Rowdy Frynds Load-in

Here are some photos I snapped of today’s load-in for the Rowdy Frynds Tour. There will be more uploaded to our Flickr at a later time, but for now this should be a nice tease for the concert tonight. Read more

I Survived Bullnanza!!

I know what you are thinking right, Bullnanza??? I am a city girl; I really have no knowledge of bull riding or even cows for that matter. But, for the past few weeks a friend at work has been hyping up bullnanza to me. She kind of explained the whole thing to me since I was unsure as to what to expect. She showed me some video of bull riding and told me I would be throughly disappointed if I missed this year’s event. So I told her, sure why not, I hadn’t been to anything like that before.

Let me explain what bullriding is for those who dont know. The object is for the bull rider to stay on the bull for 8 seconds once he is let out of the pin. If the rider falls off before 8 seconds, they are awarded no points. If they stay on 8 seconds or longer, the judges judge their ride based on their technique and a few other things.

I think the most exciting part of bull riding is when they are let out of their holding pen to start their run. The bull comes out of there kicking and bucking with its fullest power and the rider is holding on to just a braided rope. Frankly, I am not sure how they can even hold on to that thing and it just not slip right through his hands. The bulls range from just normal size bulls to some of the largest bulls I have ever seen in my life! It’s hard to describe actually watching this event, so I shot some video for you:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_yENDqYiOg]

One of things I expected was for this to be really country, which it’s definitely not. Ya, there are some cowboys there, but nothing over the top. I think why this event appeals to so many people is because they try to make sure that there is something for everyone. They played everything from rock music, to popular hits that everyone knows, to country and even some rap! I think having the broad spectrum of genres there helps it appeal to everyone’s taste.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gUH18r44CY]

One of the (i don’t want to use scarriest, but it really is) scarriest parts of the whole thing is when the rider falls of the bull. You can hear the crowd as a whole say things like, “watch out” or “oooooh”. A lot of times I guess the bull is trained to go back into the holding pen where they come from. But also a lot of the time, that is not the case. It almost looks like the bull wants a little revenge and he abruptly turns around and starts heading for the rider or the “clown”. I promise you you will not be able to take your eyes off of it when it happens. Most of the time the rider can get right up and runs to the side, but sometimes the bull is just too quick and that’s when the “clown” comes in. He tries to distract the bull and even sometimes pull him away from the rider on the ground. And even sometimes, which is funny, the bull tries to attack the “clown” and starts running after him. I am not really sure what the “clowns” are called now, but they have their faces painted and wear brightly colored clothing, but not like a traditional clown, to try to get the bull to notice them, so that is what I call them. And then sometimes, the bulls aren’t even distracted by the clowns and the guy and his horse have to come lasso the bull and pull him back into the pin.

One of the promotions they had was an audience member got to come out onto the floor and get down on all fours, and being blindfolded look for a $100 bill that was placed in dirt somewhere. I don’t know about you, but $100 isn’t worth it for me to get down in my good clothes and rummage around in the nasty dirt. (Also, notice the clown i was talking about before; he is the guy with the cowboy hat on.)

This bull riding competition was part of the PBR group and they evidentally tour nationally. So the cool thing is that they have the opportunity to come back to Lexington for their next competition. I would say this is just something that you have to see in person. Watching the video is nothing like being there and watching these riders try to hang on to these bulls for dear life. You have to just be there to experience the excitement! I know i will definitely go again next time they come around!

Photos Galore!

Although the blog has fallen victim to busy schedules, our Flickr page is more active than ever. A picture is worth a thousand words, and with the amount of pictures I have been uploading, I think I could fill a novel. The exciting thing is that I have had a lot of photos sent to me by many fans with steady picture-taking hands.

I have added all the Blue Man Group Photos to our corresponding collection on Flickr. As per the norm, there are a lot of great shots by one of our house photographers (James Crisp) and then some other photos I snapped “from the stands,” which will offer a different angle and perspective on the event.

In addition to the Blue Man Group there have been a lot of people coming forward with their photos they took at the Keith Urban & Carrie Underwood concert this past month. Let me tell you, some of their photos are B-E-A-Utiful. If you are a Keith and/or Carrie (or Nicole Kidman…) fan, then there is plenty for you to check out in that collection since we have photos of both artisits, From the Stands shots, and a bunch of crowd shots. Below are some choice photos from the Blue Man Group and some fan photos (taken by Jennifer Thoune) that I picked out to put up on the blog. All of them are available for viewing on our Flickr photostream.

For more great photos from both of these events, stop by our Flickr page and click on the collection you would like to view on the right. Upon clicking you will be able to check out floor shots, ones from the seats and a variety of fan photos that were sent our way. Enjoy!

Keith & Carrie’s Carnival Ride

On my way to my computer to put the Keith & Carrie concert pictures on Flickr I got kidnapped and blindfolded. Apparently the pictures are highly sought after. I was held prisoner for a week in a secret hideout which I could only assume was the basement of an eccentric fan. I managed to break free and run away with my captors chasing me. Just as I cut a corner to escape for good I heard them yell “Don’t show those pictures to anyone, or else…” Despite the gruesome threat, I have decided to accept my fate and post them all up on Flickr for everyone to see. Yes, it is a week later than I would have liked, but at least I have a good excuse right? [Lame? Really? At least I tried...]

Below are a few pictures from the concert that you can find in our Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood Flickr Collection. Since we had a guest blogger with iPhone in hand, myself with my camera at the ready, and our house photographer Michael Wright on point, there are plenty of pictures from a variety of different angles (and devices) for your viewing pleasure.

Last but certainly not least, there are a few treats for you to check out. If you have been keeping up with the blog, I may have noticed I love to make panoramics from concerts and events. Luckily, this one did not escape my obsession so there are two below for you to click on and view.

If you happen to be one of the 17,000 people in attendance and took some photos of your own then we would LOVE to see them. Please email them to us at rupparenablog@gmail.com. With your permission, we will put them up in the Fan Photos set on our Flickr site, and give you credit.