Brad Paisley, an award-winning guitarist, put on a great concert at the Taste of Chicago during the annual Country Music Festival in July, 2004. Among other songs, he played and sang Wrapped Around, Then There's Me, Mud On The Tires, We Danced, That's Love, Me Neither, Little Moments, Sharp Dressed Man, and He Didn't Have To Be.
As a tribute to Chicago radio station US99's Tom Rivers, who died a few months before of asthma, he sang an old traditional and inspirational hymn, The Garden.
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With mock seriousness, he then sang a hilarious song I'd never heard before about the importance of putting down the toilet seat. Next, he sang a somber Whiskey Lullaby, the hit song which he recorded with Alison Krauss. He followed that with two more funny songs: Celebrity and I'm Gonna Miss Her - otherwise known as the fishing song.
Most of his songs are upbeat, and even funny, no matter what the subject. And what a variety of subjects! In Wrapped Around, a man tells why he has decided to propose marriage. Then There's Me tells how low someone feels who's been deserted by the one they love. Mud On The Tires is a song where everything is right in a man's world - driving a new truck on a beautiful night to a secluded spot by the lake to fish and spend time with someone he loves. We Danced is about falling in love. That's Love is about married people telling their spouses little white lies about their cooking, appearance, etc., to keep each other happy. In the hilarious Me Neither, as one pickup line after another fails, the man keeps trying again. Little Moments is about how small disasters can be funny and endearing when two people love each other. He Didn't Have To Be is a tribute to a good step-father. Celebrity is about that "I can get away with anything." attitude of fame. And I'm Gonna Miss Her is about a man forced to choose between his woman and going fishing.
 Gary |  Justin |
 Randell |  Ben |
 Kenny |  Kendall |
Brad changed from a cowboy hat to a Cubs baseball cap before singing Sharp Dressed Man. Of course, Chicago has two baseball teams - the Cubs and the White Sox. After a few minutes in the Cubs cap, he said he sensed some hostility from certain parts of the crowd. Then he pulled off his boot and held up a foot wearing a white sock and said, "Sorry folks. That's the best I can do."
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Created 10/09/04.