Here is my eighth Saturday Spotlight that I did with myself! I thought it would be cool to kick off 2026 by reintroducing myself to my readers and giving you more insight into me as a Dan + Shay fan!
Stacy (S): The first song of Dan + Shay’s that I heard on the radio was “19 You + Me” on my local country radio station B93.7 FM a couple of times in the fall of 2013. However, I did not know the name of the duo or the title of the song. I remember finding every aspect of the song to be very refreshing to my ears (the vocals, production, and song subject), but for some reason I did not think to look up the name of the artists or the song title at the time.
Fast forward to the last week of March, 2014 when I was officially introduced to the duo and became a fan of them instantly. I had a free Spotify account at the time and noticed a banner on the application that said Dan + Shay’s debut album Where It All Began was streaming for free a full week before its release on April 1. I looked at the track listing and noticed “19 You + Me” on it, the song that I had heard on the radio in late 2013. After one listen through of the entire project, the debut single and “Nothin’ Like You” were my two favorite songs, but I loved the other ten tracks as well. From hearing “Show You Off”, the cheeky, fun song that kicked of the album all the way, to ending it with the piano-infused, heartbreak tune “I Heard Goodbye”, I felt like the duo took me on a ride.
As soon as I listened to their album the week prior to it coming out, I immediately followed the duo account and their individual accounts on social media. Early on, Twitter (now X) was my main way to connect with the guys. They started favoriting (liking) my tweets right away, and within a week, they started to interact with me even more. This included getting a reply to one of my tweets and even following me back! When I found out it was the guys themselves doing the interacting (Dan Smyers the majority of the time), I could tell that they were the real deal. To this day, Smyers continues to control their social media accounts.
Watching them start
out playing at The Intersection, a small, intimate venue, on October 12, 2014 and October 18, 2015 2015, then moving on to a much larger crowd at the Grand Valley State
University Fieldhouse Arena on April 10, 2016, to opening up for Darius Rucker on his Good for a Good Time Tour on August 19, 2016, and then seeing them perform
for an even larger crowd (2,000+) at 20 Monroe Live on April 6, 2017 it has been incredible to watch to watch the guys
blossom and become the headliners that they are today.
Each of their
concerts that I have attended have been incredibly enjoyable. If I had to pick
three moments that stuck out to me, the first would be when the guys crowd
surfed at The Intersection show in 2015. At the beginning of their set, Dan
announced to the audience that they wanted to crowd surf later to celebrate
their current single “Nothin’ Like You” getting close to number one on the
country radio chart. I somehow missed the memo and did not know what was going
on when they started to make their way into the sea of people. All of a sudden,
Dan was above me and my friend Stephanie. A rush of energy ran through my body
that I had never felt before. Everyone had to do their part to get both members
of the duo to the back of the room and return to the stage in a safe manner. It
was a thrilling experience that I will never forget. The second moment would be
when I got to hear “From The Ground Up” live for the first time in 2016. I was
up in the balcony with my friend Sarah and I got chills watching the guys sing
this song that means so much to them. The last moment would be hearing
“Tequila” live for the first time at Van Andel Arena on March 14, 2014. They
ended the concert with their first multi-week number one. Witnessing Shay
Mooney hold the final “yeah” for several seconds is a memory I will cherish
forever.
At my second
concert on October 18, 2015, I bought a VIP package and got the opportunity to meet the duo for the second year in a row before they took the stage later that night. They remembered me from social
media again and I received more hugs from the guys. Dan + Shay
both thanked me for consistently requesting their current single “Nothin’ Like
You” at the time. I told them I was happy to do it because I thought they were
so talented and deserved to have to their songs played on the radio. After we
talked briefly, we took a meet and greet picture together.
I hope to get the opportunity in the near future to say hello, thank them for everything else they have done for me on social media and beyond since 2015, and update my meet and greet picture!
(S): If you had the opportunity to have dinner with Dan + Shay and spend quality time with them afterward, what questions would you ask them? What else would you talk about in a conversation with them?
(S): I would ask them more details
about their first meeting at Dan’s house party on December 7, 2014. I also
would want to know what it like walking the carpets at award shows, performing at
them, and how they felt every time their names were called when winning an
award. In addition, I think it would be fun just to have an every day
conversation with them, thanking them for all that they have done for me over
the years, how much I enjoy listening to their music. I would also ask them what their days off from the studio/being on the road look like.
(S): Is there anything else you would like to add that I did not mention above?
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