This show was a bit of a departure from my usual fare. Most people who know me, know me as a fan of metal and its related genres, so hearing that I was going to see Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson was a bit of a shock. But the opportunity to see these two men in concert was too good to pass up. Dylan and Nelson are musical legends who have had a great influence on their respective genres for decades, this had to be seen. Especially considering how close the tour was coming, if the show was any real distance, it would have been easy for me not to go, but the location was perfect.

About a month and a half ago, it was announced that the duo would be embarking on a tour of minor league ballparks throughout the month of August, with one of those spots being the Dutchess Stadium. This stadium is home to the Hudson Valley Renegades, the class A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and is only about 15 minutes from where I live. At the news of the show, my Dad got excited, he was interested in seeing Dylan perform. AS soon as tickets became available, I purchased them, realizing how fast there likely to go. About a week later they arrived in my mailbox, now all we had to do was wait a month or so for August 10th to roll around.

I should state here that I am very unfamiliar with the work of these two. I know, inexcusable, but true. I am, of course, familiar with the more famous tracks like "On the Road Again," "Lay Lady Lay," and "Like a Rolling Stone," but for the most part I am a rookie to their music. No better time than the present for my initiation.

Concert day arrives. It starts like any other, I get up and go to work. I figured I'd have plenty of time after getting out of work, at 3:30, to get ready and go to the show, which had a 6:00 start time, that was until my Dad turned on the radio. They were saying that the concert was sold out and also that the parking lot would be opening at noon and that it would probably be full by 3:00, others would have to take shuttle buses from a nearby mall. The last thing I wanted was to have to get on one of those buses, so I approached my manager about leaving early. Permission was granted and I was able to leave at 1:30. As I drove home, I could see the parking lot from the highway, didn't look too bad at the moment, but that can change in a moment's notice. I got home, changed, had a little something to eat and waited for my Dad. After he got home, we started our concert journey. We arrived at the stadium around 2:50, and there was still plenty of room. We got in line, which was pretty close to the gates, and watched the crowd lining up behind us grow and snake it's way through the parking lot. While we waited, I took advantage of the souvenir stand, picking up a poster advertising the show and a CD of the opening act, which had a unique name. The gates were opened around 4:40, and we made our way towards the field. All of the tickets were general admission, so it was basically a race to get the best spots. We made our way onto the outfield grass going towards center field, where the stage had been erected. We were able to get an excellent spot that could equate to about 10-12 rows back from the center of the stage. We sat down on the plastic matting they had laid down over the grass and waited. The stadium had their food vendors in full swing, walking around with trays of soda and beer, stands erected around the perimeter with hot dogs and fried dough. The stadium filled rather quickly. Then at 6:00 the opening act hit the stage.