Ok, I had not planned to jump into this frey over the McDonough show, but some of the comments made have really infuriated me.

I was present for the show. It was obvious that is was poorly organized and that the efforts of the promoter and the people running the venue were lacking. I met the gentleman and his wife who were working the VIP table, and they were really nice. Although the "buffet dinner and table seating" I was led to believe I was getting when I bought the tickets from the promoter turned out to be BBQ and first come, first serve folding chair seating - the BBQ was delicious and I was ready to see Marty.

After the announcement was made that there was a problem about Marty getting paid, many people got up and left. As the two-and-a-half hour wait progressed, several other people got frustrated and left because their was still no Marty. My friends and I stayed. I figured as long as Marty was still there, I would wait. The duo of Christan and Durand were real troopers to stay and perform again with the audience calling for Marty.

For those of you who made derogatory comments about Marty, all I can say is "shame on you". Having met the man and having had the opportunity to be around him on many occasions, I KNOW FOR A FACT that he is a man who cares about his fans and is one of the most down-to-earth people I have ever met. You can't say that about most entertainers. Marty is NOT all about money, he is a working entertainer who has a band, crew and expenses to pay. He shouldn't be expected to go ahead and play and "work it out later". I don't blame him at all for wanting the money before he performed. How many of you would work not knowing if your employer was going to pay you or not ? Not many I assure you !

I regret that some of you held Marty responsible for what happened, you should place your blame where it lies - on the promoter and the operators of the venue. They could have made the show a success, but they failed. Marty was not at fault, he had a contractual agreement (with the promoter, I believe) to play this show and he couldn't very well expect his people to work and then send them home with no pay.

I am proud to be a Marty fan, and the McDonough show has not changed my opinion of him one iota! He is a great entertainer, and one heck of a nice man. I applaud him for staying and putting on a great show in spite of the situation! This Georgia fan still loves ya, Marty!!!

Yes, I was also one of the locals who was looking forward to seeing Marty in McDonough. My friend (who came in from Charlotte for the concert) and I got there early to make sure we got a good seat in the VIP section. Of course, the doors opened late. We did get a good seat because they had over-stocked the chairs in the VIP section (great expectations). I had bought my tickets ($45 each) at Peachtree Peddlers the 2nd day they were on sale. We were ready for Marty!! As members of the Fan Club, we were looking forward to extending a welcome to our little town. We were also thrilled about the meet and greet.

Our joy soon turned to disappointment as the night grew longer. We did enjoy Christian/Durand (more the 2nd time than the 1st) and Wet Willie. The "sponsors" of the show got about 20 commercial mentions rather than 10. The "dead" time is what killed the show. If we had been kept informed as to what was really going on, we would have at least felt better about it. It was freezing in the room. The only door out the back was a garage size door that stayed up the whole time.

I certainly do not blame Marty or the Cowboys for anything that went wrong that night. They were there and ready. I wouldn't work for FREE or for a promise either. He not only has to look out for his interests, but has to pay his band and support staff. They would not be in music if they didn't love it, but loving it doesn't pay the power bill. It should have been very clear to the Event Centre management from the beginning exactly what the payment terms of contracting Marty were. He has been in business long enough that I am sure he has been "screwed" on a promise to be paid later or has received checks that bounced or that had a stop-payment. I totally trust that he did what he felt he needed to do. It was a very unfortunate situation.

We did stay til the end although if I had known how things would progress, I certainly would have taken an afternoon nap! I do agree with a previous writer that Marty showed alot of class in not "bumping" Christian/Durand off the stage in the middle of their song, but played "backup" for them. Once he got on stage, he put on a top notch show. It was absolutely wonderful and I got some great pictures. I, too, was disappointed that we didn't get to have the meet and greet, but when he finished, it was almost 1:30 A.M.!! We felt lucky that we got the concert! Long live Marty!!

We will buy tickets to see him again and will support his fan club and other endeavors more than ever.

As a resident of McDonough and Henry County, GA, I would like to apologize for the way the evening turned out. Hopefully, if you pass through our town for another occasion, you will not have all bad memories.

Dear Todd,

I am addressing my comments to Todd Annis who states that Marty should remember where he came from as to having blue-collar roots. I suggest that Mr. Annis do his homework regarding Mr. Stuart and he would find out that he has been a musician all his life and that has been his only means of employment. Marty Stuart is not a pop country wanna be come along lately. He has been in Nashville and country music since he was 13 years old.

Mr. Annis, come to Nashville and go to The Country Music Hall of Fame, get to know Marty Stuart and you will see that he pays for his own designer boots and the boots and memorabilia of many other country superstars.

Don't open your mouth if you can't fit your own boot inside it!

To Those of You Who Decided to Blame Marty for the Fiasco in Georgia:

I was at the McDonough show and am a resident here. I am embarassed for Henry Co. and McDonough, GA. The fans should remember that none of us do our jobs for free, and that Marty has to pay the band, bus driver, technicians etc........Our problem is with Peactree Peddlers and the Showcase event center. I have never been to an event handled so poorly. I will never set foot in the place again and would encourage locals not to shop there. Besides being an eyesore, concessions and door people had no clue what they were doing. Persons ripped off by the Event Center should contact the Georgia Governors Office of Consumer Affairs. They have the power to enforce proper behavior of the management at Peachtree Peddlers.

Marty did a great show, as did Christian/Durand and Wet Willie. Marty, thanks for waiting as I did for the goofballs who ran this show to finally pay you. I know they knew the payment requirements when they booked your show. I called Peachtree Peddlers and, of course, they are trying to blame the promoter, I know my tickets were bought at Peachtree Peddlers. Their sign was the only advertising I saw for the show. They are completely responsible for this mess.

I've read where some people are putting Marty down because of what happen at McDonough GA. it is not his fault and he shouldn't be put down the way some aredoing. He is not, as some called him, ALMIGHTY MR. STUART. Marty will speak to you any where he sees you.

I know that for a fact. I saw him in May at Owensboro, KY. I was sitting in a cafe in the building where the show to take place eating while waiting for time for the show. Marty walked through and spoke to me and my friend Evie Totty that was with me.

This is to thank all the folks that came out to McDonough, GA. I just wanted to let everyone know my side of this mess and yes it was a mess. I was looking forward to the concert as I had never seen Marty, but had heard a lot about him. My wife and I were called on Friday afternoon telling us the caterers had backed out (my wife was one of the sponsors of this concert and she put up over $1,000.00 to have commercials on the local cable channels, etc.) so, not knowing anything was wrong, we went and bought 20 lbs of cole slaw like we were asked.

On Saturday afternoon instead of going to the races (my first passion), we got dressed up and headed over around 4 p.m. to the concert site. When we walked in the door, to my surprise, the stage was all ready, the sound was all ready, BUT, no place for people to sit ..... Myself and one other man were ask if we would help set up chairs, so we agreed. So two guys and two young girls (teenagers) set up 1,000 chairs in less than an hour. Where was my wife you ask? She was asked to help out with parking so out she went to the roadside to sell parking spots. I finally got the chairs done and in comes my wife with the promoter and they wanted us to do the vip tickets. We did this till after the first act was done and then I had enough. We went to enjoy the concert.

We missed the first act, but did enjoy the Wet Willie Band and waiting for Marty, after waiting one hour the promoter came and got my wife and then they left suddenly through a side door. Next thing I know is the police are walking around with her and I went to find out what happened. Then the story of the money disappearing was told to me. After numerous trips to Marty's bus and back to the office about 3 hours later things were finally settled and he had agreed to come on, but it would take an hour or so to get ready. We were so mad at this time we didn't stay. We left and got a phone call about an hour later that he was performing. We do not know how, when, or IF he got paid, but he did come on. And for that. I thank Marty and his band .

Just to let y'all know who we are if you remember the only two people there working that looked like they should be working at a concert then that's us. I had a black cowboy hat and black and white shirt (ruined now because of setting up chairs) and my wife was wearing a nice vest and jeans (dressed to the hilt also). We were at the VIP table (yes, in this case, VIP may mean VERY INSULTING PREDICAMENT).

Anyway I want thank all the people for coming. I met some of the nicest people that he has for fans. I just want to ask you not to blame Marty for the delay, but you can blame the "Boss Lady" of the event center ...

Hi! I just wanted to say that I have been lucky enough this year to see Marty twice so far!! I saw him in Nashville, Indiana on August 18th and in Chicago, Illinois on November 2nd. Both shows were excellent and I had a great time! I have talked to Marty after both shows and he is always so sweet. He deserves so much more credit and radio time than he gets. It was sad that he didn't get more time on the CMA awards. He deserves the best in life! I wish him well and I hope that he continues his musical career for many more years! He really needs to get a Christmas CD out! :-)

Also I would like to say a BIG thank-you to his band and Les! Keep up the great work. Thanks again for everything! I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Holiday season.

I paid good money to see Marty Stuart on November 17 of this year at the Showcase Center in McDonough, Georgia. For my money, I got to see two girls sing first, then the Wet Willie Band. The Wet Willie Band was great but, I know everyone paid their money to see Marty Stuart. Mr. Marty decided not to come out of his trailer because the venue did not raise enough money. Has country music gone the same path as Pro Sports. Everything is about money. The now ex-fans (myself included) were denied a chance to see someone they, at one time, looked up to because of money. The concert could have gone on and the venue could have been sued or whatever to straighten out the money situation later. The fans had NOTHING to do with the ALMIGHTY MR STUART getting his precious money. The people that were there paid their money and got nothing in return. It may not have been many people at the show, but they WERE loyal fans. It is such a shame that someone has to be so money hungry that he FORGETS who actually pays for his nice cars, homes, and new boots. In case you forgot, it is the FAN. Without fans, you might as well sing on your back porch.

Country music has always been the working blue collar man’s music. It is just too bad that some of the former working men that made it big in country music forgot where they came from and what got them where they are.

I'm sure there is nothing new I can add to the Georgia. show fiasco!! All I can say is 'God Bless Marty' for sticking around and doing a WONDERFUL show. We fans were naturally upset about what happened, but just think how Marty felt? He came to put on a show, not to be stuck in the middle of a mess like that!!!

As for me, I doubt that I will ever attend another show there. The tickets I had ordered in October still hadn't arrived on the Wednesday before the show. When I FINALLY got in touch with a real person, they were all apologetic and "just couldn't figure out" what could have happened. They promised to have tickets waiting for me, and they did, but I was also told that the reason I never got the tickets I ordered (and had been charged for on my credit card!) had never been mailed! I must admit I had a bad feeling about the place right then. Anyway, even though we were cheated out of the meet and greet that the VIP tickets promised us, the show was great and Marty was VERY WELL WORTH THE WAIT!!!!!

Well, I was at the concert (that almost wasn't) last evening. What a bust. Christian Durand opened up and then the Wet Willie Band played. Well it was time for Marty and, an hour later, it was still time for Marty. A few minutes later, a man came on stage and announced they were having technical problems...no one was on the stage with the equipment. Well, people were getting very restless by this time. A few minutes passed and a gentleman appeared on the stage (Arthur Breckenridge, whom we were told is Marty's cousin.) We thought he was kidding. He said, "There is only enough money in the cash box for only about 30 people to have paid" and he really wasn't making much sense. He left the stage, but there was never an announcement made as to if Marty was playing or not.

People starting leaving and they were hot. The people in front of us were involved with the promotional people some how. Anyway, they said the lady that owned the place took her money off the top for the concessions and she left. There was not enough money to pay Marty...that was the technical problem. No announcement was ever made. This is a fairly new place and they want to start having concerts there. This was the first one and they wanted a big name, so this Art fellow got his cousin Marty. It was about 10:30, so we left. On the way out, my friend, Pam said, "Let's drive around and see if he is still here." We saw his bus and he was standing inside. When we turned the car around and started to leave, a guard told us we could go back inside if we wanted to because they got it worked out and Marty would be on stage in about 30 minutes. So, we went back inside.

Christian Durand came back on and, finally, at 12:00 midnight, Marty and Cowboys hit the stage. He was great. By this time, there was less than 150 people. He wanted everyone to have a good time. He played for about an hour...all old music except for one song. It was great. That is the first time I've seen since July 4, 1999 at Dollywood. The tickets were $45.00 for dinner, show, and post meet'n'greet. Well, there was no meet'n'greet. The people that handled this really screwed up. I don't think there will be anymore concerts in McDonough. I'll let you know if there is anything in the paper about it. I felt really bad for Marty. No one can blame Marty, it was the venue's fault.

Marty was 3 hours late performing because of some "technical" difficulties - the venue was having a hard time coming up with the cash to pay Marty. Just want to let any fans who were at the show in McDonough GA on 11/17 know that we got scammed. We charged tickets by phone and were told at the door the card didn't go through - we paid cash for tickets at the door and low and behold they HAD charged my account 11/13! So someone was having a good time with our extra cash (and Marty's)! If you did have the same problem - fight it with your credit card company and the venue.

There were about 100 people still there and he and the Rock and Roll Cowboys were great. We expected to see more of Marty's fan base there but we don't think it was advertised at all. Never miss an opportunity to see Marty - he's better than ever and sounds great!

Just a note to say "HI"...sittin' here, finishin' my show on K95.5 FM, in Tulsa, OK...listening to "I Want a Woman" off of "Tempted"...reminded me of old times when I played Marty on the radio...some of the best times of my life revolved around Marty concerts and music...

Well another night ended with some more wonderful memories of Marty Stuart. This night in Clarskville, Tennessee at the Museum. I saw Marty in a black suit, white shirt, pink tie, and black cowboy boots. What a gorgeous man he is. Even spent time with "Mama", Connie, Jennifer, Jodee, and Shelby Jean. Talked with Sherry Mattioli also!

Our little town rested peacefully under a fluffy sky of various grays and blues, as my mother made her way up the walk. She was hours into her regular routine, which includes bringing in my mail. In the stack of envelopes of assorted shapes, colors, and sizes, was a certified letter with the return address of Serena Williams. My first thought was ... "why would a famous tennis star be writing to me?"

With trembling hands, I gently tore open the envelope. Two rectangular 2x6-inch tickets fluttered down and landed haphazardly on my desk. My heart began beating wildly when I saw the words "MARTY STUART" printed across the front. My tickets had arrived!!!

Joy erupted within me in a multitude of ways. Tears, laughter, and that "all over giddy feeling" quickly erased all the problems and hard times I've recently been forced to endure. With the sudden desire to whoop and holler I started out of my chair to issue forth a loud "YEEEEHAWWWWW" when my back gave a sharp jab, reminding me that I would do no such thing.

It was at this time I realized I could very well explode if I didn't find a release for all this sudden build up of elated energy! I couldn't "jump for joy,' that could very well be my last leap of faith. I couldn't get up and dance a jig, that could put me on the floor. I couldn't shout for joy, that might scare poor Mickey, and she does have a heart condition. I studied this dilemma as the energy grew and threatened to consume me from within. Then it came to me!

Awww ... so simple an answer! Smile! Just smile! The corners of my mouth began to turn up, as my lips stretched further and further across my face.

Now my heart feels light, my spirit free, and I have a smile on my face a sharp slap couldn't remove!
Just a few more days and I'll get to see Marty!!! Also ... my husband and I get to share the table with an artist, perhaps a DJ, and a tennis star! What a night this will be!

I'll still be grinning, no doubt.

Well, another concert has came and gone. Friday August 17, 2001, Marty & The Rock'N'Roll Cowboys in Gray, TN. This is another far trip I have made to see Marty in concert -- 8 hours from my hometown here in Mayfield, KY. I had an excellent time. I was at both shows. Marty did his meet'n'greet between shows, and I got a hug and he let me give him a kiss on the cheek. Marty has been really sweet and nice to me since he has been touring again, as he always was before. He lets me hug him and give him kisses without me asking him! Thanks for the big hugs Marty, and letting me give you the kisses, it means so much to me!

Wow, Marty touring some again! I have been waiting for this for a while, as I know his other fans have too. Sure have missed the concerts!

My name is Dino and I'm the singer of the swiss Rock'n'Roll and Country Band RUBBERNECKS. We will perform with Marty on 21. March in Zurich, Switzerland at the International Country Festival, Albisguetli.
I'm looking forward to meet Marty and I hope he will like Switzerland and the Swiss country fans.

I'll come back after the concert with a review.

I met Marty and Connie a few years ago at the Cracker Barrel across the street from the Opry. Since then, I've met him and the band several times (I'm a photographer) and they, without a doubt, are THE nicest people I've ever met in the business. That's why I feel I need to say my peace about The Pilgrim's "failure".

I remember sitting on Marty's tour bus after their show at Mohegan Sun and he played me some rough cuts to the CD (this was almost 7 months before it came out, I believe). I asked him straight out, "Do you see this fitting into the formats of these 'Country' stations?" He shrugged his shoulders. Then to paraphrase, he said that he needed to make the record that was in his heart and see where the chips may fall.

Marty and the guys may not have a Platinum award for The Pilgrim but, when it's all said and done, they can say they made a REAL country record when it was not cool to do so. Gun play, suicide, the weather, the price of Tea in China had nothing to do with why that CD didn't sell. Country music is not in fashion. Crappy ballads disguised as country music are in fashion, Thank goodness Marty went with his heart.

I'm from Pittsburgh, PA and traveled to the Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse in Burgettstown, PA last evening for Marty's show. What a show it was! Very intimate, nice crowd, and Marty at his absolute best. Afterwards, while Marty was signing autographs, I was awe struck over the long black coat he wore to greet his fans as were many other people who were there. Is that coat something from his collection or something he chose as his personal look? It was sharp!!!!

I also, like Lori, saw Marty at the Camrose Jamboree on July 30, 1999. I really appreciate that he would stay out there and play for us even though it was freezing! This is the first time I have seen him because everytime I have the chance, the concert seems to get cancelled. I have to say although I have been disappointed each time I have tried to see him, I never gave up and this one performance captured me because of his dedication to his fans.

One last comment, us Canadiens do love Marty as well and I am glad to see him trying to do more concerts here. In the last three years I have lived in Red Deer he tried to be here for our Westerner Days, he was at Camrose, and he was at Cowboys about 3 or 4 times. That's more then any other artist.

In closing I love Marty not only for his music but for the person he is, and its nice to see more and more people starting to realize this.

He also believes in his roots. It's not just "lip service" when he speaks about the people that have inspired him in his career. I believe that we are lucky as fans to have him around as he will continue the tradition of country music along with people like Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs. As long as we have those three around, we're gonna be all right!