I woke up to impressive clouds this morning; we sure could have used a few of them yesterday at Country Thunder! Before we left I thought about sunscreen, but before I actually got around to it I got distracted with something else and it never happened. Luckily it turned out that Alex (!) actually had some I could use.
The stage faced north (which of course meant that we were looking south into the sun all day) so I sure was glad I had my little blue hat with me! I should be able to post a picture later once Patti sends me the ones she took of Alex and me yesterday.
Alex was a good tour guide, and had offered to take us backstage later for a VIP tour. That never happened, though, because by the time he got off work and called and also texted me, it was SO loud that I never heard any of the alerts on my phone. The music just got better and better as the day/evening progressed, and even though I didn't recognize most of the performers' names I did recognize many of the songs.
It was definitely an under-30 crowd (we may have seen a handful of older folks?) and it appeared that out of the huge number of attendees we might have been the only folks who weren't drinking. We also weren't dressed in short-shorts and cowboy boots like the vast percentage of folks. Of course there were also a number pretty outrageous get-ups: one guy in an American flag thong stood out. <g> There were the usual number of t-shirts sporting all sorts of slogans, and I think I made this guy's day when I asked to take his picture.
There were a couple of death-defying rides there, like the SlingShot. Patti and I heartily agreed that it did not look like fun, but like everything else yesterday we were decidedly in the minority. A lot of people were more than willing to pay $30 for the privilege of being shot up in the air and tumbled around, and by the time we left last night (around 9:30) there was a LONG line. Alex said he rode it (for free) many times each evening during Spring Break last month because he kept those guys supplied with RockStar.
And speaking of death-defying rides... RockStar sponsored a couple of motorcyle riders strutting their stuff there, and we joined Alex for one of their demos. My heart was in my throat each time they did a trick, and a few times I was sure they were going to crash. Alex (in the black tee snapping a photo) said it was all part of the performance, but I sure had trouble watching! I was quite grateful that he wasn't doing the trick riding; he had picked up us near the entrance and guided us in the (very convoluted) back way on a cycle. And yes, it wasn't that easy finding our way out to the exit later that night.
I don't think I have ever seen as many food vendors as there were there - not even at the State Fair! Patti and I ended up sharing a garlic chicken kabob for dinner, which was huge (and delicious.) Interesting payment system: I had to buy tickets (for a dollar apiece), which I then used at the booths. Of course they make more money that way because you sure don't want to wait in line and then find out you need more tickets for your food! Still, I only had 2 tickets left over so apparently I guesstimated pretty well.
We definitely had a fun day!
If Alex works it again next year we'll be there -
when I can wear my Country Thunder '16 shirt!
This is what The Arizona Republic had to say about the festival:
When 27,000 people descend in RVs and campers on an open field in central Arizona for a four-day music and drinking festival, you're bound to see some weird stuff. And the first day of Country Thunder did not disappoint.
And here are some of the weird things they found:
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