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Josh Turner held his first Fan Club Party at Rocketown, starting at 2:00 pm on Thursday, June 8, 2006. We arrived around 1:20, and got in line. Luckily, it wasn't horribly hot and humid like it usually is in Nashville during the CMA Music Festival.
We made a point of eating lunch before we went to the party, as we figured for a party from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm, there probably wouldn't be any food. When we got in the room, we saw we were wrong.
They had a table of food set up. Of course, when we entered the small room, there were some couches and comfy chairs and a few small 4 person tables up near the stage, but not a seat to be had. So, we went over by the window which had a ledge along the wall, and stood there and thought it was weird that the people that planned the party didn't accomodate enough people to sit. They knew how many tickets were sold, so you would think they would have set up the room so that everyone could have a seat. Neither Dianne or I were too happy about that.
Eventually people brought out some chairs and we set up a chair where we were standing, so we had a good shot at the stage and didn't have to stand.
We never did go over to get anything to eat, having eaten at our hotel before coming out to the party, but from looking at other people's plates, it looked like there were chicken nuggets, brownies, fruit, coffee and tea were available.
By 2:10, the band came and checked out the instruments, and tuned up, and Josh's two albums played as background music, as fans chatted and ate their meal.
Josh arrived around 2:20, and as he reached the microphone, he said, "Welcome Josh Turner fans. You know who I am." He started off his performance with his new single, "Would You Go With Me."
In between songs, he would take questions, and we learned that the baby will be born on October 14th, and is a boy. They may have some names selected, but they're not saying what they are just now. The new video for "Would You Go With Me" was just shot and it should be out in a few weeks. Loretta Lynn really did have a Lincoln (as in the song, "Loretta Lynn's Lincoln". Josh said, "You'll have to ask Loretta where it is today."
Josh said he was so excited to have a special guest to join him on stage for the party, and introduced John Anderson.
Fans that have Josh's latest CD know of the song that Josh sings with John Anderson, which they co-wrote, and were thrilled to see John in attendance. They sang their duet, and then John took Ralph Stanley's part for the song, "Me and God." They also sang two of John's own hits, "Would You Catch a Falling Star," and "Swingin'."
On "Swingin'" they brought up their wives to sing the background vocals, and before playing the song, Josh related that while growing up, he used to listen to his parent's records. They had five country records they would play often. He named them: "There's a Stranger In My House" by Ronnie Milsap, "Elvira" by the Oak Ridge Boys, "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" by George Jones, and he couldn't think of the fourth one, but the fifth was John Anderson's "Swingin'."
Someone asked his band's name, and he replied "The Tonkin' Honkies." That is a line in "White Noise." (...where the honkies are a tonkin'.)
He performed "Your Man," and ended with "Long Black Train." By this time it was 3:20, and Dianne and I had to leave by 3:45 or so to get up to the Ryman for the CMA Close Up show, which started at 4:30, so since we were at the end of the line, pretty much for the meet & greet, and Josh was going to go relax a bit before coming out to sign, we left the party before the Meet & Greet.
I will say that the party could have been organized better. The venue, we later learned had a room downstairs that held many more people, and when we went to Trisha Yearwood's party, it had large tables for 10 around the whole floor, and a stage with real lighting. The room upstairs is for small gatherings of maybe at the most 50 people, and I'd say we had close to 100 or so. With the couches and cozy chairs around, you really couldn't see much if you were in the back near the bar, and it was really dark.
I hope that the organizers have learned from their mistakes and will book a larger venue next year. I'd love to go again. Josh is one of my favorites and I'd love to get to meet him again.
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