Lee Brice is not a philosopher. I know that. He is a singer songwriter who just won the 2015 AMC, Best Single award for his song, “I Don’t Dance”, and he just performed at Deer Valley as park of the St. Regis Big Stars, Bright Nights concert series.

Maybe he is an accidental philosopher because during his concert, he certainly shared some keys to leading a fulfilling life with the crowd. He didn’t read them off in a list, of course, but the audience picked them up none-the-less. I’ll share a few that I gleaned from the evening.

Here are 7 steps to happiness from Lee Brice:

Celebrate life (with a pre-party, a party and an after party)

I’ve been to a lot of concerts at the Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater at Deer Valley Resort in the 11 years I’ve been coming to Park City in the summers, but I’ve never seen so many people tailgating before a concert.

Actually, I don’t think I had ever seen anyone tailgating before.  

There were quite a few parties going on with music playing from truck speakers and friends socializing as I parked and walked up to the venue.

Enjoy the simple things

“Sunshine on my face and moonshine on my lips.”  This line just makes me want to stop what I am doing, go outside and soak up some sun. I’m not so sure about moonshine on my lips personally because I have heard it’s pretty high in alcohol content. To each his own,  but maybe for me and my girlfriends, we’d replace that particular beverage with a pinot noir.  

The concept, however, rings true, “stop, sip, relax and enjoy your life.”

Savor what you really enjoy

Beer! There is no doubt in my mind that Lee Brice and the Little Canyon Band enjoy a beer from time to time. How can you tell?

Share with others

This might look like speaker but think again. This is really a mini fridge filled with cold beer. Lee grabbed one for himself and another one to share with a thirsty fan in the front row.

There are highs and lows in life, don’t ignore the lows.

His hit song, “I Drive Your Truck” really hits home when we think of a loved one. How do we grieve when we miss someone close to us that has passed away? This song was inspired by a man whose son was a soldier who died in Afghanistan. 

Lee sang, “People have their way of coping and I’ve got mine. I drive your truck. I roll every window down and I burn it up.” What I took from those lyrics was, if you are going to miss someone, dig deep and let yourself really miss them.  

When I miss my Mom who passed away over 5 years ago, I love to wear her wedding ring. Slipping her ring on my finger, makes me feel like I am holding her hand somehow. When you think about it, if you are grieving, that means you really cared for someone. Caring is a good thing.

Honor those who serve.

Lee gave a shout out to our military (during the above song) and asked us to flick a lighter to honor those who served in the armed forces. Everyone quickly clicked on their zippo lighter apps or flashlights on their phones. Lee embraced an emotional veteran who’d approached the stage in a genuine show of appreciation for his service.

You get more back more than you give

Lee had met an enthusiastic young man at a meet-and-greet earlier that night and during the concert, he signed a guitar and gave it to him.  You can see the happiness on this kid’s face to the delight of everyone in the audience.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “What you do speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you say.“

In the case of the Lee Brice concert, we all could certainly hear what he had to say, or rather, sing. The music was great, Deer Valley’s food was amazing, and the venue was stunning as always. There were also a few good messages that came loud and clear, too.

A pre-party, a party, an after-party and a few life lessons to boot, I think Lee Brice might just be a philosopher in disguise.