Country Mike Blog

Economy and Country Music

Mike Sudhalter  |  June 9, 2008

Luke Bryan opened up the Kenny Chesney Poets & Pirates Tour Sunday afternoon at AT&T Park in San Francisco, and he was probably my favorite act among the five.

Being the newbie, he only played for 25 minutes. Those who wanted to see more Bryan will get a chance to see him headline the Avon Walk Fundraiser Concert Monday night with newcomers Emily West and The Lost Trailers at the Rodeo Club in San Jose.

I'd love to attend the show, but I can't make it. Why? Quite simply, the economy.

San Jose is about 70 miles away from where I live, and it costs about $42 to fill up the tank. So, it would effectively be $52 to attend the show.

Gas costs $4.41 per gallon here in central California, but I'd be willing to make the trek to San Jose, if it weren't for another thing caused by the economy.

The Country Mike blog is a volunteer endeavor, and my full-time job was a professional sports reporter for The Record, a daily newspaper in Stockton, Calif since April 2005. On May 29, the newspaper made a reduction in staff, cutting 11 positions, and I was impacted.

So traveling long distances to concerts isn't a priority right now. Finding a full-time job is at the top of the list. I can write, communicate, sell - and I even know a thing or two about country music.

E-mail me with your ideas of what I should do next.