In the beginning, we liked Bo Bice. Yes, my husband and I were among the millions to faithfully dial in our vote for him on American Idol week after week. Not only did we like Bo's voice and his style, he just reminded us of a guy we might know from back home. We grew up in rural Maryland... in a place where tractor pulls actually still happen, oversized pickups are coveted and where southern/classic rock still rolls. Yes, Bo was our man. We purchased his first CD, The Real Thing the day that it dropped, we've watched every appearance Bo has made on American Idol since he was a contestant and we've also purchased his sophomore album, See the Light. With this latest album, we knew, the real Bo Bice had finally arrived.

So, when Richie asked us to attend Bo's July 11th concert at the Recher Theatre on behalf of PEV, we knew we couldn't pass up the opportunity. And neither could many diehard Bo fans. In the heat of the late afternoon, fans of all ages began lining up outside the doors of the Recher. One fan even sported a shirt reading "Bo is my Idol". After a brief opening act, Bo and his band took the stage beginning with "Take the Country Outta Me" and then continuing with "See the Light". It was readily apparent, from the moment they took the stage, these guys love music... not only can you see it on their faces but you can feel it in the energy of their songs. Bo sings each song with heart, soul and passion � you know that he believes in his message 100 percent. Yes, he did perform "The Real Thing" (the hit single from his first album) but once you hear the material from See the Light, and see it performed live, you quickly realize the depth and grit that is missing from this song. They covered "Can't You See" by the Marshall Tucker Band and continued to rock the crowd with the rest of the songs from See the Light.

It might surprise some people to learn that Bo is quite a musician as well. I lost count after three different types of guitars that he played - an electric, a steel guitar and an impressive double neck. He also played the voicebox and harmonica. Beyond that, Bo wrote (or cowrote) every song on See the Light, which only adds to his credibility as a "real musician" in my book.

We even had a chance to catch up with Bo before the show and not only are his performances genuine and heartfelt; he, himself, is a very genuine person who looks you right in the eye as he's talking to you. He truly is the person that we thought he would be... just a regular guy who loves riding motorcycles in his downtime and living his dream of making music he can be proud of and rocking out for his fans. In his XX Qs, Bo mentioned that he keeps his shows clean and they are appropriate for all ages � I asked him to elaborate why avoiding F bombs (and the like) is so important to him, "It's not something I need to do to stand out or to say 'look what I did'. It doesn't really fit what my goal is in life. Which is really, at the end of the day, to be a good dad and husband. Without God, I wouldn't have anything in my life anyway. I might not live by example all the time, but I try my darndest and that's just one of my ways."

If that's not the real thing, I don't know what is. If you love a true musician with heart and soul, check out Bo Bice at a venue near you and bring the kids; you won't be disappointed. Nicole Cooney is the latest journalist to join the PensEyeView.com team. We will be hearing much more from Nicole in the futures... stay tuned!