Life is Suite

(Today's word will be in red and bold.)


The Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon, is host to many events throughout the year.  Concerts; ice shows; hockey games, and much more.  It's also the home court of the NBA Portland Trailblazers.

I like basketball, for the most part, though I rarely watch it.  Most of the time I watch if Portland is in the playoffs, or if I have a chance to go to a game.  That was the case the evening of Friday, November 16, 2012.  A friend and co-worker had an extra ticket for the game in our company's suite, so he asked if I wanted to go.

It had been awhile since I'd been to a game; the proof being that I no longer knew any of the players' names, except LaMarcus Aldridge. There was no more Rudy Fernandez, Joe Prizbilla, or any other names I recognized.

No worries, I figured I didn't really *have* to know the players' names to enjoy the game; and I didn't, though I do know one or two more names now.

(The view from one of the suites in the Rose Garden Arena.)

Before the game started, I asked my friend if he thought the Blazers had a chance of making it to the playoffs this year; he said no, they're too young of a team.  Once the game got started, I had to agree with him.  Our team was having a hard time making shots and scoring points.  When they did, the other team, (the Houston Rockets), would score almost immediately after that.  I was thinking it was going to be a bit of a letdown of a game.

By the second half though, things had picked up, the Rockets were still doing better at making their shots, but the Blazers were at least making more of theirs.  At one point in the first half our team was down by more than ten points.  In the second half, not only did we make up the deficit, a few times we actually were ahead of the other team.  When it came right down to the wire, the game actually went in to overtime.  Long story short, the Blazers came out the winners!  YAY!

So, not only did the Trailblazers win, I got to watch the game from a great spot, and the team scored over 100 points during the game; which in Portland means coupons for a free Taco Bell chalupa for everyone at the game.  Life was definitely sweet in the suite that night!

Blake Shelton's "Well Lit & Amplified" Tour--March 11, 2012

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)


Sunday, March 11, 2012 Blake Shelton brought his "Well Lit & Amplified" tour to the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon.

Dia Frampton, runner-up on season one of "The Voice", got the music started.

Frampton looked at ease, singing and roaming the stage barefoot. Though at times the music drowned her out, Dia's voice did shine through beautifully for the most part.

After a short break, Justin Moore was next up. It occurred to me that I've always thought Moore sounds quite a bit like Blake Shelton; and now I was seeing them both in the same evening.

Moore rolled out all his hits, as well as covers of others. Like Dia Frampton before him, there were times Moore's voice was overshadowed by the music. For the most part though, his performance was great.

Another short break, and it was time for headliner, Blake Shelton.

The first time I saw Blake Shelton was eleven years ago, at the Ponderosa Lounge in Portland, Oregon. He was a 25 year old kid, with long hair, beautiful blue eyes, and one hit, "Austin". At the time, Blake seemed a bit shy, though he was friendly to everyone who met him that night.

The next time I saw him, the venue was a bit bigger, the Tillamook County Fair, in Tillamook, Oregon. The hair was shorter, the eyes just as blue, and a few more hits under his belt. By then the shyness was mostly gone, but not the friendliness.

Now, there I was in the huge Rose Garden Arena, and the same man was onstage, taking full command of the show, with very little shyness, if any.

Shelton did joke around that he drinks when he's nervous; and proceeded to be "nervous" a lot throughout the concert.

The sound for Shelton's set was really good, whether the song was quiet, or a more rocking one. And Shelton did plenty of both types of music; all the while talking, joking and interacting with the audience. He, and his voice were in excellent form.

It was like having seen a bud come into full bloom. Sometimes artists don't make the transition from small venues to large ones very well; Shelton made it look easy.

From Dia Frampton, to Justin Moore, to Blake Shelton, there wasn't a dull moment from beginning to end. If these three artists weren't enough, the crowd in Portland got another surprise that night.

About half way through his performance, Blake started talking about his wife, Miranda Lambert, and how she and Blake have varying tastes in music. Blake then started singing Lambert's song, "Baggage Claim"; but before going too far, said his wife could do the song better than he could, so she should be the one to do it.

Blake then asked the crowd if they'd like to hear his wife do the song. Of course the entire arena went crazy, screaming and cheering. To be honest, I thought Blake was kidding around, since his set that night had opened with "Baggage Claim" being played over the speakers. Lo and behold though, amidst all the hubbub, who walked out on stage but MIRANDA!

Lambert was as on the spot with her singing as the others had been before her that evening. It was a cool surprise!

After Miranda was done, she left the stage and Blake continued with his songs. Both Dia Frampton and Justin Moore joined Shelton on stage at different times, to perform with him.

The "Well Lit & Amplified" tour is one of the best large venue shows I've seen in awhile. If there's one complaint, it's that Blake didn't do "The Baby", which is one of my favorites of his songs.

I'd say those attending the concert definitely got their money's worth; both in quality, and length. The concert had started at 7:30pm, and didn't end until after 11pm.

I'm fairly sure this post is a bit more rambling than it needs to be. I blame it on a lack of sleep. By the time the concert ended, and I made it home to bed, it was 1am, and I was up for work at 4am.

For anyone looking for a shorter version of what I thought of the concert that night, I'll leave you with the email I sent to Scott, Jolynn and Jake, Monday morning, after the show:

Dia Frampton--Great!
Justin Moore--Great!
Miranda Lambert--Cool!
Blake Shelton--AWESOME!!!
Three hours of sleep--WORTH IT!