Tina Turner still rockin’

I had the honor (a true honor) to see Tina Turner in concert in Kansas City, Mo., on October 1. And at 68, she is still rockin’ and truly blew me away with her talent, her charm and her ability to fully engage the crowd.

While the concert was awesome…lets back up a bit to some events that led up to it! First of all, it’s Kansas City. The traffic is nothing like the small city I live in. Now while some of you from California may laugh, an 8-lane highway is a big deal to those of us who are used to two-lane or at the max, four-lane highways. There were several bottle necks that we hit along the way, but finally made it there. And in plenty of time! Except there were a couple of hitches once there.

Parking. Parking at the Sprint Center, which is located in downtown Kansas City, was horrible. We ended up on the seventh level of a parking garage — something we would regret later when the concert ended.

We finally find parking and get into line. Had our tickets. Life was good. I was excited. Downtown Kansas City is amazing. The buildings tower over the Sprint Center. I found it amazing. The architecture is amazing. I was quickly jerked out of my amazement when we got kicked out of line. Yes, kicked out of line. I didn’t pay attention to the numerous warnings against cameras. I had not only one but two cameras on me. I didn’t realize they would be checking bags. So we walked back to the car and unloaded the cameras (and audio recorder). After all, I still had my camera phone…I was thinking I would dare them to take that from me. Later I had the brilliant idea of making a camera that looks like a phone but is really a camera…just to sneak into those events!

The wait to get back into the Sprint Center was a long one but the concert was well worth it. I mean WELL WORTH IT. We were on the floor, which I’ll never do again because the seating isn’t elevated and we were on the back row on the floor.

Tina Turner was truly amazing. The set was amazing and had all kinds of special effects including fireworks, which I found added to the charm of the whole thing. Turner rocked that stage like she was 20. She did more jumping, singing and dancing than I could do and I’m only 32!

I did get a few pics with my camera phone. Hey, don’t knock me! I was one of MANY camera phones up in the air! I was too far to really get anything recognizable except for stage lights. A bouncer did come by and ask me to put my phone away…yeah that…whatever.

During the concert, I sang and danced like I was 20. Let me tell you, I haven’t danced that much since I was in my early 20s. Turner makes you feel good like that. She draws the crowd in like no one I’ve ever seen.

My favorite song had to be Proud Mary. She added a unique twist to it, taking several times to really get into the song. It kept you hanging. But when she got going…man, I was totally lost in the song! AMAZING!

After the concert, they emptied the parking garage we were in by levels — starting with the first level. Mind you we were on level 7. It took an hour and a half to get out of there. But I didn’t really care. I was still lost in the magic of the concert!

It was a rare opportunity — one that I hope many people get to experience! Rock on Tina! Rock on!