Pam and I got to experience a private showcase with Chris Rice at the River 102.3 studio this afternoon. He played an acoustic set in the newly remodeled Sprint Music Lounge, a very cool venue at Clear Channel in Austin. Chris dusted off a couple of songs from his debut album (including Smellin’ Coffee) and premiered 2 brand new songs from his upcoming release, "What a Heart is Beating For." He’s one singer/songwriter who can really pull off just the vocal/guitar thing.
In the summer of 2004, I had the opportunity to speak at a youth camp on Panama Beach in Florida. That first night in the dining hall, I looked over and saw a guy who looked just like Chris eating with some high school students. I walked over and introduced myself to the guy he was sitting with and then turned to him. He said, "I’m Chris." It turns out he was just spending the entire week with a youth group at camp, not as one of the camp personalities, but as a camp counselor. It was cool seeing him do normal stuff like playing volleyball and not acting like he’s a national recording artist. Chris is the real deal.
To top off the concert, it was catered by Chick-Fil-A. Yes! That will make any event better. There’s nothing better than free chicken nuggets.
maybe one day I’ll get invited to one of these things…that would be cool. Instead, I was handed a stack of papers and told to work.
🙁
By the way, I finished that work.
🙂
That is a cool story. I’m glad there are some guys who are real.