Sierra Mountain Times

“We feel so honored to play at our first official ‘sell out!’” Kacey shouted to the 6,300 in attendance! Kacey, and her 26 year-old identical twin sister Kate (Coppola) proved to be a captivating act for the Alan Jackson concert at the Ironstone Amphitheatre, August 7th, in Murphys.

Performing songs off their debut album, (on Big Machine Records), Kate and Kacey thrilled the audience with their compelling lyrics and infectious melodies; with songs like “You’re Not My Judge” “Free Kind of Feeling”, “Better in Black”, “Brave”, and their hit, “Dreaming Love”. After the gals’ performance, several in the audience were overheard with comments like, “Wow!” and “They’re hot, and their music ain’t bad either!” Then Alan Jackson came on, and right off the bat, started tossing guitar picks out into the audience. (I lost track, but he must have tossed out over two dozen of them!) One landed right at MY feet But I was fiddling with my camera and a young lady fell to her knees – crawled on the ground and seized the precious pick with glee – before I even had a chance to move! Over the next ninety minutes, Alan Jackson had the audience is his spell. EVERYWHERE, folks were country line-dancing in the aisles, or swinging their partners! It was like a huge outdoor barn dance! It was awesome!  Alan thrilled his fans with his hits, “Good Time”, “Pop a Top”, “Living on Love” and “I Don’t Even Know Your Name”. With his eight-man band, The Strayhornes, which included fiddle and steel guitar, Alan continued with his hits, “Little Bitty”, “Who’s Cheatin’ Who”, “Don’t Rock the Jukebox”, “Chattahoochee”, and many more! The crowd went absolutely wild during the song “Where I Come From,” and here’s why: during the song, the video screens showed numerous photos of different sites and landmarks around Murphy and Angels Camp! (It must’ve taken a lot of time and effort to put that together! And the audience really appreciated it!) To prompt an encore, many in the audience held up their cell phones and waved the illuminated displays at the stage – and out came Alan! His final song was “Mercury Blues”. It was an unbelievable concert! After the songs ended, I found myself standing in line to get my Kate and Kacey glossy photo autographed. I overheard a couple gals talking, and I joined in their conversation. “Wasn’t that a great concert?” Caryn Suehowicz asked me. “My sister (Cori Ashton) danced the whole time!” Both from Sonora, the sisters had also brought their friend, Kellie Palhegyi, from Folsom. But then Cori said something very poignant. “That song, ‘Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning’, Caryn and I lost a very special uncle, (Nicholas Chiofalo). He was a firefighter, and he died in building 2 during 9-11.” So, for these gals, the Alan Jackson concert had a very special meaning. And I’m pretty sure that Alan touched the hearts and souls of everyone there that night.