DIERKS IN ORLANDO FOR MARDI GRAS

I've been all over America to see Dierks Bentley as he lives his dreams on stage, belting out his self-written hits and winning over casual fans to die-hard dedicated-for-life fan clubbers. Last night, I simply drove 1.5 hours up the road to see a little of America all in one spot. Orlando, New Orleans, San Francisco, Hollywood, New York, and the sounds of Nashville all in 8 hours!

Universal Orlando Resort has hosted Mardi Gras at Universal Studios for 15 years, bringing the New Orleans parade to life and bigger than life artists like Bentley to perform on their Music Plaza stage, in the space that formerly was occupied by the Boneyard--a place for old movie memorabilia relics. Hovering over head is Universal's newest wild roller coaster ride - Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. Stage right is the Twister attraction.

We arrived around 2:30 pm and stopped at the Guest Services "box office" before going into the park to pick up my Meet & Greet pass before 5 pm, but they told me to go over by Twister. Nobody over there knew anything. Frustrated and hungry, we decided we had plenty of time to find out about the pass, and decided to go eat a late lunch/early dinner.

You can almost hear the foghorns and clanging of buoy bells at Lombard’s Seafood Grille, a casually elegant full-service restaurant located at Universal Studios’ re-creation of San Francisco’s Fishermans Wharf. This waterfront establishment is Universal Studios Florida’s flagship restaurant. The grilled Mahi-Mahi and steamed asian vegetables was delish!

Now back to our mission. Finally a nice park employee pointed us in the right direction to get my M&G pass at Guest Relations. The line was starting to form to to stage area for the 8:30 show, so hubby stayed there to hold our place. Back with my pass, hubby had handed out lots of DB Congress business cards and was being quite the Dierks promoter to everyone in line.

Met some old and new DB Congress reps who also needed direction to get their M&G passes. It was Susan's first M&G! Great to see Ann, Emily, Belinda, Jennifer, Annette, and Cora again! They opened the gate at 5 pm, and we hustled to the front and slightly off center, in front of Robbie, and more importantly the stairs coming down from the stage! We stood there chatting with the other early birds in the not more than 47 degree Florida air until a little before 7 and then booked it to the bathrooms where we were to meet Chris for the M&G.

(Susan's first M&G!)

Red badges follow me! Chris lead us backstage (back lot) to what we were hoping to be someplace warm indoors. Not! It was a covered area but still outdoors. The familiar DB Feel That Fire backdrop was there and we all lined up. Jolene (I think) was first and gave him a beautiful jacket. I wasn't close enough to hear the story, but he tried it on.

When it was my turn before we even took the pic, he started telling me he had read the Daytona blog on dbcongress.com and how much he loved the site and was so impressed at how professional it looked, and wanted to know who does all that for me. I do! Really? Yep. [Well, my brother designed the layout, but I do all the blogs with a little help from Stephanie, Amanda and Carrie. And Steph helps with some of the graphic design. But it's basically 90% me].

Chris took the pic, then I asked Dierks to sign the pic of me, him and hubby from Daytona 2 weeks ago. If you remember from the Daytona blog, he said on stage that night that "someday they'll have our 8 x 10 up there on the wall boys," so I gave him two 8 x 10's of him and the guys--one to keep and one to send to The Ocean Deck to put on the wall!

We took a group pic and had a few minutes for Q&A. I asked about MM4K in Atlanta date and he asked Chris--they think it's in May sometime. I must have shown disappointment on my face, and I think he thought I thought the date was too far away and he said, "Hey I can only do so much" or something like that, but that's not why I made a sad face. We're going to Alaska in May and I don't want to miss Miles and Music!


Someone asked how his daugther was and if she was going through terrible two's yet. He said "No, she's great, she's a lot of fun!" Every 60 seconds, the Rip Ride Rockit roared above us, and he made mention every time. "I've been hearing that all day!" Of course it didn't help he had had no sleep, doing a show in Vegas the night before and flying straight to Orlando. He said he had been trying to sleep all day in his bunk with no luck. Said he felt like a vampire trying to sleep in the daytime.

We asked about the upcoming album and I told him we needed a new single to promote. He said they were having a meeting Monday to discuss what song it will be from the new album and that it's really "rootsy, different, but a definite rootsy vibe" he thought we would like. Hope to have it to radio in March. All too soon it was time to go...he still had 70 radio winners to meet.

When we left our front row spaces the grass area was not too crowded, but now everyone had stood up and started packing in close. But we managed to squeeze back to the front. I showed the signed pic to hubby who had been holding our place, and realized D has written "I love dbcongress.com!" above his signature. Made my night!

The Mardi Gras music started promptly at 8 pm signalling the start of the parade. We were not about to leave to go watch it and give up our spots. I couldn't see all the crowd behind me, but right before Settle For A Slowdown, Dierks came front and center, just gazed out into the audience, shook his head and said, I can't believe this. "When I got to Florida this morning I couldn't believe how cold and rainy it was. We didn't think anybody would come tonight. I'm from Phoenix and this is cold for me! But to see all of you here to see us?" He was visibly overwhelmed and grateful.

Prior to the main attraction, Universal was presented an award from the U.S. Military from all branches of our armed forces, in grateful recognition for Universal's complimentary tickets to all active duty men and women and their families.

The Mardi Gras girl tried to get us excited that Dierks was up next but she made it seem like it was a few minutes away so everybody started booing. "Don't boo or he might not come out!" she said.

Finally, a video blared from the big screens and we heard Dierks ask, does anybody wanna get sideways? from backstage and the show was on! Robbie came out with a red scarf around his neck. I don't know how they all played their instruments--I had a hard enough time snapping photos my hands were nearly frozen!




It's good to be near the stairs. Dierks came down off the 9 foot high stage and walked across the front row! During How Am I Doin', he stood up on one of the fence platforms right in front of first-timer Susan! Made her night!







There was a girl doing sign language to Dierks' singing, and instead of picking a girl from the audience he said, "I'm talking to you!" It was funny!

One girl just wanted her hat signed so hubby stretched it out to Dierks and he signed it for her.

As an intro to Come A Little Closer, Dierks started singing this song and we all thought it was new...but it was just a few bars to set up for CALC:



Dierks's voice sounded great despite the sleep deprivation. And he got all the words right except for two songs, but I think only us die-hard Dierks fans realized it--the other 3,000+ probably had no clue--he covered very well. Kept right on going...true professional! Next time though, it's OK to NOT schedule shows back to back that are 3,000 miles apart! We'll understand! Take care of yourself first!

Emily's patience paid off and she snagged the set list at the end despite the security folks yelling "move it people, show's over!" Thanks Jay!



Take a bow, boys! You did Mardi-Gras good!

LUCKY FAN MEETS DIERKS IN VEGAS

Alacia represents Utah in our DBC mission to make and keep Dierks Bentley #1! She won General Admission tickets for the free Verizon show in Las Vegas on Friday night, February 26 via the DB Fan Club, but not Meet & Greet passes. Little did she know, she was about to get lucky! Verizon emailed me and asked me to get the word out about the Free show (which I was happy to do) and for people to enter via @vcastmusic on Twitter. They offered a pair of passes to meet Dierks, and lucky Alacia was the first to respond to me via Twitter! Here's her story:

First off I want to thank Ronna and the DB Congress for giving me this amazing opportunity. Friday night was amazing!!!

I didn't know if I was going to be able to make it. I was first on the waiting list to even get general admission tickets. Then someone else declined their tickets and I was in. I was so happy I was dancing at work! Then through Twitter I won VIP Passes. Thank you Ronna. Then all my wildest Dreams came true. I was on my way to Vegas to see my favorite artist--life couldn't be better.

While I was on my way I realized my paycheck hadn't came through, so I had $180 bucks to go to Vegas on, which is just enough for me! While I was driving I thought about Dierks' song, "Can't Live It Down," and how it fit perfectly to my life right now.

"There's times I've wasted money 'cause I know that I can always make more cash, but wasted time is something man, when its gone you can't get it back"

I knew I couldn't waste this opportunity to see Dierks.

When we (me and my friend Kenzie) got to Aliante Hotel and Casino, everyone was super nice. The Verizon people were great to work with. We picked up our VIP passes, and were brought into the venue an hour before General Admission. It was great! We all got our own booths, and we had time to get a drink and prepare ourselves to meet the man of the evening.

We had our Meet & Greet and I decided to go to the back of the line so hopefully I could have a little more time with Dierks. I asked how his plane trip was and if he survived the trip with the sick guy behind him , and if his mouth still tasted like an ashtray from wrapping the sweat shirt around his face from the Jamey Johnson concert. That picture on Twitter was priceless. He then said that he thought the guy had sars or something and we laughed.

==========================================================
SIDEBAR: Here's the pic and posts Alacia refers to from Dierks on Twitter 2/26/10:

"should i breathe what the crazy sick dude behind me is hacking out or the smoke on my sweatshirt from @jameyjohnson show last night?"

"went with sweatshirt...for four and a half hours. feel like I swallowed an ashtray."


================================================================

Verizon took our photos for us and put them in a neat frame, it was great. Dierks did have a little cough at the Meet & Greet but it did not effect his voice at all that night he sounded great!

Right after the meet and greet we decided to opt out of sitting in our booth and headed straight for the stage--we were front and center. The best seats I have ever had for a Dierks Show. He started out the night with "Sideways," a crowd favorite. He proceeded to play all the hits. He even played "Little Heartwrecker" which I had never heard live before so it was great. He twirled my friend Kenzie around singing, "How Am I Doing" and she was on cloud 9. I am pretty sure he made a huge fan out of her and she will be signing up for the fan club now.

My highlight of the show was during "What Was I Thinkin'," when he put the mic in my face and I got to sing it with him. I was so so so so happy :) He ended the night with Last Call and Folsom. He even made a joke about how Robbie was wearing Black in honor of Johnny Cash and he usually wears very colorful outfits.


After the show he signed for almost everyone at the stage. He went above and beyond for his fans which isn't unusual :) He is so great to us fans.

Another highlight was meeting other members of DB Congress. I finally met Smiling29 who is Marci (photo below), she is such a sweetheart and Breckinridgegirl--she is a hoot.

Thanks again to the DB Congress and Dierks for making this a night I will never forget. It was Awesome!

DB CONGRESS EXCLUSIVE: NEW VIDEO FROM DIERKS

If you're in the Dierks Bentley Fan Club, Dierks is giving the DB Congress a sneak peek at a brand new video from the man himself, where he talks about his new album, new website and more. This video will be released to the public on Monday, but we wanted you guys to be the first to see it. Go to dierks.com, Community, then Fan Club to view.

After it's released to the public, we'll edit this blog and post it here.

So join the Fan Club to view today!

LUCKY DB CONGRESS MEMBERS HEADING FOR VEGAS!

The sun's gonna rise on a better day...in Vegas, baby!


VEGAS TICKET WINNERS = Posted by morgan on 24 Feb 2010 - in Fan Club (dierks.com)

These lucky DB Congress (fan club) members are heading to Vegas this Friday 2/26 to see Dierks Bentley rock out the Aliante Hotel & Casino… for FREE!

If you see your name below and you have not received a notification email from us, please email fanclub@dierks.com to have your email re-sent.

For everyone else, local Las Vegas radio stations KCYE and KWNR are giving away tickets too… try your luck there!

Congratulations to all of our winners. We'll see you in Vegas!

VIP Pass Winners:
ricksgirl
breckenridgegal
KTinSD

General Admission Ticket Winners:
goalie86
sherriwordley_1237745153
DesertMoon
DIERKSISMYDUDE
That_Duck_Dude
joclark2009
robinvb1
cherrycherri101
luckyalicia
bonniegirl305
hanako1278
hottiebrit
tjplustwins
erinafleming
janetgrajeda
sacetornc
DierksisHOT7
jbock911_1236208157
kmac524
smilin29

IN THE STUDIO WITH BENTLEY AND KRAUSS

Dierks Bentley tweeted this pic and caption yesterday from his Twitter page: http://twitpic.com/14z447 - "alison krauss in the studio today...killer #fb"

I hope that means Alison will be one of his duet partners on the upcoming bluegrass album! One of my favorite duets is Dierks and Alison singing "Good Things Happen" on the "Modern Day Drifter" CD from 2005. Their voices harmonizing together sound so sweet!

DIERKS BENTLEY BRINGS MILES AND MUSIC FOR KIDS TO TEXAS

Dierks Bentley's Miles and Music For Kids event originated in Nashville, Tennessee, but our DB Congress president is providing a chance for fans to participate around the U.S. this year. The first two events (Nashville and Phoenix) in a series of six already raised nearly $500K for the kids in the Children's Miracle Network (children's hospitals) in 2009.

The Texas event will be April 25, 2010, beginning with the registration at 11 a.m., then the ride, lead by Dierks from the Harley-Davidson of North Texas in Carrollton. Dierks and friends will close with a 3 p.m. concert at Billy Bob's Texas (Ft. Worth), which has been named the country music club of the year an amazing 10 times--three times the CMA Club of the Year and seven times the ACM Club of the Year.

Dierks Bentley Fan Club members will have an opportunity for presale tickets for this event at dierks.com. According to the admin, Morgan, "When there are multiple presales (for radio, venue, fan club, etc) we hold a block of reserved tickets for our fan club members. This means that you are NOT competing against any other presales for the seats. You are just competing against other fan club members to get the best of the best that we have to offer you. We will post more information the very minute it is available to us, but hopefully this helps!"

Now, if we can get dates for the Altanta, Chicago and Seattle MM4K soon, that will make my day!

**EDIT: Presale tickets for the Dallas-Fort Worth Miles & Music For Kids event will go on sale tomorrow, February 25 at 5PM CST. Remember, tickets are limited and available on a first come, first served basis, so get them before they're gone!

There are several different VIP ticket options for this event, so please read through them carefully on the ticketing page! The only way to access presale information for these shows is via the ticketing link which will only work when accessed through the DB Congress fan club page, located in the Community section at dierks.com.

DIERKS HITS THE BLUEGRASS, RED DIRT ROAD

Dierks Bentley performed "Red Dirt Road" at the Country Music DJ and Radio Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN last night as a tribute to Brooks & Dunn, the dynamic duo who are "splitting, but not quitting." They were presented with the Country Radio Seminar Career Achievement Award during the event held to celebrate radio DJs.

Dierks introduces Red Dirt Road like this:

"One of the first concerts I saw in Arizona was when B&D came to town. I'm a huge fan of theirs. I knew I couldn't out honky-tonk Kix Brooks, and I can't out-sing Ronnie Dunn but I thought I could bring in some good friends in the bluegrass community, the guys from the travelin' McCourys: Ronnie McCoury, Rob McCoury, Jason Carter, Alan back on the upright bass and... we'll out-bluegrass 'em! I picked a song these guys wrote, they've influenced me not only from the stage in their shows and their whole catalogue of hits, but also just as songwriters also....they're great songwriters this is a song the two of them wrote together and I think it typifies everything that's great about a great country song. Here's our version of it:"

John Shomby -"the guy in charge of programming at Max Media of Hampton Roads"--had this to say about the event: "Tonight I had the opportunity to attend the Country Radio Hall of Fame dinner honoring some DJ's, radio managers and Brooks & Dunn for Career Achievement. Two big momemts - Taylor Swift came onstage to intro one of the DJ's (no, not Jimmy Ray!). The second was Dierks Bentley performing with the bluegrass band, The McCoury's, and doing a blue grass version of "Red Dirt Road". Really cool rendition and you can tell that Dierks really likes the bluegrass thing. Don't be surprised if he hits town with this band and does a bluegrass show some time soon. "

Other artists were there to help honor B&D and the DJs, including Taylor Swift, Luke Bryan, Randy Owen and Blake Shelton.

*Special thanks to Meg for finding the You Tube video for us!

DIERKS DRAWS KENTUCKY BOYS TO THE GRAND OLE OPRY

David has seen Dierks Bentley in concert many times, but never at the Opry. In fact, the DBC rep from Kentucky--the same home state at Dierks' steel guitarist, Tim Sergent--had never been to the Opry--ever! So when he learned Dierks would be performing the Grand Ole Opry February 19, he couldn't pass it up! Read his review below!

Well, my first trip to the Grande Ole Opry was a memorable one. History and tradition just surround that place and I was getting excited just walking up to it. Especially after I spotted a cool banner of Dierks hanging on a light pole in front of the place! After getting my ticket, I headed on down to my 4th row seat. That's when I noticed that the seats are like church pews but with cushions on them....too comfy! As I sat down I just stared at the stage for the next 15 minutes taking in the surreal moments of all this tradition. It was awesome!

In the first segment there were some really good acts. Diamond Rio, The Del McCoury Band, John Conlee, and Craig Morgan heated up the stage! After intermission Bill Anderson took the stage and I really liked him.

(The Del McCoury Band)

Next, when Montgomery Gentry took the stage they got the crowd going. "Back When I Knew It All" was great live and I can't wait to see one of their full shows! In early December, Eddie Montgomery opened a steakhouse in Harrodsburg, KY [near David's hometown], and I ate there about 3 weeks ago. The food was great and the atmosphere is really cool. You can check it out here.

(Montgomery Gentry)

After they left the stage is when all the ladies started to take a seat in front of the stage. There must have been 125 of them waiting to see Dierks from the front row, all with cameras in hand! I thought that was cool. They set up the stage a little different for this show. Tim came out to set up his steel pedal guitar and he set it up right behind where Robbie usually plays from. That was just fine with me being that I was on that side, too. I shouted his name and he acknowledged me with a point and a "Hey David." Us Kentucky boys stick together. LOL

Dierks hit the stage busting into Sideways as that got the Opry crowd going. Dierks knew I was there when it came to the "what....what" part of the song. He gave me a point and a chuckle when he heard me say that. Next, he introduced his current single and played, "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes." He sounded great as his voice was right on. But I will have to say this--that was the first time I stayed in my seat while listening to Sideways live. I wanted to get up and cheer soooo bad!




The whole Opry experience was incredible and I highly recommend to anyone who has never been! So much history and tradition.....I'll be back, that's for sure!

After the Opry show I made the trek over to the "Station Inn." Another place I had never been to, and I wanted to check it out. I walked in the door and holy cow, it was The Del McCoury Band on the stage! Del himself was at home, but his two son's and the other band members were there. I stayed to the very end as these guys are awesome to watch perform. You talk about some talented musicians, these guys are nothing but pure talent! Watching Ronnie play the mandolin is just awesome.

I talked to Ronnie for about 15 minutes after the show. I told him that I was at the GAC taping of FTF [Feel That Fire] when he played the mandolin for the song "Last Call." Also told him that I have tickets for this coming weekend when they play in Louisville. He told me "I'll see you there." He also told me something about Dierks' bluegrass album that I need to keep under my breath. But I will just say that the Bluegrass album will be awesome. I can't wait for it to come out!

Another great road trip and more great memories. Thanks Dierks....you rock!!

NEW DIERKS SHOW IN CALIF. 4/3/10

Dierks Bentley is confirmed for Hot Summer Nights in Oakland, California on Saturday, April 3, 2010 at the Oracle Arena. We hope to have information posted on the fan club site soon (dierks.com) about a ticket presale and Meet & Greet. In the meantime, click the venue's page for the concert details here. It's a little far for this Florida girl, but wow, what a line up! Dierks, Luke, Blake and Michelle Branch! I hope all the DBC reps in the west can go!

NEW YORK DBC REP WINS VIP IN NYC!

Congratulations, Molly! She's a Dierks Bentley Congress Cabinet Member, and she won the Valentine's Contest via the Fan Club to see Dierks at the sold-out CMA Songwriter Series show in New York City on March 25!

CONTEST WINNER: VALENTINE'S CONTEST
Posted by morgan on 22 Feb 2010
in Fan Club

And the winner of the 2 tickets to see Dierks at the sold-out CMA Songwriter Series in New York is… DB Congress member Hotomolly20! You ALL submitted amazing and heartwarming stories about Dierks' love songs - It's a shame that we only have one pair of tickets to give away, but we think Molly is a very deserving winner. Read her contest entry below, and let's congratulate her on the big win!

The song that says the most about love to me is "Long Trip Alone." My husband Tom and I are high school sweethearts and had been married since 1995. Around 2002, we decided to start our family. Like most couples, we thought getting pregnant and having a child would be easy...just a matter of time. However, this was not the case for us.

We were not able to conceive a child, which was a devastating thing for us. As the years passed and our disappointment mounted, we turned to each other for support and understanding. We had so much love to give a child and we decided on finding an alternative way to start or family. In 2006, we became certified to adopt...and then we waited. Just as we had waited each month to find out if we were pregnant, now we were waiting to get the phone call about a child available for adoption. Through it all, our song became "Long Trip Alone."

The lyrics parallelled our jouney "over sand and stone" to have a baby. Tom was my strength as he "walked with me a while," and there were many tear-filled nights I would "rest beneath (his) smile." We realized that this journey was indeed a long trip but we were never alone. Not only did we have each other, we also had our faith in God, and His love never waivered. This was especially parallelled in the lines, "And I don't know where I'd be without you here, 'cause I'm not really me without you there."

As we waited to be chosen by a birth mother to adopt, "Long Trip Alone" became our refuge. There were countless days I would listen to this song and find strength in not only the lyrics, but in Dierks' voice. Listening to it not only renewed my commitment to become a Mom, but it also renewed my faith that God would answer our prayers and that Tom would always be by my side on this long trip, and in life.

In December 2006, we were selected to become parents to a baby girl. Taylor Emily Vasey was born January 28, 2007...the most preciuos day of our lives! Taylor is now 3 years old, and of course, she is a HUGE Dierks fan! We took her to her first DB show in October at Penn State. I have attached a photo of her and I (and Dierks waaay in the background!) at the concert.

To this day, whenever we hear "Long Trip Alone," we remember that time in our lives when we were waiting to become parents and how our love for God and each other got us through. Someday, I will share this story with Taylor, because "everbody stumbles some time, and needs a hand to hold." And we will always be grateful to Dierks for sharing this song from his heart.

WIN VIP or GA PASSES TO DIERKS IN VEGAS FEB. 26

This is already almost 4 hours old, but if you are in the DB Fan Club, and you can go, try anyway!

Good news, Las Vegas! You're getting an absolutely FREE Dierks Bentley concert sponsored by Verizon V Lounge, just like Orlando (Daytona) had a few weeks ago! We've got VIP tickets to give away to 3 lucky DB Congress members, and we also have General Admission tickets for 20 fan club members (don't worry, we'll cover 1 guest for each of the winners, too). VIP passes include a meet & greet with Dierks, photo printed on site and a swag bag with a t-shirt and autographed poster!

The show is this Friday, February 26 at Aliante Hotel & Casino, and we're moving fast! Here's the drill:

The first 23 people to send us an email at fanclub@dierks.com with all of the information below will get tickets to the show (and the first 3 responses will win the VIP passes)! If you do not include ALL of the information below, your entry will be disqualified. The deadline for entry is 10AM PST tomorrow, February 23. Any entries received after 10am PST tomorrow will not be considered. You must provide your own transportation to the concert.

Full name:
Age (must be 21+):
City/state:
Preferred email address:
Primary contact phone number (cell preferred in case we need to reach you the day of the show):
Are you 100% sure you can attend the concert on Friday, February 26 in Las Vegas, NV?:

Winners will be notified after the deadline tomorrow. Good luck!

DIERKS ON THE OPRY FRIDAY 2/19/10

Going to see Dierks Bentley live at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee Friday, February 19? If not, the next best thing to experiencing the Sideways singer in person is to join your fellow DB Congress reps for an online chat and listen to DB as he performs the Opry via WSM Online.

Here's the line up and the links:

Dierksfans Chat (Click "Chat" at the top right)

WSM Online Opry (Click "Listen Live Online")

Grand Ole Opry - Feb 19, 2010 - 7:00 to 9:15 p.m. (Central time)
7:00 – 7:30
Diamond Rio
Riders In The Sky
Del McCoury Band

7:30 – 8:00
John Conlee
Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press
Craig Morgan

8:00 – 8:15
INTERMISSION

8:15 – 8:45
Bill Anderson
Charlie Louvin
Montgomery Gentry

8:45 – 9:15
Mike Snider
Jim Ed Brown
Dierks Bentley

Hope to chat with you all tomorrow night!

WIN VIP TICKETS TO SEE DIERKS AT RODEO HOUSTON MARCH 3!

Register by Friday, February 26 to win 2 Chute Seats to see Dierks Bentley at Rodeo Houston on March 3! The best seats in the house, Chute Seats are located directly behind the bucking chutes. The winner will literally be just feet away from the cowboys, as they saddle up on the bulls and broncos. When Dierks Bentley takes the stage, the winner will be escorted onto the dirt to watch the concert from the floor of Reliant Stadium. The winner receives their own "chute seat" to sit on and take home as a souvenir. Other amenities include: authentic chuck wagon steak dinner before the Show, carnival value packs and drink tickets.

Enter here!

SEE DIERKS FOR FREE IN NEW YORK CITY: ENTER BY 2/19

If you're a member of the Dierks Bentley Fan Club, and you are 100% sure you can attend the 9 pm show at Joe's Pub in New York City on March 25, then keep reading to see how you could go for FREE!

TICKET GIVEAWAY FOR CMA SONGWRITER SERIES IN NYC
Posted by morgan on 12 Feb 2010
in Fan Club dierks.com

New York City DB Congress members, we have great news! We're giving away 1 pair of tickets to see Dierks perform at the sold-out CMA Songwriter Series at Joe's Pub on March 25! Since Valentine's Day is just around the corner, we're going to have a little love-themed contest for the tickets. Here's how to enter:

1. Send an email to fanclub@dierks.com with the following information:
Subject line: VALENTINE'S CONTEST
Full name
Age
City/State
Fan club username
Preferred email address
Preferred phone number

2. Answer the following question: Which of Dierks' songs says the most about love to you, and why?
You can write a story, a poem, submit a video of yourself telling the story - Get creative, because our favorite entry will win the tickets!

3. If you are submitting a video, upload it to YouTube and include the video link in your email.

4. Please only enter this contest if you are 100% sure you will be able to make the 9PM show on March 25 in New York City. Be considerate of your fellow DB Congress members who really want to go!

Entries received without all of the required information will be disqualified, so please enter carefully! Entries will be accepted until Friday, February 19 and the winner of the tickets will be announced on Monday, February 22. Good luck!

Songwriters Series Back for Sixth Season
Date: Thursday, March 25
Times: Two shows, 6:30pm and 9:00pm
Location: Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette St., NYC

Bob DiPiero:
"If You Ever Stop Loving Me" - Montgomery Gentry
"Blue Clear Sky" - George Strait
"Can't Take the Honky Tonk Out of the Girl" - Brooks & Dunn

David Lee Murphy:
"Living in Fast Forward" - Kenny Chesney
"Big Green Tractor" - Jason Aldean
"Dust on the Bottle" - David Lee Murphy

Dierks Bentley:
"Feel that Fire"
"What Was I Thinkin"
"Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)"

Jim Beavers:
"Watching Airplanes" - Gary Allan
"Trying to Stop Your Leaving" - Dierks Bentley
"Don't" - Billy Currington

Good luck, DB Congress reps! If I lived closer and didn't have to fly, I'd enter myself! I would love to see all the entries!

DAYTONA 500 WINNER LOVES HIS COUNTRY ... AND DIERKS!

TheBoot.com
Daytona 500 Winner Jamie McMurray Loves His Country
February 16, 2010

NASCAR Driver Jamie McMurray won what is regarded by many to be the most prestigious race of the year, the Daytona 500. While Jamie has visited Victory Lane before (3 times prior to Sunday, to be exact), he isn't among the most well-known of the drivers, and so it might come as a pleasant surprise to many that Jamie, who hails from Joplin, Missouri, considers himself a huge country music fan.

"I like the country songs that tell a story," Jamie says. "Most of them do. That's what so great about it, you can easily relate to it. No matter what it's about, you can put yourself in that situation." Jamie counts our Prez, Dierks Bentley, among his favorites, and "Long Trip Alone" as one of his favorite songs.

"The cool thing about them [country artists] is that they're somewhat like the cup drivers ... the NASCAR drivers ... they're just normal. Sometimes you meet people that are a little bit famous, and they're a little bit arrogant, and you meet a huge country singer or a NASCAR driver, and they're just pretty normal."

The DBCongress would like to extend a huge congratulations to Jamie for his big win, and also a thank you for being such a great ambassador for country music and Dierks!

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

DIERKS' TRIBUTE TO BROOKS & DUNN

CMT News
Dierks Bentley Plans Tribute to Brooks & Dunn at DJ Hall of Fame Banquet
February 16, 2010

Dierks Bentley will perform an acoustic tribute to Brooks & Dunn when they're presented the Country Radio Broadcasters' Career Achievement Award during the 2010 Country Music DJ and Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The event takes place Feb. 23 at the Nashville Convention Center. Brooks & Dunn plan to retire after their Last Rodeo tour ends in August. Bentley opened the duo's Australian tour in 2009. "When we toured together, I watched their show every night from sidestage in total awe of the number of hits they've had and what they've built over the last few decades," Bentley said. "They've done it all. I still can't believe they're about to retire."

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Happy Valentine's Day to all the DB Congress reps! May it be a day filled with lots of love...whether you're single or in a relationship.

DIERKS BENTLEY IN DAYTONA BEACH

Although Dierks Bentley in Daytona Beach was a free show, it came with a price. Verizon sponsored the event at the V-Lounge--(how appropriate for V-Day weekend), which is normally a "right-on-the-beach" stage behind The Ocean Deck Bar and Grill. But the weather wanted no part of cooperating, and it raised it's ugly gusts up to 40mph, rained relentlessly, and brought with it a chill to the air.

Driving 4 hours from Tampa (normally only 2.5) in the pouring down rain, wrapped up in the warmth of my Dierks Bentley hoodie, and thanking the hubby every hour for doing the driving, all I could hear in my head was DB singing, You Hold Me Together from the Feel That Fire album:

"By now I should've been broken,
On the rocks that rise from life's ocean,
Just another ship lost at sea
By now I should've been scattered
In the wind of my lonesome travels
Like a thousand dandelion seeds
And I should've come unraveled
At the seams like a well worn sweater
But you hold me together"

I knew it wasn't likely D would sing my favorite FTF song that night, but the surrounding images screamed these lyrics to me!

We arrived around 3 pm and scoped out the place. We talked to The Ocean Deck and Verizon staffers and everyone was giving us a different version of what the plans were. Food was good, but no tables, so we shared with another couple--Betty and Warren from IL. Big NASCAR fans! The girls from Verizon posed for a pic:


Winning VIP passes and Meet & Greets via the DB Fan Club was supposed to get us special seating by the stage in addition to the M&G. But due to the weather and high tide, the event got moved in doors--and all hopes of VIP seating were dashed! Not that anyone can control Mother Nature. We found out that Dierks actually made the decision to move it indoors for safety reasons.

First in line for the Meet & Greet--that is a first! Usually I'm last, but with 100 behind us, we wanted to try to get in to the VIP area! Can't you just hear Ricky Bobby saying, "If ya ain't first, yer last!" Brittany and Chris told us there was a photographer to take pics and they would print them for us by night's end. Could not use our own camera, and no autographs.

I brought my copy of the 2009 DB Congress yearbook I made and sent to him since I didn't know if he had received the original. He said he had, but would love a second copy and that he really liked it. So I gave it to him along with a letter for him and one for Tim. Took a pic with hubby and me and time to move on. Shortest M&G ever. Just as well, since we wanted to make our way to the VIP area ASAP!


Big mistake on my part thinking we (the DB fan-clubbers) were the "only" VIPs--there were probably 100+ others. And since everyone inside The Ocean Deck had already been there all afternoon, we had to squeeze through a sea of hundreds to get to the make-shift VIP area--which was a pit of sorts.

Normally I love being in the pit for Dierks, but last night was the worst I have ever been in--literally we were all squished in on all four sides. Luckily hubby is taller than me, so he stood behind me and took photos. About 3/4 of the way through the show, the fire marshall came in and offered a choice: Clear the aisles (what aisles?) and go outside to listen to the show via the Verizon tent speakers, or shut down the show. All those who volunteered to go outside got a free drink. Funny thing is, it got WORSE after that up front! What?

While all of that may have been the "price," the show was the reward! Verizon hosted a quick Q&A with the NASCAR Nationwide series drivers #22 Brad Keselowski and birthday boy Justin Allgaier, Verizon's #12, and they both introduced Dierks!


Dierks and the guys kicked it off with hot harmonies on Dixieland Delight! I've never heard them sing this live--what a treat!


The rest of the set list had the party rockin' just right! A few songs in, and Dierks asked the crowd to shout out requests. Everyone wanted Sideways but he said he had to work up to that one..."I gotta BE sideways to sing Sideways!"


Dierks told us how he loved being back performing in the small bar setting, apologized for having to move it inside but that just got him closer to the bar and asked for a shot of...who knows what. That cup was never empty all night and the Bud Lights flowed freely.


Then (not sure of the order), Life on the Run--D changed up the lyrics and since the stage was so small Robbie had no mic, but was definitely singing his "low low low low" part. In fact, Dierks got playful with a lot of lyrics last night. Like on I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes ("If you need a little bit of help from "Steve"...Sorry, Steve, I've never seen you in a vest before!").


As usual, Every Mile a Memory was customized for the locale ("Florida stars...Daytona night). So So Long and How Am I Doin' were dedicated to all the Ex BFs and GFs. Trying To Stop Your Leaving, Little Heartwrecker, Feel That Fire were all sang straight with lots of that Dierks Bentley moxie-grit emotion! With Free and Easy he interjected, "I keep rollin' like Tim's old banjo," and before Lot of Leavin' Left To Do, Dierks had this to say:



Come A Little Closer and Settle For A Slowdown were the only two slow songs besides 'Eyes, but every word and note was perfection!


Covers included Hank Jr.'s Family Tradition--where the crowd went wild...but it was not my favorite vocal from him--sorry dude, what melody was that?

On the flip side, he started out "I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison, and I went to pick her up in the rain..." David Allan Coe would've been proud! After that verse though, he stopped and said "That's not the perfect country song cos it doesn't say anything about Little White Tanks Tops! Then launched into What Was I Thinkin'...more fan participation.


Closing the night with Last Call: "It's not last call but that's the name of this song," Rod rocked it on the electric guitar. But I really wanted to hear the fiddle from the recorded version! Kristi Jo, where were you?


No stage diving/"surfing" and no fans on stage...absolutely no room. All 5 of them had to stay in the same spot all night! Steve only had half drums--not the full set he's used to.

Despite the pushing and shoving and sardine-ness, if I had been front row on the rail, and had elbow and breathing room, it would have been one of the best shows I've ever experienced.

After the singing, Dierks signed a few autographs, hugged Kasey Kahne's mom and left the stage. I tried to get a set list or a pick--no luck. At the last minute Jay called me back; he had found Dierks' Thomas O'Brien, thick, black, 100% cotton,"towel" and gave it to me. If ya ain't first, yer last!


Met Kasey Kahne's mom, Tammy and got a pic. She was so nice!


We then made our way back to the Verizon tent to pick up our M&G photos and I had totally forgotten about the autographed poster and a swag bag with a t-shirt and other goodies! What a cool suprise! Thanks, Verizon!



It was great to see/meet some DB Congress reps (Keesha, Ann, Lissa). The drive back to Tampa was a lot faster than the ride to the beach. Dierks is always worth it.

Next DRT: Orlando, Feb. 27-Universal Studios Mardi Gras!

~Ronna