PERSONAL 520

SPIRITUAL 416

LDS 312

BOOK OF MORMON 237

SCRIPTURES 154

STUDIO-JOURNEY 129

RELIGION 112

LINUX 79

COMPUTERS 65

LIFE 60

GENERAL CONFERENCE 46

GENTOO 39

MISCELLANEOUS 37

MUSIC 37

PROGRAMMING 33

CARS 29

MICROSOFT 23

FAMILY 23

AUDIO 21

I LOVE MY JOURNAL 18

FUN 15

CHILDREN 12

CURRENT EVENTS 10

NATURE'S WAY 10

VIDEO 9

DRM 9

CONEXM 7

BABBLINGS 7

PROVO CITY CENTER TEMPLE 6

FRIENDS 6

HEROD THE FINK 5

GAMES 5

COMPUTER HARDWARE 5

DRUMS 4

HAND OF GOD 3

ADVERSITY 3

KDENLIVE 3

AUDIO HARDWARE 3

GENERAL INSANITY 3

STUDIO 3

THANKS4GIVING 2

CATS 2

MY JOURNAL 1

POETRY 1

FOREVERGREEN 1

EVERYDAY THOUGHTS 1

GOSPEL 1

PARENTING 1

YOUTH CONFERENCE 1

CHURCH NOTES 1

POLITICS 1

Ya know, I'm not a very good critic in so many areas, simply becuase I'm not very picky.  I like lots of kinds of food, I like lots of kinds of music, I get along with lots of types of people, etc...  But, I simply must write about this.

Sitting here trying to figure out how to start this review is quite daunting considering the many angles from which I could write.  Midst my pondering, one aspect comes at me more potently than any other:  Sam Payne knows how to tell a story.

Coming with no qualifications, Sam Payne just connects with his audience.  He is comfortable with his music, comfortable with the stage, and with seemingly so many stories to tell, he just - connects.

With the little more than an hour to spend at the Brigham Young Park concert tonight, he begins each song with the story from whence it springs.  More than a master of music, he is a master of words.  The stories told come from weaving aspects of humor, depth, and personality within the words which set a beautiful framework upon which to paint his music.  And what beautiful artwork it is.

Ya know, watching him up there tell stories of his childhood sibling rivalry with his brother whom he now loves, I got a little bit jealous.  Yup, jealous.

Sam Payne makes his living by telling stories of the things which mean something to him.  He writes songs which tell these stories, and then he connects them to each person in his audience.  How many people do you know who make their living by searching within themselves, finding the gold nuggets within their life, or something which just tickles their fancy, writes a song about it, and sells it to a public totally connected with what you just did?

Yeah, I'm not doing too bad with my life, but when I see people such a Sam Payne up there doing what they love, it certainly causes me to introspect a bit.

I mean, what entertainer do you know would stop mid-song, give his band the queue to "keep it going", while he runs off-stage to dance an equivilent of "The Charleston" with a 70-year-old looking fan who just can't keep the jive within her?  Yup, me either...  Except that this is exactly what Sam Payne did tonight!  It was simply the coolest thing I've ever seen an entertainer do.  After doing a quick jig with Sam, all the while smiling from ear to ear, this woman just kept on dancing while he ran back to the stage, figured out where he left off, and continued right on singin', scatin', playin' his harmonica, and makin' the audience feel every ounce of it.

How freaking cool is that?

Yup....  It doesn't stop there!  It was the last song, and Sam was dueling it out with his bass-player, and his brother, the lead guitarist, when I noticed this amazing drummer behind him was just keepin' the beat.  So...

I screamed at him, "DRUM SOLO!!!", and I kid you not, within one measure of music, he had visually confirmed what I wanted, looked at the drummer, and let him rip out a measure or two.  hehe....

I love it.

All in all, Sam Payne throws parties, not concerts.  He doesn't play music, he feels it, and he conveys his heart upon the wings of bars and chords, through words and winks.

And I was glad I was there for the experience.