Dierks will be taking the Country & Cold Cans Tour into 2012 with international dates that will kick off in Vancouver, BC on February 15th. Following the initial Canadian stretch of the tour, Dierks will head to Australia for five headlining shows with local country star, Lee Kernaghan.
“You can find hard core country music fans all over the world, and I love being able to tour other countries and bond over that music we all love,” said Dierks. “The Fall leg of the Country & Cold Cans Tour has been crazy and really exceeded all my expectations. I'm looking forward to taking it to Canada and Australia in 2012…they do make Labatt and Fosters in a can, right?!"
In response to Dierks' sold out shows in New York City, the New York Times exclaimed, "Mr. Bentley was master of the party, the musical equivalent of buying a round for everyone in the bar."
International Country & Cold Cans 2012 Tour Dates:
Most kids look forward to Halloween because of all the free candy. Dierks looked forward to it because of.... explosives? In an article on GACTV.com, DB discusses his past Halloween tradition of blowing things up and what he plans to do this year:
For Dierks Bentley, Halloween was another holiday he could use as an excuse to get his hands on explosives.
"When I was a kid, I was all into fireworks," Dierks said. "Growing up in Arizona, we couldn't get 'em so we'd have 'em shipped in illegally. I still remember the name of the guy we'd call. His name was Joe, and he's bring in, ship 'em in a package with no writing on 'em. We were all about M-80s in the mailboxes and bottle rocket wars. To me, as a kid, Halloween was fireworks, was blowing up stuff around home."
Halloween is a little tamer for Dierks these days. As the father of two young girls, Dierks is letting his older daughter, Evie, call the Halloween shots, including what Mom and Dad are going to dress up as.
"Evie's got her Halloween costume picked out," he said. "She's decided what everyone's gonna be this year in our family. So, she's gonna be The Little Mermaid, and her younger sister's gonna be a crab. I think his name is Sebastian. I don't know The Little Mermaid that well, but she's decided Jordan's gonna be the crab. And she wants me to be Swiper, who's a character from a TV show called Dora, The Explorer. I think she has Cassie going as Dora."
It sounds like Halloween will be a family affair... even Jake and George were getting in on the costume action! Here's some pictures that Dierks tweeted earlier this week:
We can only hope that we get a pic of Dierks as Swiper... I think we'd all laugh. A lot. haha!
Evenin', DB Congress! Want one last chance to spend a day on the road with our president, Dierks Bentley? You still have one more day to submit your "Home" story on dierks.com!
According to his facebook page, "Next Tuesday (November 1) will be the final day to pin and "like" entries. Our five weekly winners as well as the five entries with the most "likes" will be announced next Wednesday. Dierks will choose the grand prize winner from those ten entries and announce the winner of the "Day on the Road with Dierks" on Thursday (November 3). Good luck and stay tuned!"
Music City Network's, Evan Willhite blogged about building Dierks Bentley's Map of Home with a program called "Drupal."
"When one of our clients, Dierks Bentley, met with us about promoting his new single, “Home”, we were inspired to create something meaningful, something that dutifully captured the heartfelt message in his song - we all have a place to call home. It was Craig Dunn, our VP of client services, who came up with the idea that was to become Dierks Bentley’s Map of Home.
As soon as we met to discuss the idea, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy from a functional standpoint, but I was sold on the concept. The idea was that fans would be able to log in and add their own stories of “home” using text, images and/or videos. The stories would then become pins on a large interactive map where anyone could search through others’ stories by clicking on a pin for more info. I loved the vision but faced the challenge of how to build it...With Drupal's help, some fine-tuning of the functionality and an excellent design from Bryan Kemp, we created Dierks Bentley’s Map of Home."
Pretty ingendious, dudes!
I have been so impressed with so many of the entries. You all are so creative with the video slide shows, but some of the photos and story-telling are just as inspiring! It has always been my dream (as I'm sure has been many of yours) to spend a day on the road with DB! Best of luck to all of you!
Dierks Bentley will be a featured artist on a new show, "Reflections From The Circle," premiering on RFD-TV on Sunday nights at 7 pm Eastern. Tonight (November 6) the first episode will feature Vince Gill. Dierks, who is scheduled for November 20 (his birthday!), and other artists such as Trace Adkins, Charlie Daniels, Kellie Pickler and Josh Turner will be reflecting on their personal lives and careers during interviews from the famed "circle" of wood on the stage of The Grand Ole Opry. WSM's award winning personality, Eddie Stubbs will conduct the interviews.
Dierks is seen "kissing" the circle here
For more information, click here. To find out what channel RFD-TV airs in your area, click here.
In just its 4th week on the charts, the title track and second single from Dierks Bentley's forthcoming album "Home" has cracked the top 30, moving up 5 spots on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart to #30. On the Mediabase chart, "Home" moved up 7 spots and just missed the top 30, coming in at #31. (Unfortunately, that means one more week until "Home" will show up on RateTheMusic and Nashville Country Club's RadioFeedback surveys, and on many weekend countdown shows.)
"Home" made its debut on Callout America this week, as well, coming in at a fairly impressive #25, with only 1% of 450 responses saying they "strongly dislike" the song (4.5 people). Interestingly enough (and frustratingly enough), the song that passed "Home" on the charts this week - Brad Paisley's "Camouflage" - debuted at #35, with 12.1% of its responses at "strongly dislike" (54 people). "Home" was the highest debut on the Callout America chart this week.
In other "Home"-related news, Capitol Nashville announced yesterday that they will be offering two radio shows for Veteran's Day over the weekends of November 4-6 and November 11-13. Both shows will be hosted by our Prez. Home - Honoring Our Nation's Veterans will include patriotic music as well as a special version of "Home." Believing in Heroes is a public affairs program focusing on the Wounded Warrior Project, which, you'll remember, our Prez has partnered with for some dates on the current Country & Cold Cans Tour. Stay tuned to your local radio stations and let us know if you hear either of these shows being played!
Make sure you're requesting "Home" daily, whether it's by phone, email, Facebook, Twitter, or text! Let's keep on moving the song up, up, up the charts to its #1 "home."
The DB Congress was in session at this year's Miles and Music for Kids event in Nashville, TN. A group of representatives hailing from Alabama, Delaware, North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, and California got together to sign nearly 170 get well cards for patients at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital! Each card included a guitar pick provided by DB's camp (thanks, Chris!). "Officially" meeting fellow DB Congress members and doing something kind for a great cause was a fantastic experience, and I hope we can continue the tradition year after year!
On the day of the event itself, bikers lined up, filling the entire driveway and parking lot of Harley Davidson of Columbia. Music, food, and mingling was on the agenda as Dierks and the other artists did press interviews inside the dealership. Performers Charles Kelley, Kevin Fowler, and Craig Campbell, along with Bucky Covington, were in attendance. NashvilleCountryClub.com posted their interview with Dierks which happened to star some familiar DB Congress faces! Watch for Janet, David, Jane, and myself in the background!
Here's the view from the other side of the camera :-)
Dierks led hundreds (maybe thousands?) of bikes in a parade from Columbia, through Tenessee country, and down the interstate (closing I65!) to an end at Riverfront Park in downtown Nashville. The venue was packed with an impressive number of people awaiting the beginning of the concert.
The show's MC was CMT's Cody Alan and included performances by Sarah Silva, Craig Campbell, Kevin Fowler, Josh Thompson, Colt Ford, Eli Young Band, and of course, Mr. Dierks Bentley. Charles Kelley, of Lady A, joined Dierks for How Am I Doin' and took the lead vocals on Long Trip Alone. A variety of styles like the acoustic performance from EYB and a loud, energetic one from Colt Ford offered something for everyone's taste.
MM4K was able to raise $204,938 for Vanderbilt Children's Hospital!! Thank you to everyone who participated!
It was great to meet and hang out with everyone who was there this year, and I hope to meet more of the DBC in the years to come!
Dierks Bentley, Jerrod Niemann and Eli Young Band go together like Country and Cold Cans, don't they?
"Jerrod is a great singer, great guy, really funny dude. and we're having a total blast on this tour I can't think of a better combination than all three of us on the road together. It's getting off to a great start!"
Mike Eli says EYB has wanted to go on tour with Dierks for a long time.
This song is definitely rockin'!
Gotta have some cold beer with my country music
Gotta have some cold beer with my country music
Gotta have my baby rocking with me to it
Guitar six strings shot glass whiskey
Some thing just go hand in hand
For guys like me that's country
Country and cold cans
Some things go hand and hand don't they brother?
Be sure to look for Dierks' wife Cassidy and baby Jordan in the video!
"This song is really well written in that it's well crafted and has a patriotic theme that doesn't get in your face. Great song."
-Greg Cole WKCQ - Saginaw
In the week before its official add date, Dierks Bentley's latest single "Home" had another strong week at radio. The patriotic song was the third-most-added song of both the Billboard (15 adds) and Mediabase/Aircheck (29 adds) reporting stations. In its 2nd week on the Billboard chart, "Home" jumped 12 spots to #41 (edging the new one from Brad Paisley by a mere 1,000 audience impressions!). On the Mediabase/Aircheck chart, "Home" debuted at a very strong #46. The song continues to perform well on the small-market stations as well, moving to #31 on Billboard's Indicator chart, and #36 on the Mediabase/Aircheck chart.
This past Monday, October 10th was the official add date for "Home." Now is the perfect time to start reaching out to your local stations and requesting the song (that is, if you haven't already). "Home" is definitely going to move into the Top 40 next week, which will be a great catalyst for even more stations to add it. And if tonight on Yes.com is any indication, the song is really starting to pick up! ~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)
Dierks Bentley raised over $144,000 for Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital Sunday. This was Bentley's first "Miles and Music For Kids" event in The Windy City, but all total he's raised over $1.7 million over the last six years in seven cities through the motorcycle ride/concert.
The motorcycle ride started from Fox River Harley-Davidson in St. Charles, Il, and ended with a full concert at Joe's Bar. Opening for Dierks were Eli Young Band and Jerrod Niemann.
Not only did Bentley bike it to Joe's, he also wrote a third verse on the spot to his latest number one single, "Am I The Only One?" that included the famous bar in the lyrics. Watch and listen (video by Stacy):
Several DB Congress Reps supported our prez in this worthy fund raiser, including Stacy Baker from Michigan.
"The doors to The event opened at 1:00. They had a whole city blocked roped off. A building had been knocked down where the stage was set up so there was a lot of room for the "sold out" crowd. The music began right at 2. It started with Tyler Reeve who played a great set. Followed by the CMT star winner Matt Mason.
Then Eli Young Band came on. Dierks came on during their rendition of Lynard Skynards "Gimme Three Steps." It got everyone really excited. Then Jerrod Niemann played.
Photo Credit Larry Darling
After Jerrod there was a long break where they had a girl who had been treated at Children's Memorial Hospital talk. A $5,000 check was donated from The insurance company sponsors. The they auctioned off a special guitar made for the event. It was autographed by all the artists. They were encouraging Chicago to beat the previous auction in Ohio which was $10,000. At the end of the auction it sold for $10,500 dollars.
Then Dierks came on and as always the crowd went nuts. He started with his new beer and country music song ["Country And Cold Cans"]. He talked about the most amazing moment of the day: They were on the ride on a back road and were coming to the top of a hill and as they reached the top the while Chicago skyline stretched before them and one of the people he was riding with had a radio and at that moment Chicago's Country 99 station was playing AITOO. He said it was incredible. And because of that he decided to write a third verse for AITOO on the spot (see video above). He messed up the first time and joked about it then went on to sing about the girl talking about commitment and him going to Joe's bar.
When Dierks came on everyone seemed to forget they had been standing on uneven rocks for the past five hours and just were entranced by Dierks. It almost felt magical as the 80 degree day cooled off and the sun was setting during "Trying To Stop Your Leaving."
Photo Credit Larry Darling
Photo Credit Larry Darling
Photo Credit Larry Darling
Photo Credit Larry Darling
Photo Credit Larry Darling
Photo Credit Larry Darling
Then I had to leave early as we had an hour trip back to our truck and a 5 1/2 hour ride home for work this morning. It was so worth it though, as any trip to see Dierks is. Bill and I counted that this past year we had seen Dierks perform 6 times and met him 3 times. It was a Dierks-filled year. I can only hope this next year is just as lucky!"
Fans won't have to wait to long for the next MM4K. It's this coming Sunday, October 16 in Nashville, Tennessee, marking the inaugural city's 6th annual event! Several dozen DB Congress Reps will gather at Joe's Crab Shack downtown Saturday night to sign get well cards for the kids at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital!
Exactly four years and a day before her death, Cindy Wipprecht was writing about Dierks Bentley in an email to me. I had just finished a scrap book of the DB Congress members at the time (hand-crafted, not digital, so please forgive the blurry photo), and a fellow fan-clubber had delivered it to him during a M&G for me. Cindy was so proud to be a part of it:
Dear Ronna, This was just a wonderful idea you came up with! I really enjoyed looking at the scrapbook and all the great things you put into it. You must have spent a long time putting it together. It made me feel very special to be a part of it and to have my picture displayed in it. I'll bet D was so touched when he received the scrapbook. Wish I could have seen his face when he got it. Bet you do too! Well, I can't say enough good things about this project. You sure have a gift for great ideas and thanks for sharing them with us all.
God Bless, Cindy from PA Founder of DDD Apothecary
Don't ask me how I kept this email for four years, but I remembered it when her brother emailed me to tell me about her passing and asked if I could pass along a note to Dierks himself, which I did forward to his team. I told him it is always sad when we lose a member of the DB Congress family, and I was so moved by her kind words to me. I wish I had met her in person.
Here is Cindy's obituary. Notice Dierks is mentioned:
Cynthia E. (Hogg) Wipprecht, 52, of Willow Street, passed away at the Hospice of Lancaster County on Thursday, October 6, 2011 after a heroic effort in her fight against cancer. Born October 18, 1958 in Lancaster, she was the daughter of the late Robert Winfield Hogg and Betty Jane (Oberdorff) Johnson, of Lancaster. She will be lovingly missed by her daughter: Jessica R., wife of Robby Crosby of Terre Hill, her son: Christopher C. Wipprecht of Maryland; her brothers: Robert and Dennis Hogg; and the father of her children: Bruce Wipprecht. Cindy attended New Providence Mennonite Church. She loved visiting the beach, especially Dewey Beach in Delaware, and camping with her family and friends. She was an avid animal lover and music enthusiast, especially for Dierks Bentley.
Memorial services are scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at the Gundel Funeral Home, 3225 Main St., Conestoga. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Hospice of Lancaster County, P.O. Box 4125, 685 Good Dr., Lancaster, PA 17604-4125.
If you would like to send a message of condolence, please visit gundelfuneralhome.com.
You may have seen Ohio DBC Rep, Megan and her sister Lindsay on our home page rotating photo. Megan shares her Dierkstory below:
"Hello my name is Megan Tuttle and I live in Northeastern Ohio. I am 23 years old and I have loved Dierks Bentley since he came out with his first single, "What Was I Thinkin'." It's still one of my favorite songs of his, and that's my favorite part of Dierks' concerts when he sings that song last!
I became a Dierks Bentley super-fan when he came golfing at the private country club where I work. He was doing a show in town that night (September 5, 2010). Of course, I was off that day, but I heard he was there so I hurried up and put on my work uniform and went and waited for him. I waited for about an hour and a half, then he came around in his golf cart and I yelled, "Dierks, can we get a few pictures?" He immediately pulled his cart over and walked right up to us! I was so excited! He took a few pictures with us, gave us his autograph, then he ate a Cheeseburger and drank a diet coke. He hung out there for about 15 minutes talking to us.
Then he said, "Maybe I should give you guys a shout out at the show tonight." (He gave tickets to any who worked there, so my manager made a list of names who wanted tickets and he took that list to will call. What a nice guy!) But I already had tickets so I didn't need to be on that list.
About half way through his set that night at the Canfield Fair and right before "Settle for a Slowdown," Dierks says, "This one is for all my Tippy Girls out there." I was so excited, I couldn't believe he remembered us!
As soon as the Dierks Bentley live Ustream came on in February 2011, I was addicted! It was so cool to watch him online in the studio recording for his next album. That's all I did for a week straight! WOLF PACK!
After that show I saw what a nice, genuine guy he was, and I knew I had to go to another one of his concerts as sooon as possible! So my sister Lindsay, who goes to all the concerts with me, and I got tickets for the Pittsburgh, PA show for March 20th. We also both won a meet and greet!
It was so much fun in the meet and greet. We took the photograph, he signed something, then he talked to all of us for a few minutes. Also, during the concert, we were in the second row and Dierks pointed to us and said, "We got some wolf packers here tonight!"
Dierks is such a great live performer he has so much energy up on the stage! And every concert is just as fun as the one before! After that we got tickets for the May 5th show in Akron,Ohio. Lindsay and I did not win a meet and greet but we still had a blast! We made signs and Dierks pointed at us and read them out loud...so cool!
After Akron came the Dierks Bentley LAST CALL BALL7 (annual fan club party)! We traveled to Nashville nine hours to go to it! This was my favorite Dierks show ever! We got there a few hours early to wait in line. While we were waiting, Ryan "Camera Guy" came up and talked to us! Also Dierks' truck "Big White" was parked right in front of the venue. Lindsay and I took pictures by it and left him a note under his windshield wiper.
The show started and Dierks played about a 10-song set. After the show we had to wait our turn for a meet and greet with him. While we waited, Camera Guy (Ryan) came up to us again and interviewed us for a DBTV Episode! Lindsay and I appeared in the DBTV Episode 21! Also Dierks' dog Jake was there and we got to pet him and take pictures!
Finally around 2am, it was our turn for the Meet and Greet! I walked up and Dierks and I took a "howling" picture for the Wolf Pack! He also signed my wolf pack shirt! It was one of the best days of my life!
The next concert we went to after LCB7 was in Chambersburg, PA on July 15th. We had to travel 5 hours to get there. As always it was a great show but after the show was the best part! We waited by Dierks' bus and Tim and Cassady came out to say hi! We told them to bring Camera Guy out and they did! Ryan came out, gave both me and Lindsay a hug and hung out with us for a while! It was so much fun. Dierks, his band mates, and Camera Guy are a blast!
November 3rd is my next Dierks Bentley concert in Kent,Ohio! I cannot wait to make more memories with Dierks!"
Megan Tuttle
DBC Rep, Ohio
Thanks for sharing your story, Megan!
Would you like to be a feature DBC Rep of the week? Just email me at Ronna@dbcongress.com with your story, what DB's music means to you, and a few photos!
"Home," the critically-acclaimed second single from Dierks Bentley's forthcoming studio release, made its debut on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at #53! It did not chart this week on the Mediabase/Country Aircheck chart, however it was the #1 Most-Added song for the Mediabase-monitored stations. (It was #3 Most-Added for the Billboard-monitored stations.)
For both charts' sister small-market charts, the song debuted extremely well: On the Country Indicator Billboard chart, "Home" debuted at #42, and was the #1 Most-Added song by a landslide. On the Activator Mediabase chart, it debuted at #39 - again the #1 Most-Added song. The small-market stations are an excellent indication of how well the song is being received nationwide, and due to the high debuts it received, it's safe to say the larger market stations will follow suit. The official Adds date is this coming Monday, October 10th.
Capitol Nashville took out a full-page ad in Country Aircheck Weekly, which was full of quotes from various DJs, Program, and Music Directors nationwide. Are any of these from YOUR station?
"'Home' is not a song. It's an Anthem, and I pledge my allegiance to it." - Gator Harrison, WUSY Chattanooga
"A Song of the Year contender for sure!" - Jay Roberts, WQYK, Tampa
"With "Home" Dierks paints an emotional and heartfelt portrait of our country, but it doesn't feel heavy-handed or politicized. It's brilliant!" - Mike James, WPCV, Lakeland
"Inspiring ... could and should be a career record for Dierks." - Kix Layton, WSSL, Greenville, SC
"Dierks Bentley's "Home" is a completely original American anthem - fresh, warm, patriotic, heartfelt. I love it!" - Cody Alan, CMT
"This is one of those rare songs that says something and avoids the cliche. Beautifully written and delivered." - Beverlee Brannigan, KFDI, Wichita
"The new Dierks song is fantastic! It's patriotic without going overboard and being blatant about it. This song is a game-changer for him." - John Paul, Dial Global
"As the goose bumps raised up on my arms, all I could think was, 'This is the song that's taking Dierks to the next level!'" - Cory Myers, WWYZ, Hartford
"This is a very powerful song both lyrically and artistically. Speaks to and attracts the masses while staying true to our core." - Tyler Reese, WKKT, Charlotte
"The new single from Dierks, "Home," is just the right message to apply to these difficult times in our country right now." - Randall Bliss, WPAW, Greensboro
"Damn! That's one of the best songs Dierks has done!!!! A moving, powerful, emotional hit." - Sam McGuire, WYNK, Baton Rouge
"So far, Dierks is 2 for 2 from this new album. Am I the only one who wishes it was out sooner than February? Come on, Dierks, get this thing out!" - Travis Daily, WFUS, Tampa
No, Travis Daily, you are NOT the only one eagerly awaiting the release of the new CD! Congress, let's get this song to #1 so we can celebrate a #1 song AND a #1 album early next year!
We finally reached our milestone of 700 DB Congress Reps who are dedicated to supporting Dierks daily! Meet Nick Carter, representing Dierks in Ohio!
"Where to start....I found Dierks back in 2003 when he released his "My Last Name" single and it began to get air time around the Columbus, Ohio area. Since then, I've been a fan - like the rest of us. Dierks has been the only artist I've ever gone to a store before it opened to get a copy of his new CD! (Thank goodness for iTunes now).
The first live show I saw with Dierks was back in 2008. He was at The Ohio State Fair with Miranda Lambert. That is when I became a super fan of Dierks.
Seeing him live and in concert just took me over the edge. His energy and style just left me with a feeling of needing more.
Unfortunately, due to life and such I went on a three year streak of not getting to see him live in concert again until this year. I made the trek to Akron, OH to see him perform with Miss Willie Brown and Josh Thompson on May 5th, 2011 on a work night none the less. We went to the concert, didn't have the greatest seats in the world--but when you are there, with the music going, it doesn't matter.
Three weeks later, I was able to attend the Miles for Music For Kids event at the LC in Columbus, OH. I've also already purchased my tickets for his show November 3rd in Kent, OH.
I haven't been a lucky one yet to be selected for Meet and Greets, but I keep hoping that one of these shows I'll get the lucky email. Both my friend and I have joined the Fan Club in the last year and hope one day when we go to the concert we will both be back stage waiting to meet Mr. Bentley. It will be the first time for both of us.
My Favorite Event so far: Miles for Music - Columbus, OH
My Favorite Song: With the Band (Hoping one day I'll be with the band)
My Favorite Album: Feel That Fire
My Favorite Performance: Am I The Only One from the 46th ACM Awards 2011."
Dierks Bentley, Dan Hochhalter on fiddle, Tim Sergent on steel
Roger Waters was so moved by Dierks Bentley's cover during Pink Floyd week on the Jimmy Fallon Show, Roger wrote a note on his facebook page to thank all the musicians who performed covers, including our DBC prez, Dierks Bentley!
"Wish you were here!! Dierks, I was truly moved. I loved the fiddle, the pedal steel, you sang it beautifully, Hank Williams would have been proud of you."
Now THAT's a thank you! Rumor has it DB has recorded "Wish You Were Here" for the Pink Floyd tribute album. We'll try to confirm that, so keep checking back for further details.
One of our very own DB Congress Reps was able to experience that night live and in person! Read Monica's story here:
"Thanks to DB Congress I found out the Dierks would be on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on September 29, 2011. Since I would be in the area, I applied for Band Bench tickets, which allow you to go onstage and stand on risers behind and beside the band. The day before the taping I got a call that I had won tickets! I flew into New York on Thursday morning just to go to see Dierks!
My friend Deanna and I arrived at 30 Rock at 4:00 pm to get our wristbands. We lined up with the other lucky Band Bench winners. Finally it was time to go inside. The first guest was Melissa McCarthy and we received her Bridesmaids DVD. Next up was Steve and JoAnn Ward, a mother and son who have a reality dating show, followed by famous photographer Mick Rock.
Then it was time to go to the stage for Dierks. I was on the stage left riser. I could see the stage door and was so excited when Dierks took the stage. The view from behind was a little different from being in the front. After the song, Dierks turned around and thanked us. The band left the stage and the show was over.
But then the stage door opened and they came out again! They were going to do another song! They taped “Home” to be used for another show. Once again Dierks turned around and said ,“Thanks!” The drummer (Steve Misamore) handed a drumstick to me and another lucky audience member. I also was able to get one of Dierks guitar picks.
We also got lucky and ran into Dierks and the band as they were leaving. Dierks took a few pictures and I told him I was part of DB Congress and he stopped to take a picture with me!"
Monic Mcmacken
DB Congress Rep
Arizona
Watch the video again of Dierks and the guys singing, "Wish You Were Here". Dan's fiddlin' gets me every time!
Watch the video of Nashville Country Club's interview with Dierks Bentley, as he celebrated his #1 song (Am I The Only One) with writers Jim Beavers & Jon Randall at the bar Loser's in Nashville.
So, how does the DB Congress get invited to the next #1 party?
Dierks has teamed up with country radio and Believe in Heroes™, a Wounded Warrior Project™ (WWP) initiative, for the 2011 Country & Cold Cans Tour. Leading up to Veterans Day on 11/11/11 Dierks will host pre-show parties for select dates on the tour. The first of these parties will be held prior to his show in La Crosse, WI this Thursday, October 6th.
Aiming to support and honor wounded veterans who have sacrificed, each party will be a chance for fans to give back to veterans and win prizes from Dierks, including ticket upgrades, merchandise and autographed limited edition handwritten lyrics of the new single “Home.”
"I meet so many service men and women at our shows, so I love being able to support the Wounded Warriors Project and honoring the heroes who have served our country," said Dierks.
"This program fits perfectly with the message of 'Home,' so we are going to do what we can between now and Veterans Day to really honor these people. I hope fans will plan to get there early and be part of it!"
Keep an eye on Dierks' tour page to see which dates will host pre-show parties. If you're planning to attend one of these shows, get there early to help celebrate a great cause!
If you're in the DB Congress (Dierks Bentley Fan Club), you're part of the family. We told you about Larissa, a DBC Rep in Kentucky, who died earlier this year. The DBC all rallied together to show our respects and to honor her memory by donating to her two favorite charities.
"Losing a fellow fan is like losing a member of the family--the Dierks Bentley Fan Club family." (Granny Ann Tate, DBC Rep, AL)
Country Weekly's Steve Morley felt this fan story was worthy of an entire page in the October 10, 2011 issue! Be sure to pick up your copy in stores now!
Gators are normally quiet creatures, but Dierks Bentley had them roaring, eating out of his hand, and chomping at the bit for more at last nights's concert at the University of Florida's O'Connell Center. "Tell me how loud is it gonna be tomorrow night?" Dierks repeatedly asked throughout the night. To which the nearly 90 percent UF crowd replied with deafening screams of approval and pride.
Yes, Dierks did his homework. He knew his performance Friday night would serve somewhat as a pregame UF vs. Alabama football "pep rally" of sorts and the audience did not disappoint.
I have been to DB shows where the audience was not into it--but that was not the case last night. For every single song the mostly 20-somethings had a reaction, even clapping along to the soft, slow beat of "My Last Name."
Announcing himself with voice only through the first verse, Dierks hit the stage with Feel That Fire, with the lights hitting him and the band the second the chorus started. The crowd went wild! Follwed up by Every Mile A Memory, and Am I The Only One? Before that song, Dierks told the crowd, "I know you can't drink in here, but who wants to have a couple thousand cold beers and kick it 'til the morning light...maybe at The Swamp?"
Dierks really knows how to connect with the specific audience he is entertaining and this night was no exception.
At one point the crowd began their two outstretched arms clapping up and down gator chop in unison, and Dierks did it too, but asked, "I see ya'll doing this...but what does that mean?...I'm just kidding, I know what that means!"
For "Come A Little Closer," Dierks interjected a relevant ad-lib: Come a little closer baby/I feel like layin' you down [on the 50 yard line] continuing the football theme. Come a little closer baby/I feel like stripping' it down/back to the basics of you and me/and what makes the world go 'round...[like little white tank tops and and Gator football].
During "Country and Cold Cans," where he describes all the things that "go together," the 'summer dresses and cowboy boots' lyric got the loudest response since the majority of the females were wearing just that.
The crowd at one point boo'd a little (the first and only time all night) when Dierks mentioned he wrote, "Up On The Ridge," up on his ridge in Tennessee--"hey you can't boo Tennessee--you beat them every year!" Dierks retorted.
A huge American flag hung from the rafters just above the stage and DB made note of it as he began to introduce his new single, "Home." But he actually had to quiet the crowd from chanting proudly, USA, USA, USA...before he could continue. The video is in two parts, one to show the flag, the second to zoom in more.
Before he sang the song, he summoned a group of Navy Seals to the stage to thank them for their service. One in particular - Pablo, I think - was a UF graduate--and you guessed it--the crowd erupted with pride, when the alum said he only had one thing to say, "Go Gators!"
After "Home," he asked if we liked it and the wordless answer said, "Yes!"
In fact, with all the pride in the O'Connell Center, Dierks could have easily sang his Up On The Ridge U2 cover, "Pride (In The Name of Love)" and the concert-goers would have eaten that up. He did tell them about being asked to sing/honor the Pink Floyd on Jimmy Fallon the night before in New York City.
I didn't get a set list, but if I remember correctly, he and the guys sang Free and Easy, Trying To Stop Your Leaving, How Am I Doin', Lot of Leavin' Left To Do, Settle For A Slowdown, So So Long, I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes, before ending with a "we're not gonna leave the stage, we're gonna just go straight to the encore" Sideways and What Was I Thinkin'.
Bass player, Cassady Feasby was, as always, flawless on support vocals and when the entire band chimed in at the intro of Up On The Ridge, it was a harmonious masterpiece.
Tim Sergent on steel guitar, Brian Layson on lead guitar, Dan Hochhalter on fiddle, Steve Misamore on drums and Cassady were all introduced by Dierks early in the set vs. toward the end--nice touch, D! They are all so talented!
Dan Hochhalter on the fiddle, in perfect parallel to Tim Sergent's banjo
First-time arena performer, Canaan Smith opened for Dierks. His mom and lots of his friends were in the audience right in front of us--never sat down! They were so proud. His voice was great, and his guitarist looked a lot like David Cook. The Nashvillian who lived in Orlando, Florida for a while (originally from Virginia), sang mostly pop-country acoustic ballads, but for the "Na Na" song he got the crowd to participate. He reminded me of Jack Johnson. The UF girls all loved him, because his Meet and Greet line after the Dierks show was really long!
My fan club presale ticket seat was six rows back at the end of the cat walk so my photos are not the best, even with 10x zoom, but trust me, the guys were looking and sounding phenomenal last night!
Keeping with tradition, the guys huddled before taking their final bow and Dierks was the last one to leave the stage after picking up the set list.
The Country and Cold Cans tour officially starts next Thursday, October 6 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Tour mates Jerrod Niemann and Eli Young Band will open.
