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Despite Grammy Award nominations for two of the three country bands playing, the Pete Maravich Center was unable to live up to its "Deaf Dome" nickname. The PMAC, which can seat 13,472 people, was well under capacity Thursday, Feb. 15, for John Brady's Slam Jam for Education featuring The Wreckers, Billy Currington and Little Big Town and benefiting Prescott Middle School. Kacie White, Baton Rouge resident, said she went just because she got free tickets. White said while she enjoyed the performances, she was not familiar with the bands' songs. The Wreckers, a Grammy-nominated duo made up of Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp, were the first to perform. Other than a few cries of "We love you," fans stayed quiet and in their seats, letting the guitar strains whirl around them like a warm breeze through the open window of a pickup truck. The atmosphere quickly changed when Billy Currington took the stage. "I love it," "I touched Billy Currington's shoe," "I am very, very excited. I almost cried. I am not even kidding," and "I was two people away from touching his leg," said Alison Taylor and Rochelle Gutierrez, both freshmen at Parkview Baptist School, their comments intermingling. Eventually only phrases of what Taylor and Gutierrez said could be distinguished: "was he hot," "shaking that thing all up on stage," "and I was like 'Whoop.'" Taylor and Gutierrez said they liked The Wreckers, but "Billy Currington was definitely hot." A generous amount of grinding gyrations was not all Currington did to enliven the crowd and increase the night's "hotness" factor. He also sang Ben E. King's "Stand By Me," Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" and AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long." Caroline Peterson, University High School freshman, said her boyfriend bought her tickets for Valentine's Day. Steve Wilson, kinesiology senior, also bought his girlfriend tickets for Valentine's Day. Wilson said he came to see The Wreckers and also as "a Valentine's Day gift." It wasn't until the middle of Currington's performance that Brady made an unobtrusive appearance with his wife and daughters. After Currington ended, Brady said, "I appreciate you coming to support this tonight. We had some people in town who sponsored this concert, and I appreciate those people. We're trying to raise some money for education, which is really the most supportive thing we can do. We're going to give some proceeds back to Prescott Middle School that needs some help, and there's nothing better than helping people that deserve being helped." Tai St. Julien, a public relations representative for the Allmon Music Group, said often money donated to a school will go in the general fund budget and be distributed depending on what is going on. "I know just from doing [public relations] for the school system that money donated will go in the general fund budget and be used for lots of things like from changing the light bulbs to painting the walls to purchasing books and things of that nature," St. Julien said. "It's definitely well needed for the school system." Little Big Town, which was nominated for two Grammy Awards, concluded the night on a patriotic note. The members of the band voiced their pride for the soldiers fighting overseas. They went to Afghanistan, which was a "life changing" experience for them. The band played a mix of covers and original songs, including Stealers Wheel's "Stuck In The Middle With You," Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" and their own "Boondocks."
----- Contact Katelyn Porubsky at kporubsky@lsureveille.com
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