Brad Paisley's new single, "Welcome to the Future" (from his latest album, American Saturday Night), is the country singer-songwriter's take on the ways technology has changed since he was a kid. The video for the song was filmed in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Japan, and features kids talking about their hopes for the future.
During tour stops on his current tour, Paisley is meeting more hopeful children. Local radio stations asked kids to submit a video where they begin "I want to be a ___." Winners met Paisley before his concert at Blossom Music Center on Friday and had their picture taken with him.
Five children from Northeast Ohio got to hang with the country star backstage as fans poured into the venue. Paisley said that being able to reach out to kids is “the beauty of living in 2009.” The best homemade videos are being incorporated into the “Welcome to the Future” video that plays during Paisley’s encores.
Opener Dierks Bentley also met some lucky folks backstage before the show. Onstage, he played the hit “Feel That Fire” to an enthusiastic crowd. Heavy rainfall didn’t deter concertgoers. Most embraced the slick grass and were reprimanded for turning the muddy lawn into slides.
Paisley was on fire onstage, playing many of his older hits (like “Mud on the Tires,” “Then” and “Fishing Song”) as well as tunes from his new album.
Out-doing his previous tours, Paisley performed until almost midnight, encouraging everyone to siing along. He was dynamic, smiling and energetic, interacting with the band and audience like we were all guests in his home. —Crystal Pirri
