It was actually quite the opposite when we decided what we were going to do for our 23rd birthday trip.
Only about a month before the concert, Sarah and I both, separately, just so happened (honestly!) to look at the tour dates on Drew Holcomb's website. We had already known they were going to be in Oxford (a few hours away from us) in April, but neither of us had ever thought about going. But this time, I found myself walking into Sarah's room... "Hey, Sarah, what day of the week is April 3rd?" Imagine my surprise when she said, "It's a Thursday.....yeah, that Drew Holcomb concert in Oxford?" ::pause:: I think we both said in unison, "You think we can go?!?"
Next thing we knew, in about 5 minutes flat we'd planned the whole trip. It was within driving distance. We could stay with friends. Sarah could schedule a meeting in that part of the state that she'd needed to schedule for a while anyways. We could ask our parents to pay for gas as our birthday present. We could afford the tickets (only $15 each!). Our schedules allowed it. So we made phone calls and sent emails and bought the tickets - the entire thing was all set in only a few hours!
It was fun. :)
And then we asked Drew on Twitter if there was any chance he or we could convince Ellie to come to Oxford with him (she recently came off the road to be at home with their baby girl, Emmylou). He said Ellie would be making a few surprise appearances on tour, and he heard she likes visiting Oxford, so chances were 50/50. Then I tweeted Ellie and said I hoped to give her a big thank-you hug in Oxford (we'd just gotten our box of goodies from helping fund her new record on Kickstarter)...and she favorited my tweet. And then...she said on Instagram two days before the concert that she was excited to spend a few days on the road with Drew. So yeah...we knew she was going to be there. ::squeals::
So, on April 3rd, we headed up the road!
(Some of these are taken with my Canon and some with my iPhone.)
(It really was that dark!)
A new (and talented!) band from Belmont University called Judah & The Lion opened for Drew on this tour. They're a high-energy blend of bluegrass/folk/rock/Americana and sound quite a bit like Mumford & Sons. :)
We got to meet the mandolin player afterwards, Brian McDonald. He's a great mandolin player for sure, so I wanted to ask him what kind he plays and all that. We told him we found out about them through Ainsley Britain and he was so shocked! ("No way!!") Then of course we had to say that we know about Ainsley through her, "Oh, y'know, totally NOT famous best friend..." (Hunter Hayes)
It was funny. :)
The Lyric is a pretty cool venue. You can read about it here!
(Thanks to the lady who offered to take our picture in the lobby as we waited for Drew and the band to come on stage!)
I was wearing my "I Made Music with Ellie Holcomb" t-shirt. :)
Most of the time, we hung out back by house sound. Unlike almost everyone else there, we didn't have anybody we knew to chat with! It was a little quieter in the back, but occasionally we'd go over to the sides to get closer to the stage.
Musical-instrument-geek me was so excited to see Nate Dugger's guitars on stage - L to R: Gibson SG, Fender Telecaster, and Gibson ES-335.
Drew and the band opened with the title track off their latest album, Good Light.
A few songs into their set, we heard this roar come up from the front of the room and quickly realized Ellie was there! (Yes, we screamed and jumped up and down. Too excited not to!) They sang Hung the Moon and everybody loved it!
(The expression on Ellie's face is pretty typical - she is so full of joy!)
We had so much fun hearing Nate play the black Gibson live. He's a great guitar player, and that guitar in particular sounds so cool. (Watch the video and you'll hear it!)
Drew and the band ended with Fire & Dynamite, but came back on stage to do What Would I Do Without You, then finished out the night with a cover of With a Little Help from My Friends (in this case, the friends were Judah & The Lion). :)
Not long after the concert ended, we heard that Drew would be downstairs in the lobby signing autographs, so we waited around for that. Meanwhile, we got to meet Nate! He is a really genuine, down-to-earth guy and we enjoyed getting to talk to him for a minute. He signed our LP vinyl of Ellie's album (he played many of the instruments on it) and told us he got the black Gibson on Craigslist!
So here's where the story gets really special.
We waited until we were the last to meet Drew. As soon as everyone else had moved further into the lobby, we quietly asked him if there was any way we could meet Ellie.
Seeing my t-shirt and the vinyl record (which only Kickstarter backers have), and knowing how much Ellie loves and appreciates her backers, he quickly said,
"She's right upstairs! I'd be glad to take you up there!"
As if there was no way he couldn't.
We silently freaked out and followed Drew up the stairs and across the balcony to the door at the stage end on the second floor. (See the first pictures to get an idea of what I'm talking about - it's hard to describe.) It was so surreal. "What?! We're following Drew Holcomb across the balcony to meet Ellie?! And noooobody else in the whole place gets to do this but us?!?"
Drew opened the door and talked to Ellie only long enough to hand her his sharpie and tell her we were there.
Next thing we knew, Ellie was running toward us and we all screamed.
Next thing we knew, Ellie was running toward us and we all screamed.
We really did.
She bear hugged us and we all almost cried.
Ellie is so absolutely precious and has such a heart for the LORD and for others.
It was such a dream come true for us to meet her!
She took the time to talk to us for a few minutes - about the concert, and where we live, and how much we all love Jillian Edwards, and a few other things...it was wonderful. :)
Then we asked the security guy to take a picture of us. Of course!
Thank you Ellie for making a 6-hour drive and a concert that started at 10:00 and ended at midnight oh-so-unbelievably worth it!
(Nate's signature)
So of course we tweeted Ellie, who is so sweet to reply to almost all of her fans on Twitter!
A huge thank you goes to our dear friends, the Lockes, who let us stay at their house and fed us and dropped us off at The Lyric and stayed up 'til after midnight to come pick us up...that really meant a lot. We love y'all. :)
Of course I shot lots of video, so here it is on Vimeo! Enjoy!
Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors (with Judah & The Lion) - The Lyric Oxford, MS 4.3.14 from Rebekah Hope on Vimeo.
For the love of music and the glory of God,
Rebekah
