Hey Country Now, I’m MaRynn Taylor and I’m going to be doing a photo diary of what it was like to open for Kelsea Ballerini in Grand Rapids, Michigan on her first headlining arena tour, and my first arena tour. This is my hometown show, and the first show of this tour, so this was such a special night for me. Let’s dive into these photos and I’ll take you step by step through what my day looked like!
Hometown Visit
Madcap is one of my favorite coffee shops in my hometown. It’s right by the arena, so I knew I wanted to go and get a latte before anything started happening. It’s probably the best coffee I’ve ever had and anytime I get to come back home, this is probably the first place you’ll find me.
In the morning before anything started, I went to my hometown TV station, WZZM 13. This is the same station that I would watch for snow days. They would tell us if we had school off, and so getting to come here and do an interview was really full circle for me. I cried many times during this interview because we got to talk about me as a kid growing up in Grand Rapids, moving to Nashville and then coming back to play my dream venue.
Show Day
As I was perusing the interwebs, a lot of Kelsea’s fans were saying they’re making the baggage tags, but also making friendship bracelets. I wanted to join in on that fun and make some of my own with my own songs, I even got to throw some bracelets out during my set and exchange some with fans. I think Taylor Swift starting this trend was the best idea ever.
When I first moved to Nashville, these two guys were some of the first people I met in the music industry. They have helped me since I was 17 on my stage presence, my songwriting and all around who I am as an artist. To see my dreams – that we’ve all worked so hard on – come to life is so special. Here we’re sitting together, and soaking it all in.
Gordon S. Kerr, the President & CEO of Black River Entertainment, is someone that has believed in me since the beginning and has been with me all the way up to this moment. He has taught me so much about music, the music industry, and life in general. I think that a lot of artists have a lot of people on their teams, and it can get wonky but Gordon is somebody who has had my back and believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.
Being that this was the first day of tour, it kind of felt like the first day of school with pictures and having family and friends there. It was a special day, and let’s just say I had a bunch of butterflies in my tummy and in my hands. I had gifts on gifts. Kelsea got me flowers and a beautifully written card, and my label family got me these butterflies that have magnets on them so I can place them all around me on tour as a reminder of this beautiful journey.
I was probably more nervous for soundcheck than I was at the actual show. It was my first time being on that stage that I had wondered about for so many years – well since I was six seeing Hannah Montana for the first time. There were definitely tears and I was shocked by how big it looked. Being up there with my band was amazing. I left soundcheck feeling so freaking excited to play Van Andel Arena, and thankful to Kelsea for the opportunity.
These boots are everything. They are so slay, sparkly, and somewhat comfortable. My stylist, Tiffany Gifford, knew that I really needed some boots that I could shake in and found the perfect pair from Betsey Johnson. I love wearing them, and kicking them up to show everybody that ‘yes they are indeed insanely sparkly.’
One of my favorite parts before shows is getting ready. Getting to do my hair and my makeup as an artist. I have a very creative brain, between songwriting and singing, but one thing I love to do is paint. I love painting because it’s so relaxing to me, and it’s the same with makeup. I think of it in the same way – being creative and getting to blend things out, and to color match and really just enhance the features of my face. I love being so creative and fun with my makeup, and the big hair and the curls. It’s truly one of my favorite calming moments before getting out onto the crazy stage.
I can’t believe my face is in the same picture as Sasha Alex Sloan and Kelsea Ballerini. Getting to hang with them was like being in the presence of true music royalty. Kelsea is one of Country’s finest, and Sasha, I have looked up to her for so long, her songwriting is absolutely insane. I love songs and just who they are as people. Getting to hang with them before the show felt like a girls’ night out. Also, I must say, we look fantastic in this photo 🙂
When I started touring, my band and I decided that as a before-show ritual, we needed to pray. We needed to bow our heads, get in a little circle, and pray for each of us. To go around and pray for each individual thing that is going on in our lives, for things that are about to happen, and for the people around us. We pray for God’s light to shine through us, for people to see that our joy, happiness, and love are God’s, and we want that to show every night. At the end of our prayers, it’s a tradition to put our hands in and say, “One, two, three: Rock for the Rock,” and then head out on stage.
Growing up, I went to so many country concerts in this arena, and this view pretty much sums up where I was for Carrie Underwood. Even though I was pretty far from the stage, I remember on her Blown Away tour, she got on a lift that carried her to the back of the arena, and I swear my 11-year-old self was waving at her, and she waved back at me. I remember this moment. She probably doesn’t, but that’s okay. Hopefully, someday, I will meet her, and I can tell her. But I sat in these upper nosebleeds of the arena most nights and wondered what it would be like to play on this iconic stage and at this enormous venue. I have great memories of falling in love with music in this place.
On this tour, we’re looking for fans in their seats just before I take the stage. Once our team finds them and chats a little bit, they ask them if they’d like to come down to a seat with a better view. My team and I are doing this special ticket upgrade each night of these shows, and it’s such a fun way to meet new friends and give them a little surprise. So be in your seats before I start; maybe they’ll find you!
My outfit for night one absolutely slayed. I loved this corset top. It’s a light lavender color and goes with my new single, “same girl same.” It’s kind of all this same flushed purple color, and the jeans have these bedazzled jewels on the pockets that go all the way down to the floor. We have those Betsey Johnson boots I just talked about that are so sparkly, and of course, my jewelry is full of friendship bracelets and jewelry that Kendra Scott sent over, which is so, so cute. At the moment that this photo was taken, I was adrenaline-pumping out of my veins, crazy excited, and about to take the stage.
Show Time
Being on stage and hearing Kelsea’s fans scream my name, jam to my songs, and even know the words to my songs was an unbelievably surreal experience. With that spotlight on me, even though it was powerful, I could still see a lot of the arena and the faces that looked so happy to be there. I loved connecting with them and opening up the show for Kelsea.
I wasn’t on the big screen during soundcheck, so I didn’t get to see what I looked like until I was performing and looked back to see how big I was on those huge screens. Getting to see how cool this looks afterward is a dream come true. I have always dreamed of being on giant screens like this and singing my songs. Now, I finally was, so when I turned around after the first or second song, I was slightly taken aback. I’ve never been so tall. My five foot-one self has never been so tall.
Post-Show
I’m so blown away by this experience (hehe). After coming off the stage, I was so sweaty, and my adrenaline was pumping. I saw this fan backstage, and I was like, “I need to cool off,” so I took a moment to breathe. I stared at the fan and told Micah, my photographer, “Hey, take a picture of this.” And, of course, he did, and this is what came out of that.
The meet and greet line was the longest I’ve had in my career. People came up to me with friendship bracelets, luggage tags, and hugs, ready to take a photo. Some wore my t-shirts and sweatshirts, and some fans even had my new vinyl. In this photo, on my right is Mrs. Andrews, who I talked to you about at the beginning of this diary. She came to the show and saw me after I was in her class when I was six years old and when I saw my first concert. This was a very full-circle moment. I loved getting to see her and hug her.
After the show, I showered, took off my makeup and stage hair, pulled the lashes off my eyes, and got on the bus. We were all a little hungry, and the only place open during a Michigan snowstorm was the wonderful, spectacular Denny’s. We got breakfast and talked about the night and how incredible it was over pancakes and coffee at 1:00 in the morning. Also, go Bills!
The post A Day In The Life: MaRynn Taylor Takes Us Behind The Scenes Of Opening For Kelsea Ballerini In Grand Rapids appeared first on Country Now.
