Broadway to see the happenings there.
Daryle Singletary showed up at Tootsies and sang his hits from a several years ago. He was incredible. What a velvety voice. What I would like to know is why he was let go from his contract, and why isn’t he signed again yet?! The crowd went wild for hard drive data recovery expert him, the women were cooing (me too…whoooo baby…what a hottie!), and the men loved him too! Someone needs to snatch him up, or he needs to start his own label. This was the last night of hard drive data recovery expert Fan Fair, and my last night in hard drive data recovery expert Nashville, so we had to make the best of hard drive data recovery expert it. We hit just about every bar on hard drive data recovery expert the strip, learning new dances, hearing the talent, seeing old friends and breathing in hard drive data recovery expert the last of hard drive data recovery expert the home town country feel, or at least the best you can get in hard drive data recovery expert a big city. My last stop was at the Grand Ole Opry Hotel, a real touristy thing to do and it was about midnight, but what a great last stop. It is the biggest hotel in hard drive data recovery expert the world with some 2000 rooms and a wonderful tropical environment smack dab in hard drive data recovery expert the middle of hard drive data recovery expert their huge atrium. What a sight and how beautiful. There was a fabulous light show that happened with water just after we arrived and we spent 3 hours just walking around and looking at the beautiful architecture. There was a lot more to the trip, but sadly, there just isn’t enough room
My general opinion of hard drive data recovery expert Fan Fair is that I would not go again. There were not enough stars for hard drive data recovery expert the general fans and it wasn’t at all what it had been built up to be. I would go to Nashville over and over and over again. I love that town! It’s a great place, a great environment, with a lot of hard drive data recovery expert fun things to do, and a plethora of hard drive data recovery expert talent that is unbelievable! If I were doing an Andy Rooney bit about Fan Fair, I would say, there was so much air in hard drive data recovery expert this huge package, and once you put a hole in hard drive data recovery expert the package and let all the air out, there was hardly any product. Most of hard drive data recovery expert the fun I had in hard drive data recovery expert Nashville, I could have had whether Fan Fair was there or not. Even though I have never been part of hard drive data recovery expert the previous Fan Fairs, my vote is cast for hard drive data recovery expert the old venue to bring the stars back home!
Copyright 2005 Jaci Rae
Jaci Rae is the #1 Best Selling author of hard drive data recovery expert “Winning Points with the Woman in hard drive data recovery expert Your Life One Touchdown at a Time” ISBN 0974622907 and “The Indie Guide To Music, Marketing and Money” ISBN 978-0-9746229-4-1 as well as the host of hard drive data recovery expert the Jaci Rae show. Dubbed by the media as "Racy Jaci" because of hard drive data recovery expert her quick wit and "The Rae of hard drive data recovery expert Hope," for hard drive data recovery expert her powerful insight, please make sure to check her out at: jacirae.com jacirae.com To hear Jaci’s popular show, with some of hard drive data recovery expert the top behind the scenes as well as famous bands go to: jacirae.com jacirae.com click on hard drive data recovery expert the weekly show link.