Pat Sangimino
Business Reporter
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Log InA wise man -- strike that, it was Kent Wolgamott -- called this the biggest musical week in Lincoln's history.
Who am I to argue? My three years hardly make me an authority on the subject. And my buddy Kent has been here seemingly since corn was invented. So, until I hear otherwise, he speaks the truth. Still, hit me up if you can think of a bigger week ever. You know how to find me.
It would seem that any week that features Willie Nelson on a Tuesday, has the annual Zoo Fest on Thursday and Friday, hosts Lincoln on the Streets with the Dropkick Murphys, also on Friday, and wraps up on Saturday with Garth Brooks playing the first concert inside of Memorial Stadium since Farm Aid III in 1987 deserves to be called big and quite possibly the biggest ever.
That sold-out show in 1987 (and yes, a younger and more spry Kent was there) featured, among others, Willie Nelson and the late Lou Reed.
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All that said, this week promises to be a walk on the wild side. Maybe the wildest ever.Â
Speaking of Garth, I have many friends who attended his concert at Arrowhead Stadium last weekend and they tell me they went home pretty happy.
I get it. I got to hear Garth in a far more intimate setting a few years back in La Vista, when he was one of Tom Osborne's featured guest for a Teammates fundraiser.Â
After Garth, Dr. Tom and Warren Buffett had a roundtable discussion about parenting -- one that disclosed that each made his children work in the fast-food industry so they'd learn the challenges of dealing with the public, while understanding the importance of hard work -- the county music star pulled out his guitar and played an acoustical set for the gathering of about 1,000 people.
If he has a voice that resonates in a large stadium, imagine how good he sounded in a hotel ballroom. In that venue, I could hear his guitar expertise while sitting there in awe of the purity of his voice and how he was able to control it with such ease.
In between each song, he told a little story, be it how Osborne considered recruiting him, a native of Yukon, Oklahoma, to Lincoln (he wasn't serious), or how he met his wife of 15 years, Trisha Yearwood, a country star in her own right and the love of his life (he was serious).
I have to admit that prior to that night, I hadn't listened to much of Garth's music. Sure, I knew "Friends in Low Places," but not much else.
I became a fan that night and look forward to hearing him again on Saturday.
Foo-Fighting
My favorite musical moment last week came prior to the Foo Fighter's concert in Bonner Springs, Kansas, which was picketed by nearby Westboro Baptist Church members.
A few hours before the show, Dave Grohl and the rest of the Foo Fighters got on board a flatbed truck and, dressed in their own version of Bee Gees garb -- calling themselves the Dee Gees (get it?) -- serenaded the protesters with their own version of "You Should Be Dancing."
"You know what, I love you -- I do," Grohl told a couple of dozen protesters. "The way I look at it, I love everyone. Isn't that what you're supposed to do? Why can't you just love everybody? ... You shouldn't be hating. You know what you should be doing?
"You should be dancing."
He then broke into his best falsetto version of Robin Gibb, which did nothing to make us forget Gibb, but made me laugh loudly.
Yes, he was trolling them, but there was a message of love sent to a bunch of people holding signs and hearts filled with hatred.Â
Score one for Grohl.
How the Foo Fighters got into the crosshairs of the nut-jobs at Westboro Baptist is beyond me, but I bet they're wishing they'd chosen more wisely on who to hate this time.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7391 or psangimino@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @psangimino
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Pat Sangimino
Business Reporter
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