Backstage At Parkland Eats N' Beats

January 14th 2017, the day of Eats n' Beats, was probably the most stressful day ever for those involved. I got invited to go early to see the set up process and go backstage for the show, see the green room and see how the artists put together a show. I've gone to some of these things before, but it's never this big. I've been backstage at bar shows, coffee shops, etc. Most of the time there isn't a Green Room for the artist and if it's at a bar, a lot of times the artist is stuck waiting at the front of the bar for their turn. Today it's different, and while the air is very stressful, it also is going to be fun.

Before the show, you wouldn't believe how much time it takes an artist to get ready, especially a girl. It's not a bad thing though, it's good to take care of yourself and make yourself look good. Kristen's really good at that, and I'm watching her get ready. There's green tubes of makeup, a few containers with some powder and contouring kits, and a box of eyelashes. Eyelashes really make the look, that's what I've learned from the times that I've sat watching Kristen get ready.

"They make your eyes pop."

Kristen says this all the time when I ask, and it's really true once you compare it. A few touch-ups to the makeup and we're on our way. I'm sitting next to a soundboard, something I'm actually familiar with, as we drive from her house to the venue in Parkland. Once we arrive, it's a lot bigger than I saw in the pictures. There's food trucks already setting up for the night, the sun is just starting to go down, and there's already loud music from the second band that's performing which is weird. Later we come to find out that they took up Kristen's setup time and soundcheck by just messing around. Mind you that these aren't kids, but older men who are some sort of Silverstein tribute band. Normally not my own cup of tea, and they're not even that good compared to Silverstein.

I'll talk about that another day.

After waiting for a bit, Kristen takes me back to the green room where the artists are supposed to be. It smells like cigarette smoke and plastic couch covers, and we go over her set for the night. The smell is kind of ridiculously thick, but after a few moments you get used to it. While in the back, this is where I meet Erica Morgan and the first thing I think is "she's so pretty, oh my gosh."

You know the pictures you see of celebrities and then you meet them in real life and they're prettier than their picture? This is the case with Erica. We end up becoming friends and exchanging makeup tips later on. ( I didn't realize that you could use sparkly eye shadow for highlighter, I'm going to use that trick from now on. )

Erica and I talk while Kristen's doing her soundcheck. "We have to be out there when she starts 80's Mercedes. She wants me to videotape that." Erica said. We spend a lot of our time talking about Myspace Music and I even got to know some secrets about that which are pretty cool about the country music scene. (Nothing I'll share, sorry guys!)

Finally, the other band is back in the room and it smells more like cigars now. The men are very 'rockstar-esque' with bandannas and spikes and really bad mustaches you'd see in some sort of comedy. They were however, very nice despite taking up Kristen's time when she was supposed to be rehearsing.

So once Erica and I hear the all too familiar bass beat of 80's Mercedes, we're running out to watch. The whole stage is lit up so brightly with colored lights, it feels like I'm at a disco. The air is warm but not over the top, and just adds for the feel of a winter concert. A few of Erica's friends are there, so I get to meet them and they're just as nice as Erica is, and the whole area just feels like we're all vibing to really good music. Kristen plays a lot of classics as well as her own music; I personally really like Anthem, which you should check out.

After a few songs, Erica's up on the stage as well. Erica is a songwriter and it was her last week in Florida before she moved to Nashville which is every country artist's dream. Heck, I'm not even a country artist and I'd love to move there. The two of them sing a song that they wrote together, and of course it's magical. While this is going on, I start to see more people arrive and more lights around the field behind me. They're handing out lightsticks, and it's so magical once I turn around. There are at least 500 people behind me, maybe a little less, and they're all waving blinking lights. It feels like some sort of really surreal concert experience.

Kristen plays other hits like Yeah Boy by Kelsea Ballerini ( which she was acknowledged by the singer in a cover compilation video on Kelsea's twitter ) as well as Dibs and Vice by Miranda Lambert. Once her set is over though, that's when I'm able to run to her and tell her my thoughts. It was incredible, she's breathless, and I'm starving. My parents ended up coming so I say my goodbyes and go to get some food truck BBQ and hot doughnuts.

If you ever get the chance to go to an outdoor concert like Eats N' Beats, I highly encourage it. It's much like a small music festival and family friendly as well. All in all, the experience gave me such a new perspective on the small music industry, and I can't wait to do more gigs like this.