Jake Owen Almost Knocked Me Out With His Butt in Cold Spring

With FireFest coming back to Cold Spring on July 24th, I thought we would take a trip down memory lane.

My very first FireFest was the 2014 show. It was a last-minute decision to go with my best friend and our boyfriends. We had just got our tickets to go the week before and none of us knew what to expect. We got to the grounds at Cold Spring Brewing Company distribution and apparently we were part of the early crowd because when we walked in we walked right up to the front of the stage. And that is where we stayed all night.

We camped out there for the opening act (Chris Hawkey), and afterward, we saw this new up-and-coming band called Old Dominion. We all agreed they were pretty good and might generate a hit or two eventually.

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After Old Dominion, Thomas Rhett took the stage as the sun started to set. ""Make Me Wanna" was his big song that year, and we had so much fun singing and dancing along.

Montgomery Gentry was up next, and as lifelong fans of the band, we had the most fun side stage. I feel so lucky to have gotten to see them a couple of times before Troy's death.

Then it was time for the headliner Jake Owen. Keep in mind, at that point my friends and I had been standing in the same spot by the stage since about 4:30 pm in the hot July sun. None of us had anything to drink and had been dancing, singing, and sweating all afternoon. So we were all a little bit tired and dehydrated.

Jake Owen came out and was singing his biggest hits from the Days of Gold Tour. The next thing I know, Jake walks out to the edge of the stage, turns his back to us, and falls backward onto the crowd. His butt landed exactly where my head was, knocking me to the side as the people around me lifted him up to crowd surf.

After that I realized I would enjoy the show just as much if I was standing somewhere with a little more elbow room, and not so much country star butt, so we retreated to the back of the concert area to slam some bottles of water and rehydrate after an epic day of live music.

I can't wait for FireFest 2021!