Commentary: Behind the scenes at the big concert

It’s the most anticipated three-day concert in the country, if you ask me. The Country Concert in Fort Loramie is Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Not only is the lineup stellar, with 17 superstar acts such as Lady Antebellum, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Montgomery Gentry, Jason Aldean and Darius Rucker, to quote Jason, it promises to be “My Kinda Party.”

All that takes place on the huge state-of-the-art stage, complete with big-screen TVs, so the 50,000-plus fans won’t miss a thing.

Now me, being the investigative (or just nosy) type I am, I wanted to know what goes on behind the scenes. I talked with my bud Paul Barhorst from Country Concert ’11 for the inside scoop.

Paul says the Country Concert is a “reunion of sorts for fans and supporters that attend year after year. Some have been with us from the first and second year and now include second and third generations.”

More than a thousand people will work CC ’11 in one form or another. And that includes the concessions: The biggest sellers at Country Concert? Pizza, burgers and turkey legs.

If you’re coming up to Country Concert, look for some new attractions, including a mini Cash Explosion game in the Saloon on Saturday. Fans will have a chance to play and win at the show.

The founders of Country Concert, Mike & Mary Jo Barhorst, just celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary. As Paul says, “Country Concert started as an anniversary/friends-and-family celebration about 35 years ago and has grown.”

Country Concert 2011 hasn’t even started and Paul says, “We are generating ideas for County Concert ’12 and beyond.”

I’ll be there Saturday. I’ll be the one stalking Jason Aldean. Now, he’s my kinda party.

Readers can contact Nancy Wilson, a morning-radio personality at WHKO-FM (K99.1), by email through k99online.com.

About the Author