33 live

By Mandee Widrick

On April 5th, rock band legend Third Day came to upstate NY for an amazing night of fun. The house was packed nearly to the doors with devoted fans of all ages, each and every one anticipating the on-stage arrival of Third Day.
The night opened up with the Revive band from Australia, followed by December Radio. Both bands started the audience out with some rock music to put us in the mood. However, we all were awaiting the one band we’d really came to see: Third Day.
Intermission time came, and Third Day had yet to grace the stage. While we took a 15 minute break, the entrance way of the theatre filled up with people as they swarmed the tables, buying CDs, T-Shirts, and much more. It was at this point that an announcement was made: the first 25 people to sign up for Third Day’s fan club would receive Meet & Greet passes to hang out with the band after the show. I had originally planned to stay in my seat during this short intermission, but with this news I leapt up and practically ran to find the sign-up table. I made it in time with 7 passes left available, and 3 of those were quickly sold to myself and two of my brothers.
The show continued on shortly after our addition to the club, and the band we’d all been waiting for came running out. There wasn’t a soul sitting still in the place as they burst into their first song of the night. Third Day sang many of their old favorites, as well as introducing a new song or two that had never yet been performed for an audience, while I ran around the theatre taking pictures that I knew I’d be showing off later on.
But this is not the end! We had our Meet & Greets when the show was finished. We were led around the theatre to a small room where about 35 other people anxiously awaited the band (some of them being previous members of the fan club with passes). A round of applause was given as the four men entered through the door. Third Day! The band I’d wanted to see in concert for so many years was standing there before me, and now I actually got to meet them in person. What a privilege!
My brothers and I were approached by each band member as they circled around the room. The first to greet us was bassist Tai Anderson. He was very friendly, signing our memorabilia and offering to get a picture with us. Next, we met guitarist Mark Lee and drummer David Carr. Once again, we received autographs and pictures while making small talk about random things. I finally made my way to lead man Mac Powell who, of course, was surrounded by multiple fans. After introducing myself, I popped him a random question. “Do you have a guitar pick in your pocket?” (Random, I know. ☺ ) He shook his head and began to apologize. However, upon digging into his pocket, lo and behold, one final guitar pick of the night. After congratulating me on his lucky discovery, he explained that when the lights went out upon the finish of the show, he must have forgotten to throw the pick into the audience and shoved it into his jeans instead. I was thrilled.
So the night ended with a ton of autographs, great memories and even a guitar pick from Mac Powell. I went expecting a fabulous rock concert, and received more than I ever would have anticipated. The time with the band is unforgettable and not something that just happens every day. Third Day will continue to rank high in my opinion, and given the opportunity, I’d do this all over again in a heartbeat. ☺