Ethan Bortnick and Ben Folds

Straight from the stage of "The Sing Off," Ben Folds hangs out with Ethan Bortnick before performing a benifit show in Nashville, Tennessee.

Check out a little of what the audiance was graced with when Ethan Bortnick and Ben Folds hit the stage together!

4 Times the FUN!

Game-changing 4-pointer will make its mark at The Arena at Gwinnett Center on March 12

The Harlem Globetrotters, who have contributed more innovations to the game of basketball than any other team in history, have implemented the first-ever 4-point shot as part of all of its games on the team’s 2011 “4 Times the Fun” North American tour, the team’s record 85^th season of touring.

From the alley-oop to the slam dunk to the behind-the-back pass, the Globetrotters have long brought innovations to basketball that are now staples of the game, and the 4-point shot is sure to change the game of basketball going forward.

Check out the video!

This game-changing innovation will be on display when the Globetrotters take on the Washington Generals at The Arena at Gwinnett Center on March 12! 

Every Globetrotters game will now feature two designated 4-point shooting spots on each side of midcourt, each located 35 feet from the basket (the spots are 12 feet beyond the NBA’s official 3-point line). The 4-point option is expected to further open up the playing floor for the Globetrotters as well as their opponents, the Generals, and is expected to generate even more high-scoring action and competitive play.

Crazy. Insane. Dedicated. by guest blogger Holly

Those are some of the words that were being thrown out at me and my partner in crime, Dayna, for driving all the way from Canada and Ohio for her 30^th and my 47^th Jason Aldean show. We may be all of those things, but one thing is for certain: Aldean’s show keeps getting better and better each and every time I see him, and he’s the ONLY artist I would travel that far for.

   

We started our day by heading over to the venue, the lovely Gwinnett Center, at around 12 in the afternoon, where the waiting began. We had pit seats, which was completely general admission, so we wanted to make sure that we got a good spot. During our 6 ½ hour wait in line, we met some new friends and met up with a few awesome girls we have already had the pleasure of meeting at previous shows. Including Dayna and myself, there were girls from Canada, Ohio, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Kentucky and New Mexico all there to see Jason! Oddly enough, we didn’t meet anybody from Georgia! Ha! 

The Gwinnett Center staff was extremely helpful the entire night by telling us where to go to stand in line, how to get to the pit, and how the paperless ticketing worked. I have been to many venues to see Jason, and this was one of the most helpful staff I have ever encountered!

Once inside, the final show of Jason’s “Wide Open Tour” began! Thompson Square kicked things off with a five-song set, including their current top-40 single, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not?” I felt as though they did an excellent job getting the crowd ready for Luke and Jason, even throwing in the name of one of Jason’s songs into their song, “One of Those Days.”

Next up was Luke Bryan! He is quite the performer! Not only does he have an amazing voice and great songs, but he keeps the audience entertained throughout his entire set. He loves to crack jokes, and his booty shaking keeps the ladies’ attention easily. On this particular night, Luke even threw in a brand new song that will be on his new album, out in a couple of months. It was a song by the name of “You Don’t Know Jack” and it brought the audience to tears. The acoustic element of it really added some additional emphasis as well. He ended his set with his first single, “All My Friends Say,” which had a little bit of Metallica thrown in there as well. The whole audience was head banging and really enjoying themselves.

Finally, it was time for the main act! Jason entered the stage behind a white curtain, which showed only his shadow when the lights hit it. The crowd immediately erupted into screams when the curtain dropped and his Top 5 single, “Crazy Town” began rocking the entire venue. From there on out, it was non-stop energy and excitement. Jason played a 17-song set, including hits such as “Amarillo Sky,” “Hicktown,” and a crowd favorite, “She’s Country.” Luke even joined Jason on stage to sing Jason’s current single, “My Kinda Party,” and Jason’s favorite Luke song, “We Rode in Trucks.” Also in the set-list was two songs off of the new album called “Tattoos on This Town” and “Dirt Road Anthem.” The crowd responded incredibly well to the both of them.

As I have said earlier, I have seen Jason numerous times and his energy level at this particular show was off of the radar! He gave the crowd their money’s worth and then some. I think this show just proved what an excellent entertainer Jason is.

I am so sad to see the Wide Open Tour come to an end, but there was no place I would have rather seen it wrap up than in Jason’s home state of Georgia!  I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us fans on his 2011 “My Kinda Party Tour!”

Show Us Your Hick-Town Finalists

Below are the finalists for two tickets to see Jason Aldean on his last stop on the Wide Open 2010 Tour! Please comment below to help decide the winner! 

The finalists below submitted their entries via Facebook at Twitter. A finalist will be chosen on November 16, 2010.

Entry #1

A hick town usually has only one stop light, if any, and has cow and horse pastures everywhere.  The people who live in hick towns usually drive trucks or large SUV's, and can occasionally be seen driving their golf cart, four wheeler or tractor down the road.  Most hick towns have, if you are lucky, two convenience stores, a liquor store, and one main road going in and out.  Hoboken, Ga. meets all the criteria of being a "Hick town".  Living in a hick town means that there are no shopping malls, clubs, or fancy restaurants.  People who live in Hoboken have to be a little more creative and "down home" for entertainment.  Small town life equals entertainment that is all about spending time with family and friends and just having a good time.  You may see people out hunting, fishing, riding four wheelers, mud bogging or cheering at the local football games.  You might just see us at home hanging out around a fire in the back yard, drinking a beer, laughing and talking with friends, and sometimes if we are lucky, teaching our city friends how to "snipe hunt".

 

 We are just people who want to raise our kids in a safe environment where everyone knows everyone else and you don't have to worry about locking your doors.  We just love living in Hoboken, the "biggest hick town in Georgia."

 

 

Entry #2

 

 

While kayaking on the Broad River last summer, these local gentlemen invited us to shore for a cold beverage and bite to eat.  They were grilling hot dogs, had a keg on ice and were jammin’ to Jason Aldean!

Entry #3

Having nothing better to do on a cold winter day in Northeast Georgia, I decided to try out knee-boarding down behind a Kubota Tractor down an iced and snowy dirt road.No one was seriously harmed in the making of this video.

Carrie Underwood - Guest Blogger Taylor

Gaggles of females (and their loyal boyfriends, husbands and fathers) of all ages trudged through the rain Wednesday night to see an “American Idol,” Carrie Underwood. I was no exception this group, as my mom and I had a girls’ night out to see one of our favorite singers live. Before the show even began, it was great to see all of Underwood’s fashionable followers, dressed to the nines in their cutest dresses, Western boots and Cowboy hats. Once Underwood hit the stage, I knew we were all in for a treat.

Carrie opened the show with the first hit single off Play On, “Cowboy Casanova.” In her first of multiple costumes, Carrie was cute as a button, donning a girly tux complete with a coattail and bowtie. From then on, the concert was non-stop action.

Towards the middle of the concert, Carrie came onstage with a gold metallic top and black leather pants, ready to rock my favorite song of hers, “Undo It.” The lighting and the graphics all looked the same as her hit music video to the same song. Carrie’s voice was pitch-perfect and she certainly brought the crowd to their feet. The amazing thing about Carrie’s albums (and concerts) is that she is able to sing sassy songs like “Undo It,” and then transition into her sweeter, more sentimental songs. That’s exactly what she did last night, following up “Undo It,” with her very first single “Jesus Take The Wheel.” The adrenaline was clearly pumping throughout the audience, and we all felt Carrie’s emotional connection to that song. It’s incredibly impressive that after five years, Carrie is still able to connect to that song on such a personal level.

Other highlights include Carrie playing the piano to “Mama’s Song,” while pictures of Carrie’s life flashed across the screen behind her, closing with a picture of Carrie with her new husband, Mike Fischer. Carrie closed out the concert with “Songs Like This,” where she injected lines from Miranda Lambert’s “White Liar” and Beyonce’s “Single Ladies,” leaving the audience on a musical high.

Show Us Your Hick-Town

 

In celebration of being the last stop on Jason Aldean’s Wide Open Tour 2010, the Arena at Gwinnett Center wants to find the biggest “Hick-Town” in Georgia! From now until November 8, The Arena at Gwinnett Center will be accepting submissions showing why your town is the ultimate Hick-Town. These entries will be in the running for the “Biggest Hick-Town” honor and will receive two tickets to the Jason Aldean Wide Open Tour 2010. 

Submissions can be made in video or photo form accompanied by a short description to rmobley@gwinnettcenter.com. Four finalists will be chosen and posted to the Arena at Gwinnett Center Blog, www.arenaatgwinnettcenter.blogspot.com, on November 8 and a winner will be chosen from the final four. 

So You Think You Can Dance - Guest Blogger Cameron

       Hi, I’m 10-year-old Cameron and I am a guest blogger. I went to So You Think You Can Dance on Monday, September 27, 2010 at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. I loved the show! This is the second time I’ve gone to S.Y.T.Y.C.D.
       The show was so out-going and spectacular! I must say, I really loved My Chick Bad by Lauren and Russell. Another one was How It Ends, choreographed by Travis Wall, was originally danced by Kent and Neil but danced by Kent and Robert on tour. When Kent pushed Robert down on stage I heard a loud bang. I hope Robert didn’t get hurt!
       The most hilarious routine was Robert and Dominic’s hip-hop clown routine. So funny, they must have put a lot of work into it! My favorite All-Star is Dominic! His character is outstanding! The best contestant on the show for me has to be Billy. He is so cool and a great dancer. My role model on the show is Lauren. She works hard but still has fun.
       Another thing I did was I waited outside for autographs after the show. All the All-Stars and contestants signed my program. My friend got picked up by Russell, Billy, and Robert because she was short and couldn’t see. Lucky girl!!! I can’t wait to see next year’s S.Y.T.Y.C.D.

Men Love it Too!

Have you ever been to a show you that you would see again? What about seeing the same show 3 or 4 times? The show must be awesome to go back so many times!

Well, Menopause the Musical is a show that some audience members are seeing for their 10th to 15th time!

Set in a department store, where four women with seemingly nothing in common but a black lace bra meet by chance at a lingerie sale. The all-female cast makes fun of their woeful hot flashes, forgetfulness, mood swings, wrinkles, night sweats and chocolate binges. Talk about a great story line!

With a following like this - you know it has to be a great show!

Check out www.gwinnettcenter.com for more information. Groups of 10+ receive a discount!

Starting 2010 Off Right

With the start of 2010 comes 3 sold out shows at the Arena. Muse, Eric Clapton and Michael Bublé will all be performing to a literally packed house in Gwinnett.

After kicking off the New Year with Asian and Australian legs, Muse will return to the States along with indie outfit Silversun Pickups for a Feb. 27 show in Duluth, GA. Muse revealed "The Resistance," the outfit's fifth studio effort, in September. The 11-track set topped album charts in 13 countries, including the UK and Australia, though in the US it landed at No. 3 on The Billboard 200.

"The show will be bombastic, cinematic and at the same time a very intimate experience," Buble stated in a press release. "I can't wait to get back out on the road and of course--to see my fans. I've missed them." Bublé’s new CD “Crazy Love” entered Billboard Top 200 Chart at #1 and remained there for two consecutive weeks. Critics and fans agree that this is his best album to date.

After polishing off a four-city, mid-February stint with Beck, Clapton will set out on the solo run starting Feb. 25. Clapton's latest album, 2006's "The Road to Escondido," pairs him with his hero J.J. Cale, who penned two songs that define Clapton's solo career, "Cocaine" and "After Midnight."

These incredible performers are starting off 2010 with a bang, and so is the Arena at Gwinnett Center!