Who is Tyler Hilton? If you have seen the TV series One Tree Hill you may be familiar with his role as Chris Keller. Or maybe you've seen the movie Walk the Line where he played Elvis. He also played Murphy Bivens in the 2007 film called Charlie Bartlett. Still doesn't ring a bell? Maybe you've seen Taylor Swifts music video Teardrops On My Guitar (he plays Drew). 
Now, I've been a fan of Tyler's for about 3 to 4 years and I've been keeping up with his music since. Last year he had a tour scheduled but it was cancelled (bummer). This year I was going insane trying to solve a chemical engineering homework problem when I decided to check his website for updates. My eyes grew wide open when I saw he was going on tour with The Spill Canvas (another favorite band of mine). As I kept on reading, I learned that he would be performing on May 15, 2010 at THE Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ. That's like an hour and a half from where I live. Immediately I bought 3 tickets to go see him with my sister and my best friend. The show was about 2 months away and I was beyond excited. There was absolutely no way I would be disappointed and I was right!
We decided to leave early to enjoy the beach and do some sight seeing around Asbury Park. When we got there, there were a few people already waiting for the doors to open so we went to find something to eat and just chilled in line until the doors opened. To our surprise, the U-Haul
vans were unloading instruments for the show. Boy was I shocked when I saw Steve (Tyler's guitarist for this tour) walking across the parking lot right in front of me! Followed by Tyler but my hands were shaking uncontrollably to take a picture. We also saw the other bands unloading their instruments and we finally got the guts to ask to take pictures with them. By 5:30pm the line was getting bigger and you could hear the crowd talking very enthusiastically about the bands. Everyone was familiar with the Spill Canvas, few people were familiar with Tyler. 6pm hit and the doors opened. We started walking through the doors, passed security and into the venue. We were lucky to be among the first to enter because the crowd soon came pouring in. Our spots were right at the edge of the stage, where we were able to take kick-ass pictures and videos of the bands. The first band up was the New Politics and their follow-up was AM Taxi. Both great bands, but when Tyler Hilton came on stage the entire crowd roared. I knew all the lyrics to each of his songs, a few people were familiar with his new songs but almost everyone was familiar with his older songs, such as When It Comes! 
Setlist for the Night
1. 16th Summer
2. This World Will Turn Your Way
3. Missing You
4. Ain't a Thing
5. When It Comes
6. Sunset Blvd
7. You'll Ask For Me
8. I Believe In You
9. Kiss On
What really got the crowd going was when he announced that he was recording an on the road video of I Believe In You. He taught everyone the first 3 lines of the chorus which goes like, "Baby that's all I need, is someone like you burning though me." Those verses still resound in my head. The song is so inspirational and everyone at The Stone Pony that night was definitely feeling the lyrics and the beat. Throughout the entire performance Tyler had a huge smile on his face. I could have sworn he smiled at me when he was singing When It Comes. Let's face it, I'm just a fan among a bunch (older and newer) so he could have been smiling at anyone or everyone. He dedicated his last song to his girlfriend, Megan Park. Any girl would melt if their significant other started singing Kiss On for them. Tyler's energy on stage was contagious, it's almost impossible to not like his music. Props to the person who yelled out, "I love you!" To which Tyler responded, "I still love you and nothing's ever gonna change that!" Even on stage Tyler has a great sense of humor. His band members, Steve (guitarist), Joe (bassist) and Lemony (drummer) all looked like they were having so much fun on stage. After half hour of playing, it was finally the Spill Canvas's turn to take the stage. I wished that his setlist could have been longer.
Later that night Tyler was invited back on stage with The Spill Canvas. Together they performed Our Song. I must say that they put on an AMAZING performance. At this point I was losing my voice from all the yelling and screaming. After the show, all bands stayed to sign autographs and meet their fans. I was not able to stay for this because it was almost impossible to get through the crowd and we had a long ride home (we had to drop off my best friend - who lived another hour away). Even though we didn't stay, all his updates on his website and facebook show comments from the fans who did get a chance to meet him. They all agree that he is a very down to earth guy. Even I agree because I watch his monthly webcasts where he answers all of his fans questions, sends shout outs and even plays requested songs. Not many (if any) music artists do this for their fans. The connection between Tyler and his fans is a strong one. He has even given us a nickname, Storm Trackers! This name was chosen because of his new album coming out, The Storms We Share. I know I can't wait for it to come out. Hopefully Tyler comes back to Jersey soon for another tour because I know I'll be there along with the many new fans he's earned! This concert was the best way to start off my summer vacation. Thanks Tyler and keep rockin'! ;) On a scale from 1 to 10, I give Tyler's performance a 10! 
P.S Below is the video I took of When It Comes. Enjoy and be sure to visit his website for updates!
http://www.tylerhilton.com
http://www.facebook.com/tylerhilton
http://www.myspace.com/tylerhilton
http://www.twitter.com/TylerHilton
http://www.youtube.com/tylerhilton
Stay tuned for my next e-blog. Ideas/ recommendations about what to talk about are more than welcome and your comments are greatly appreciated!
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