If you’re like me, you spend all year waiting for your favorite country artists to come to Hartford. You listen year round, but nothing compares to being on the lawn with all of your best friends, with the music so loud you can’t hear the person next to you on a beautiful summer night.
Sure, you get beer spilled on you and the bathroom line takes forever, but it’s all worth it when you're standing on that lawn, looking out at the sea of people that came out for the same reason you did: to have a great night full of country music.
These concerts are an all-day event, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. First, you get ready and hop in the car. You plan to get there about three hours before the concert starts, because there's no way you're going to miss the tailgating. That’s a party of its own.
You and your friends blare the country music and it’s off the Hartford. Traffic is inevitable, but the big trucks and loud country music blasting from every direction makes the time fly.
Nothing is better than feeling your tires hit that gravel and looking out to see all the people already started. You drive by and hear all your favorite songs.
There's not one truck you walk by that isn't blasting a song that you can’t sing all the words to. And of course, there’s always those trucks that like to smoke out the lot, but it always gets tons of cheers from all over.
Once you’re in the theater, everyone is excited. Although you’re not close to the stage in the lawn, you have the most fun watching everyone else and being able to walk and dance around.
This is when you meet all kinds of new people, which is the best. The lawn seats are so cheap, too. There's literally no better deal, in my opinion.
These concerts run late, but you don’t care. It’s the best hours of your life and make the work week so worth it. After the encores (because there's always one or five), it’s a blast to see which people try to roll down the hill to try to skip the crowd on the stairs.
They usually aren’t successful and it’s hilarious. No one usually gets hurt, but watching the struggle is something everyone waits at the bottom for.
Even though the concert is over, the party isn’t. Whether you go to the McDonald’s across the street or bring the fun back to the cars, the country music doesn’t stop.
All throughout the traffic, the music is still blasting. When you get home, your ears are still ringing and the memory of the night plays over in your head.
The next day you’re exhausted, but it was a blast. Now, you can’t wait for the next weekend for another show and to do it all over again! Because what could be better?
