DAY - 3

Hotlanta baby!  Very cool city!  My wife Sue and I took our first little road trip as southerners down to Atlanta, GA this weekend.  For Sue's b-day, back in May,  I bought her tickets to see her all time favorite band Matchbox 20 at Aaron's Amphitheater at Lakewood in Atlanta.  It's about 4 hours from Nashville, but the drive is beautiful...especially riding through Chattanooga, TN.  Nothing but lakes, rivers and rolling hills made the 4hr road trip fly by.  As for the concert, it was blast from the past!  Two HUGE 90's bands on one bill.  Matchbox 20 shared the stage with the Goo Goo Dolls.  It was a great show.  The Goos opened it up and played ALL their hits.  The highlight was when they played their first radio single, "Name".  The crowd went nuts! That song hasn't left radio and it still gets me like the first time I heard it back in middle school.

Although the GGD were great, there was no doubt that this was a Matchbox 20 show.  The energy in the 19,000 seat, sold out Amphitheater exploded when Rob Thomas and the band hit the stage.  You might be rolling your eyes thinking, "Really? Matchbox 20?"  I'm telling you, I've always appreciated the band and respected what they do, however, to see them live, 17 years after their first single, truly changed my perspective.  I left as a fan. They were phenomenal!  Rob Thomas has a voice of steal, sounding just as good, if not better than the albums.  Kyle Cook, the lead guitarist blew me away.  He was flawless and truly a rock star on stage. The band as a whole was in the pocket all night.  They sounded like they were 20 something years old at the height of their career.  It was very impressive and inspiring.  Sue, of course loved it.  I think the only guy she would ever leave me for is Rob Thomas...luckily he's happily married (knock on wood ;) )

Today I hit it hard.  Writing all morning, working on new ideas and fleshing out old ones.  I reached out to LeAnn Phelan, co-head of the creative team at ASCAP.  I met with LeAnn back in March and  kept in touch.  She offered to meet with me again when I got to Nashville so needless to say, I contacted her today to take her up on the offer.  More to come...tonight I have a writing session at the beautiful Fontanel Mansion with writer/artist Steven Whitson.  Stay tuned for the details tomorrow!!