Last night I had the opportunity to experience my first concert at Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, VA! Nissan Pavilion has some seating and lots of lawn space for concert goers. Lucky for me, a friend of mine actually won tickets off the radio from our local country channel - WMZQ 98.7 FM- and she took me! Can you believe this is her SECOND pair of tickets that she's won from the radio? I didn't know people actually did win tickets! Our seats weren't great - but considering that a) beggers can't be choosers since they were free, and b) it was POURING rain last night, I can't complain!

The opening act for Martina was newcomer Jason Michael Carroll, who did a few songs, including his hits "Living Our Long Song" and "Alyssa Lies"

Then came Country's Best New Artist: Jack Ingram. Jack was a huge crowd favorite, even taking a few minutes between songs to go out into the first few rows and give hugs, and took a picture with a fan before announcing: "That's going to be on MySpace tomorrow!" Jack's set included hits like: "Maybe She'll Get Lonely," "Measure of a Man" and "Barbie Doll"

The headliner, Martina McBride, did about an hour and a half of past hits and a couple from the new CD, "Waking Up Laughing." Her biggest hit was her new song "For These Times" where she asked people to write on a whiteboard things they wish to see in their lifetime, which she then flashed on the screen during her performance. Fans wishes included "Bring Our Troops Home Safely," "Go Redskins!." "Higher Teacher Salaries," "Low FIXED Interest Mortgage Rates." "Martina for President 2008," and "Cure for Cancer." With each new one, a roar came from the crowd- it was much more emotional than you'd expect!

Because it's outside ampitheather, this years' concert schedule is over! But check www.livenation.com for more concert information for 2009!