Two friends, Chris Stapleton, and a whole lot of fun; photos by Alex Weiss
Last week our editor, Christine Green, and “Lunatics Lounge” columnist, Taylor Terrance, attended the Chris Stapleton concert at Darien Lake Amphitheater. Read below to learn about their concert experience.
Christine Green: Taylor, thanks for coming to see Chris Stapleton at Darien Lake Amphitheater with me last week. It was such a blast. He is a fabulous artist. Just ask my interns, whom I make listen to him every day at the office. I’m glad we made it on time, considering the traffic snafus we ran into. Maybe I should let you discuss how you almost ended up in Manchester, NY.
Taylor Terrance: When you sent me your address, I punched it into the GPS and took off. I was halfway to the Adirondacks before I was like, hmm, something is amiss. I had punched in the right address, wrong town, and was heading to Manchester, NY. Bereft at the thought of missing out on all the car snacks you bought—especially my beloved Cheez Its—I rerouted as quickly as I could. I am highly food-motivated.
CG: I’m food-motivated, too! Which is one of the many reasons we get along so well. What part of the performance did you like best? I was blown away by Stapleton’s guitar skills, but for me the on-stage chemistry between Stapleton and his wife, Morgane, was absolute fire. Though the, um, “chemistry” between the couple (throuple?) in front of us was pretty steamy. It was a show in and of itself.
TT: The throuple in front of us added to the experience: is everybody on board with this love triangle? Are we about to witness a fight? As for the music, I was so impressed with the guitar solo during “Cold” that I wrote in my notes app it was something to behold. Stapleton also did a little bit of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” towards the end of his set. The thing I loved most—and had been told about by people who have seen him live—is his voice. It’s full of power, like he’s pulling notes right from the earth’s core. His voice also has so much nuance and is just as effective in the softer songs.
CG: Yes! It really is true that his voice is unparalleled. That night I saw why he is such a crossover star. Doesn’t matter if you like country, blues, or rock and roll because he is all of that and more. There were times I felt like I was truly seeing a legend—a concert I’ll remember for a long, long time. I am also still thinking of all the great cowboy boots everyone was wearing. Though my L.L. Bean boots were cool-ish, right? They at least protected me from the puddle of beer we were left standing in at the end of the concert. Every unattended can from the back of the venue rolled down the hill to us.
TT: I think the fact that he checks so many boxes—excellent songwriting and guitar playing, an out-of-this-world voice—lends to such wide appeal. That was certainly on display at Darien Lake; there were people of all ages and backgrounds in the crowd. It was really nice to see. And you’re right, we saw just as many different types of boots. Some of them were stunning! It was fun to see all the ways people styled them—casual, glam, a little bit country. Some had intricate beading, some had chunky heels. My plantar fasciitis could NEVER.
CG: Look at that, plantar fasciitis is another thing we have in common. Lucky us! On that note we should probably wrap up this review (such as it is). Overall, the whole experience was wonderful. The venue, the music, Stapleton, and of course the camaraderie made it a very memorable night. Thanks for being my concert buddy!
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