Salute to Supernatural Nashville: The Saturday Night Special

The Saturday Night Special. Let me break that down for you… Yes, this is a concert that takes place on Saturday. And yes, this concert takes place at night. But let’s examine the word “special.” You could read the word as if it were a noun, a word which denotes a thing, such as an item on a menu.

“I’ll have the Saturday Night Special, please, with no onions and mayo on the side.”

Or perhaps a Signature Cocktail.

“C’mon, ladies, let’s go dancing at (insert your favorite club’s name here) and consume copious amounts of their Saturday Night Special.”

I will concede, from a grammatical point of view, that the use of the word ‘Special’ in “Saturday Night Special” is indeed a noun. However, in this context, the word ‘Special’ is not a noun. It is, instead, an adjective. Webster’s defines ‘special’ as an adjective: “of a kind different from others, distinctive, unique, extraordinary.” And that, my friends, is the Saturday Night Special. This is a concert that is different from all other concerts. It is distinctive and unique. It is extraordinary.

 

#ActualRockGod Rob Benedict
#ActualRockGod Rob Benedict

 

It is Special because it is Louden Swain, live, on stage, pouring out their very souls for us. It is Billy Moran on guitar and Michael Borja (and sometimes Chris Schmelke) on bass. It is Stephen Norton on drums. It is Rob playing guitar and singing with a rawness of heart that is frankly unparalleled by any other performer out there.

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It is Special because the celebrity guests bring their own energy and passion to the stage. From the smooth sounds of Gil McKinney, to the rock goddess that is Briana Buckmaster, and everything in between, the celebrity guests bring that little something extra to the stage that makes the Special, well, Special.

Matt Cohen
Matt Cohen
Gil McKinney
Gil McKinney

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Osric Chau
Osric Chau
Tim Omundson
Tim Omundson

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Briana Buckmaster
Briana Buckmaster

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And given that we have long ago established that Jensen Ackles is the very definition of a Perfect 10, then let’s crank it up to 11 on the Special Scale when Jensen “Rock Star” Ackles takes the stage.

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Now let’s return back to that part of the definition, ‘extraordinary.’ While I know the singing of “Carry On Wayward Son” is a highlight of the concert… While I know that the performance of “She Waits,” when Rob sings with such unapologetic raw emotion, is an unbelievably moving and powerful moment…

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For me, the extraordinary part of the concert is in watching all the celebrities join Rob on stage to sing “I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends.”

Ruth Connell and Kim Rhodes
Rob Benedict and Richard Speight Jr.

Mark Sheppard on drums

It is in that moment that I am completely overcome with emotion. It is that moment when I can literally feel the love and support that is our Family. And although this is my 5th convention and thus my 5th concert, I still don’t have any pictures of this moment. Because, in that moment, I know that all of you will allow me to put myself first, that it is actually okay to allow myself to put down the camera, to soak in the emotion, to let it into my heart and fill up my soul. In that moment, in that brief moment, I know that I will get by with a little help from my friends.

And that, to me, is why the Saturday Night Concert is so very, very Special.

Additional coverage of NashCon coming soon,
-Kim Prior.
@MamaPrior
just a mom with a camera.

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