We drove into Tampa on a Sunday afternoon to check into our hotel room. Our hotel was close to a mile from the concert venue where the Zac Brown Band would be performing. The venue was the Florida State Fairgrounds Amphitheater, aka Mid Florida Credit Union Amphitheater . We could actually see the Amphitheater from our hotel room.
We stayed at the Extended Stay America-Tampa-Fairgrounds-Casino. This was a new building only being in business for a couple of months. Our room was large with a mini kitchen and oversized bathroom. The king size bed was comfortable and the entire building smelled so fresh. It was located in a very quiet area. The only issue we had was their check in time. They advertise that their check in time is 3:00 pm. We arrived at 4:00 and were told it would be another hour before we could get our room. It actually took about 45 minutes. We slept well before our flight out of St. Petersburg.
The Florida State Fairgrounds Amphitheater had plenty of parking available. We took an Uber. It was easy access to the gate. At the gate, lines formed rather quickly to show proof of vaccination or documentation of a negative Covid-19 test. The next set of lines were showing our tickets. This line took very little time. Once inside, there were all kinds and types of vendors. There was every type of food imaginable and plenty of liquid variations to quench everyone’s thirst since it was still in the mid-80’s and a tad humid. Most beer was sold in 24 ounce cans for $13. Prices seemed a little more than most college or professional sport concessions. The bathrooms were very clean and had plenty of facilities to take on such a huge crowd.
Now for the concert. Wow! Zac Brown and his band started off with a couple of songs that are big hits. Then they performed a couple of new songs. What caught me by surprise was their ability to play outside their genre. They played Enter Sandman by Metallica. They played it well. After a 15-20 minute intermission, Zac Brown came out to tell us all about what gifted singers each one of his band members were. He then proved it by letting each one sing a different song ranging from Elton John to the Beatles. I was most impressed with the “fiddler” singing “Jump, Jump.” Yes, everyone in the entire amphitheater were attempting to jump. It was quite a sight to see. Their last song is probably their signature song, “Chicken Fried”. What was so special about this song is that he has 3 American service members march out on stage and come to attention. He then honors them with the part of the song that says we should honor those that sacrifice so much to give us the freedom to live our lives. Needless to say, these servicemen received a standing ovation as the band completed their song. It felt great to be an American.
Our flight out of St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport left on time and Allegiant Air took good care of us. Flying back down next week to see Jason Aldean and to attend the Great American Cooter Festival.
Be blessed and safe travels!!!
