Bankofkentuckycenter's Blog

country lovin’ at The Bank

As most of you know, I’m not the biggest country fan. You’ll never see me root-toot-tootin my way around, but I must admit after being a part of the Blake Shelton experience this past week at The Bank of Kentucky Center, I’ll say my mind has been changed… at least a little bit.

The morning of the show was awesome. People buzzed with excitement about the upcoming events of the night. Everywhere I turned, in class, at work, here at The Bank of Kentucky Center, everyone was so excited about what was to come. As the day progressed, I’ll admit I even caught onto the Shelton fever and started to look forward to the night I once dreaded myself.

As 7:00 rolled around, after months and months of anticipation, the sold out show was here! People began to shuffle into The Bank of Kentucky Center, filling the arena with an unexplainable energy. Even though I’m not a country fan, these crazy super-fans made it nearly impossible not to be amped up for the night that was to come.

The show started with Dia Frampton, from NBC’s the voice. Her undeniably unique vocals got the crowd ready for the rest of the night, as this new artist seemed to win everyone in the crowd over. This adorable singer charmed her way through the performance singing pop covers of some American classics like Tom Petty.

Justin Moore, who performed next and opened for Blake, got the crowd ready for a good-old country time. This testosterone filled performance got everyone ready for a great night ahead.

Finally, as the show began, Shelton wooed the crowd with his good looks, incredible talent and unavoidable charm. He joked with the crowd and was so personable it seemed like every person in every seat was his best friend. He filled the arena with hit-after-hit that fans couldn’t get enough of.

The “Well Lit and Amplified” tour turned out to be a great night for everyone in attendance. The months of anticipation and excitement were well paid off and this intern even learned that a little bit of country never hurt anyone.

Hope to see you at The Bank,
Michelle, the intern.

Country Music Blues

I’ll admit it; I’ve never been a big fan of country music. As New Jersey native, country music has never been my first choice of tunes. Despite my lack of love for country, after my family moved to Kentucky it was all I ever heard.  Most of my friends growing up couldn’t get enough of the stuff, but listening to twangy singers talk about their lost loves while swooning over a guitar’s wasn’t exactly my idea of a good song. As you can imagine, when I heard that The Bank of Kentucky Center would be hosting some country guy named Blake Shelton (that was apparently on The Voice), I didn’t exactly understand all of the hype. I just knew that I’d be forced to hear some of his music. Great.

I’m not going to lie, as you can probably tell, I was less than excited.  Figures though, after I heard he’d be at the BOK I kept hearing about him everywhere. My friends buzzed with excitement, my mom constantly asked about the show and I saw signs everywhere. Totally inescapable.

So here I am at my house on Sunday, watching the Superbowl with my family and the next thing I knew, Blake Shelton was singing on TV!   Then suddenly, a little light went off in my head. This country star didn’t have a bad voice. Not only that, he wasn’t toting a banjo, wearing a cowboy hat or even cowboy boots. Had I been proven wrong?

I’d watched him briefly on The Voice last year and I’ll admit, I didn’t know who he was or his musical credentials. To my surprise, as the Superbowl ended, I was intrigued by this man. Since I owed him the research, I decided to stay tuned for the season premiere of The Voice.  As I watched this show, I’ll admit I began to fall a little bit more and more for Mr. Shelton. His wit and charm, not to mention his great looks, made it nearly impossible not to love this gentle giant. Since Sunday, I have been eagerly watching reruns of other seasons of The Voice and youtubing him, just to learn a little bit more about this guy.

Since Sunday, even though I’ll never say it out loud, you can now find a little bit of Blake on my iTunes account. Werid, I know. I wouldn’t say that I’m suddenly a country fan, but I don’t think that I will cover my ears and run out of a room if it plays anymore. I never gave this genre a chance, but I’m actually getting more and more excited to see Blake Shelton at The Bank of Kentucky Center next Thursday. His charming personality and superstar talent makes it nearly impossible not to enjoy his music. So, I guess I’ll give this guy the intern seal of approval.

Hope to see you at The Bank,

Michelle, the intern.

Manilow Magic

Turning on the radio these days typically proves to be a disappointment, with popular music consisting mostly of, well, less music. It seems that most top 100 radio hits of my generation are reproduced, auto tuned robot beats produced in some basement computer lab somewhere. What happened to the true talents of the decades before Ke$ha and Lady Gaga? When artists like   Frank Sinatra, Elvis Pressley, The Rolling Stones reigned supreme. What happened to artists with true talent? If there ever was an artist that transcends music, an artist with real talent, it’s the infamous Barry Manilow.

With hits like “Copacabana (At the Copa)” and “Mandy,” this musical superstar’s tunes touch boththe young and the old. I remember driving on long car trips with my dad, listening to Manilow’s music and watching him on TV with my mom. Hearing his enchanting voice brings back all sorts of memories from both my childhood and my parents. Maybe I’m just an old soul, but there must be a reason Manilow fans have been filling arenas to witness this musical mastermind for generations.

Now Northern Kentucky has  chance to take part in the magic. The Bank of Kentucky Center will be hosting Barry Manilow on April 20^th! Presale tickets are on sale from February 1 until 11:59 pm on February 2^nd with tickets going on sale at 10:00 am on February 3^rd. (Click the link to check it out http://bit.ly/yzp7RT)

Manilow, who has no less than 25 consecutive top 40 billboard hot 100 hits, began his music career at the young age of seven, taking part in music classes. This passion continued into his adult life as he began his  musical journey at New York College of Music and the Julliard School of Music. His career began working at CBS in the mail room, eventually moving up in the company which led him to writing jingles in the lucrative New York jingle circuit.  In 1974, Manilow paired with a new label, Arista, along with Columbia Pictures and the rest is history. Manilow’s first hit “Mandy” skyrocketed to the top of the charts, launching his career to the top.

Over the past almost 40 years, Manilow has continued to produce smash hit after smash hit, being ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time, according to R&R (Radio & Records). This fame and credibility has won him countless awards, including two Grammys, four Emmys, three American music awards and one Tony award all while producing 29 platinum and three certified triple platinum albums.

80 million Manilow records have been sold worldwide, making him a household name. His songs and charisma have fans, spanning across generations, flocking to take part in Manilow Magic. This magic will be at The Bank of Kentucky Center in just a few months, I know that I won’t be missing out on this once in a lifetime experience!

Hope to see you at The Bank,

Michelle, the intern.