God Gave Me Blake Shelton in Seattle, WA

The morning after the Well Lit & Amplified concert in Spokane, WA my sister and I drove to Seattle. It was our first time in the city of Seattle, so we checked into the hotel early and walked to the nearby Space Needle to do a few touristy things. I should have known to expect rain! We had lunch at Sky City, which I should have known was a revolving restaurant. The view was astonishing and the food was great! When you dine at Sky City a trip to the observation deck is included in the cost of the meal. After spending a small fortune on two bowls of clam chowder, crab mac 'n cheese and a pulled pork sandwich we ventured out onto the observation deck.We made a stop at the gift shop, and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for our second Well Lit & Amplified concert.

Check out the photos from Seattle, WA!

The opening acts were the still Dia Frampton and Justin Moore. The set lists were still the same. It was essentially the same concert seen from a different angle, but with one major addition.. Blake Shelton's beautiful wife (and my country girl crush), Miranda Lambert!

Honestly, my sister and I had a feeling she may have been making an appearance that evening. We knew she had a few days off from her tour, and she had been tweeting from the concert the night before. Since the Key Arena was a larger venue than the Spokane Arena, we figured if she was going to make a guest appearance she was going to do it in Seattle.

Even though we had our suspicions, I still nearly lost my mind - as well as my voice - when Blake brought Miranda out to sing her hit Baggage Claim in her adorable Team Blake t-shirt.

Under normal circumstances, Jenna and I probably would not have driven to Seattle, WA to see the same concert for a second time. However, this was not at all a normal circumstance.. We had entered for the chance to meet Blake Shelton at both shows since only a handful of individuals are selected randomly for each concert. We had tickets to Spokane, but if one of us was lucky enough to be chosen for the Seattle concert we would buy a second pair of tickets. Not only did one of us get chosen, we both got meet and greet passes to the Seattle concert!

Needless to say I was beyond flabbergasted by the idea of meeting Mr. Blake Shelton. We picked up our passes before the doors open and spent an hour or so standing in the rain - which wouldn't have been worth it for any other man. When we were inside we knew when to meet, but where wasn't as clear. Once we figured it out, we were lead down to the floor and waited.

We were lead into a back room with a large screen set-up. Slowly and one-by-one we started to move towards the giant screen that was serving as the backdrop for the photo. At first we knew that Blake Shelton was on the other side of that screen, but it still wasn't real. As we got closer there was a moment when we heard his unmistakable laugh. At that moment my sister grabbed my arm and we just looked at each other speechless.

As I approached Blake Shelton, he opened his arms wide for an embrace and greeted me with a big ol' "Hey sweetheart!" I put my arm around him, and he placed his snuggly around my shoulders. After the photo while I was still snuggled under his arm I squeaked out, "You were great last night!" He may have been slightly taken aback but he said, "Why thank you! That's so sweet of you. You drove here from Spokane?" I told him how I had driven from Revelstoke, BC to pick up my sister in Calgary, AB. From there we drove to Spokane and finally to Seattle, WA. As I handed him the photo I wanted him to sign he looked down at my from his 6ft5 frame and said, "I'm flattered! How sweet of you. What's your name sweetheart?" I nearly died. Blake Shelton asked me for MY name. I told him, and when he signed my photo he signed it 'To Kristen, Blake Shelton'. My sister was so jealous!

As we left the meet and greet, I was overcome with emotion. You get the feeling that he genuinely appreciates each one of his fans, and he wants to ensure we feel that. I had spent the two weeks since receiving the notification of  the meet and greet trying to figure out what to say - if anything - to this country superstar. In that moment with Blake Shelton, he was no superstar. 

Well Lit & Amplified Tour 2012 - Act II ft. Blake Shelton

After Justin Moore's boot-stompin' set and a short break, the moment had finally arrived. The lights dimmed, and the crowd stood. I've seen a lot of great country performances, but I have never had an emotional reaction to an artist taking the stage. On March 8th, 2012 in Spokane, WA when Blake Shelton took the stage I cried, and I am not ashamed to admit it! Never in my life had I ever been so happy that I cried, and that night that man made it happen.

Of course any concert goer prefers to be front row for their favorite artist, but that's not always how it happens. However my sister and I had fantastic seats for this concert. We were on the floor at the tip of the catwalk.

After Blake's cover of Footloose, he sang All About Tonight. Followed by two of my favorites She Wouldn't Be Gone and  Don't Make Me. He does a beautiful cover of Michael Buble's Home, which Blake sang next. Some Beach and Drink On It followed.

Part of the reason I adore Blake Shelton the way that I do is because of his down-home, country boy charm. The man is from Oklahoma. He likes to hunt, he likes to drink and he doesn't give a damn what anyone thinks about him!

After Kiss My Country Ass, Blake sang Ol' Red. Ol' Red may not be a conventional favorite, but I can not get enough of that song! It's about a man in prison after finding his wife with another man and the guard dog he is instructed to take care of. "Well I caught my wife with another man, and it cost me ninety nine. On a prison farm in Georgia, close to the Florida line. Well I'd been here for long years. I finally made the warden my friend, and so he sentences me to a life of ease taking care of Ol' Red." See? Not exactly conventional.

After Who Are You When I'm Not Lookin', Blake had a stool and a couple of guitars set-up at the end of the catwalk. He sang an acoustic version of Nobody But Me followed by Austin, his debut single from 2001. I can remember the very first time I heard Austin, and since then I've always said that it is the reason I fell in love with country music.

Dia Frampton was on Blake's team on The Voice. He brought the runner-up out to sing I Will, a song she wrote for her own album and asked Blake to sing on it. It was cute! Before singing a cover of Cee Lo Green's Forget You, Blake talked about the first time he met his fellow Voice coaches.

To make up for singing a pop song infront of "a hardcore country music audience", Blake sang a drinkin' song next. The More I Drink was followed by Honey Bee and Hillbilly Bone. For the encore, Blake brought Justin Moore back out to sing Travis Tritt's The Whiskey Ain't Workin'. Then Blake Shelton closed the show with his hit God Gave Me You.

Check out some more photos!