Dear Cole,
I hope it’s okay that I use your first name, because when/if you see this, it’ll already be published and there isn’t much I can do about it then. You don’t know me, but my name is Courtney and I am one of your biggest fans – ever. I know you hear that all the time and all but I promise that when I say it, it is genuine.
When I saw you for the first time, on October 13th of 2012, I was having a hard time. October 13th is the anniversary of my sister’s death, so it’s never a day full of too much fun. Beforehand, my mama and I had decided to go to the Farm Tour in Macon, GA for the night with her best friend and a few other teenagers. We waited in line all day, got beside the stage, and when you came on, somehow I forgot about everything else. My friends and I had a blast, dancing and singing along, but what I loved most about your set was how much you seemed to love being up on stage. After the concert, we waited around as long as the adults with us would allow in hopes of meeting you, but the lines were far too long for them. (I would have waited all night, just sayin’.)
Since that night I have loved not only your music, but your stage presence as a whole. I have seen you perform multiple times since then (Farm Tours, Rude Rudy’s, Rum Runners, Wild Bills, ect), and it amazes me that no matter where you are performing, or how crazy the crowd is, you always have a smile on your face. Seeing you on stage has shown me that you are genuine when you are up there, you really are having the time of your life – but often times, I wonder if you know that we, the audience, are having the time of our lives as well.
Going to school at Georgia Southern has shown me that despite your fame, you haven't forgotten the people and the places that made you the person you are. Seeing you lead out the Eagles last football season, reading your tweets after the tragic accident on I-16, observing your ‘signature hat’ you wear at basically every performance, and talking with people who know the real you has proven that you really are just a small town Georgia boy following your dreams. You walked across the same campus that I do every day, and you aren’t too proud to remember that. You are the perfect example of someone who never gave up on their dreams, and achieved more than most people ever will.
I guess this letter is more of a thank you than anything else. Thank you for being a genuine person, and never forgetting where you came from. Thank you for never giving up, and for showing me that even small-town people can reach their dreams. Thank you for giving me hope through your music, and for writing songs that are catchy, yet can sometimes relate to situations I have personally experienced. Thank you for loving your fans, and always giving it all you have when you are performing. Most of all, thank you for loving what you do just as much as we love watching you do it.
After every show I have attended, I have always waited around (and even chatted with Black Mike, who I learned a song about thanks to you) hoping I would have the opportunity to tell you all of this myself, but for now I guess a letter via The Odyssey will have to suffice. I hope that somehow, someway, you read this… and it puts a smile on your face.
Until we (hopefully) meet,
Courtney, one of your biggest fans.
