Cheyenne Frontier Days is a celebration of all things western and has been held annually in Cheyenne since 1897. After living in Wyoming for ten years and not ever having been to the “Daddy of ‘em All,” my sister Emily and I couldn’t find a reason refuse when we were offered free tickets to go see Big & Rich perform. We did not consult with anyone for advice before heading to Cheyenne, perhaps the first of a number of rookie mistakes we made that day. Hopefully what we discovered will help others to also have a great experience at Cheyenne Frontier Days.
Most of us have driven to Cheyenne, not all of us have driven in Frontier Days traffic. It’s bedlam, with the number of cars on the road tripling and the number of drivers that know where they are going nosediving. I gave myself license to drive like a complete geriatric. Another thing to take note of is that GPS, the saucy minx, does not know everything. Mine insisted I take an exit that was closed. It continued to frantically reroute me to get me on that exit after I had passed it. Sometimes, ignore the GPS and drive where you darn well please; it will eventually find you a reasonable route.
The next obstacle was parking. The original plans were to use the park and ride service provided by CFD, but neither of us wanted to touch the GPS again. Cheyenne residents south of the CFD grounds offer up their own driveways for a fee. A woman stood on the corner 7th and Carey, with a cardboard sign advertising her driveway. She wasn’t the only one. Emily and I ended up parked right across the street from the grounds for $20. Emily reasoned that since the tickets had been free, we could overpay for parking. As far as rationalizing questionable decisions goes, we are champions. I figured we would find out later whether it was worth it and we headed into the park.
I am a fan of Big & Rich, along with all those who know the words to “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy).” Which is everyone. I wondered how many others at the concert that night were also unable to name any other Big & Rich song. What happens at many concerts, though, is that you end up knowing more of the songs than you thought you did. The Big & Rich concert was no different. Emily and I were pleasantly surprised to hear of a few old favorites. However I would not advise pretending you know songs when you actually don’t. I would like to abolish the popular notion that mouthing “watermelon” over and over makes you look like you know the lyrics. It doesn’t. We tried.
Not that anyone is watching you. There’s a huge number of people in the audience. After living in Wyoming for nearly ten years we’re no longer accustomed to crowds. While I enjoy my space bubble, it isn’t reasonable to expect it to be appreciated in the mob. To keep from feeling violated, Emily and I quickly learned to avoid certain people, couples in particular. Avoid couples like the plague. The band plays one semi-cutesy song and suddenly the couples are swaying and gyrating like it’s Thursday night at the Cowboy Bar. When you can feel some cowgirl’s butt plastered against your own, it’s time to find a new spot.
Cutting out of the concert a little early is probably a good idea and perhaps Emily and I will try it next time around. Once the music had concluded the crowd was herded like cattle towards the entry portals. The benefit to leaving with the masses is that the exiting crowds completely stopped traffic around the grounds, and we were able to cross the street without waiting for cars. As we headed out of Cheyenne, Emily and I caught a glimpse of the yellow school buses for the park and ride service crammed with people. Looks like the $20 parking spot was worth it after all.
