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For Paisley fans, loss of sleep was worth it
Brad Paisley
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McCain and Paisley at GMA
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About 1,000 people went to hear the country star sing their favorite songs.
GUSTAVUS — Mackenzie Anspach, 11, of Hartford, had never gotten out of bed so early in her short life.
“I got up at 2:30 a.m. to be here,” she said solemnly. “And I feel tired.”
Cheyenne Dickson, 11, also of Hartford, didn’t mind the early start.
She was going to see Brad Paisley in concert, and what could be better than that?
“I think he’s really cute,” Cheyenne said with a shy grin. “I hope he plays ‘Mud on the Tires.’ That’s my favorite song.”
She got her wish.
Clad in a white Stetson, black shirt and faded jeans, the Grammy-Award winning country superstar wowed the farmyard crowd with hits “Mud on the Tires,” “Waiting on a Woman” and “Mr. Policeman.”
About 1,000 people gathered at the Barclay North Road farm of Henry and Linda Lipps to hear Paisley perform as part of “Good Morning America’s” live Wednesday broadcast.
Concertgoers were instructed to arrive at 4:30 a.m. at the site of Gustavus’ former elementary school so they could be bused to the Lipps farm for the show.
Despite sleep deprivation and chilly morning weather, the Paisley crowd was lively and animated.
Flocked around a temporary stage constructed in front of the Lipps’ red bank barn, fans waved homemade signs and shouted out their admiration to the country star.
Paisley took it all in with good humor, good manners and ease — especially for someone who had been up at 4:30 a.m. rehearsing.
“He was out on stage rehearsing at 4:30 a.m.,” said Henry Lipps. “The music woke me up.”
“He sounded good,” added Linda Lipps. “He was out there singing and playing and sounded just fine. I couldn’t believe I was waking up to Brad Paisley singing in my backyard!”
Paisley’s publicist, Darlene Bieber, said Paisley arrived at the Lipps farm during the wee hours by bus from his home outside of Nashville.
Paisley, who grew up in Glendale, W.Va., not far from Wheeling and the Ohio border, said he felt at home in rural Trumbull County amid the cornfields, hay bales and barns.
After thanking the Gustavus crowd, he said, “It’s a thrill to see all the people out here this morning. The fans are wonderful. They blow my mind.”
Paisley likely blew the mind of 16-year-old Carissa Bogan of Gustavus.
Bogan, an aspiring songstress who recently recorded a country CD, was thrilled when Paisley took a copy of her CD and announced to the concert crowd that he would listen to it.
Another thrilled Paisley fan was Darlene Pohland of Kinsman.
“I was one of only three people lucky enough to get Brad Paisley’s autograph,” Pohland said after the show. “I caught him just as the concert was ending and asked him to sign this CD.”
Pohland said she’s a die-hard Paisley devotee.
“I still can’t believe he came to Gustavus,” she said. “It’s amazing.”