As we made the walk from the BCC lawn to Love and Theft’s tour bus, I was trying my best to act nonchalant about the whole thing. “We can’t act star stuck,” I said to Amanda McKelvey, Her Campus Fairfield Correspondent, who was next to me. “We wont,” she assured. Who were we kidding though; we were freaking out with excitement on the inside. After all, it was Stephen Barker Liles and Eric Gunderson, the two talented artists who have performed at the Opry, and the guys we’ve sang along to with while blasting “Angel Eyes” in our room. We also can’t ignore the fact that they are extremely handsome.
Feeling curious about how they would act and if they would be wiling to talk, we stepped onto the bus. Our nerves were instantly gone, and it took about thirty seconds to realize that Stephen Barker and Eric Gunderson are two of the coolest, most down to earth artists.
They politely shook our hands, introducing themselves one after the other. “Hi I’m Stephen,” followed by “Hi, I’m Eric.” Duh, we were thinking. They told us to take a seat, and we sat directly across from them while a large TV was playing a college football game right above them.
Eric started goofing around right from the start, when he put on clear glasses that lit up flashing with different colors, and said, “OK, I’m ready.” Then, Stephen began to explain how the duo loves traveling. “You know, we’re best friends, so we have a good time,” he said as he turned to Eric, who nodded in agreement with his goggles still lighting up. “As you can tell,” Stephen finished off while laughing, “we have a good time.”
Before Eric and Stephen played music for us on Saturday night, they played a game of basketball at Alumni Hall. Basketball is a typical hobby while on tour, but that’s not their only pre-show ritual. “Shots,” Stephen quickly responded when we asked what they do before every show. Eric followed up by saying, “Shots. And, I take insulin and check my blood pressure.” Eric has Type 1 diabetes, which is something most people don’t know about him.
Other than his incredible voice and great personality, Stephen also impressed us when he admitted his pre-bed snack: a banana with peanut butter. “It’s my like drunk [snack], I am not going to eat a piece of pizza, I am going to have a banana,” he said. Resisting a slice of pizza for a banana? That’s impressive.
Before wrapping things up, we asked Eric what tour bus snack he couldn’t live without, and his answer proves how frank and down to earth these guys really are. He said, “The one thing I can’t live without is Miller Lite. Like, if I am being completely honest.” Amen, Eric.
After great conversation and plenty of laughs, we headed out to the concert to watch Stephen and Eric do what they do best. Love and Theft gave us a night we’ll never forget, which fits perfectly considering the name of their tour is “Night You’ll Never Forget.”
There is not much better than two down to earth best friends who just need music, basketball, a banana, and some Miller Lite.
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