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.
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.
I love reading your meet & greet experience. He sounds like such a sweetheart!
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