It's two in the morning and the house is quiet except for the sound of us Chatty Cathys whispering wildly about the amazing Dierks Bentley experience just a few hours before in Estero, Florida, March 15. We're at the kitchen table, munching on McDonald's and trying not to wake up Sherrie Shamon's husband, mom or dog Lexi. The alarm gets set for 6 am to get on the road to Jacksonville to do it all again. Such is the life of two long-time DRT (Dierks Road Trip) buddies, right?
Wrong. Sherrie and I met on Twitter and Facebook over a year ago, but this was the first time we met in person. To save on hotel expense, she opened her home to me. Who does that? Friends through Dierks--DB Congress friends!
And it's as if we've known each other for years--instantly. We have a lot in common--around the same age, have grown kids, a love for Dierks and his music, but one thing was was not so common. While I will hit my 50th DB show this year, Sherrie was a Dierks 'virgin' before that night! Yes. After a year and a half of promoting him daily, this was Sherrie's first Dierks concert! He finally came a little closer to her in Florida --and she won a Meet and Greet!
He then asked if anybody had any questions for him. Someone asked about Last Call Ball and he said it would be either Wednesday or Sunday [We now know it will be Sunday--details next week!] and might be during the day. He was sniffling and I asked him if he was getting sick, since we knew Brian had been sick (Brian Layson, lead guitar). He said no, he had allergies. Someone said something about his daughters and he said yes, they were with him. I said that I had seen them out on the stage earlier and he laughed and said that they were out there making sure everything was set up right!
When we got the one-on-one time with him, he was getting ready to sign my t-shirt that I had bought and he said, "It's Sherrie, right?" I was so shocked that he knew who I was and he said, "I know who you are. I see you on Twitter."
They had asked us to only have him sign one thing. But I also had on my DB Congress t-shirt and after he signed the t-shirt I bought for him to sign, he asked if I wanted him to sign my t-shirt that I had on. I, of course, immediately said yes. So, he signed that, too!He was so gracious and took his time with all of us. It was not rushed at all, even though there were a ton of other people waiting to meet him (he met with the fan club members first).
My favorite part of the concert? Hmmm....that's a hard one. I absolutely loved the Up On The Ridge part when they were up there on the elevated stage with the woods background. And I loved when they all came down to the end of the catwalk and played. I also loved how he interacts with the fans during the concert. He makes everyone feel like he's there just for them. It was just totally amazing."
-Sherrie Shamon, DBC Rep (FL)
Thanks for sharing your DB experience, your home and your friendship, Sherrie!
-Ronna Clark
DB Congress Chair (FL)
Thanks for sharing this great story. What a first time experience that was for Sherrie!
ReplyDeleteShe was soooooooo excited! One of my favorite memories was when he sang "Home" and the lyric, "Think. Wonder what he'd think...if my dad could see me now." And I think Sherrie yelled out, "He'd be proud, Dierks!" ~Ronna
ReplyDeleteHa! David, it was a great first-time experience! And Ronna, that is exactly what I yelled out! :) I was a nervous wreck before meeting him, but so many of you said he would make it seem like we had known each other for years. And he did. The minute he walked out and started talking, I was immediately at ease. And he is so truly so very nice. He impressed me when he said, "Now, you're here with Ronna, right?" and I said yes, I was. I wonder how many artists actually know their fans by their name. You can tell he genuinely does care about his fans. Heck, just reliving it for this blog got me as excited as the day it happened! Thanks for the memories!
ReplyDeleteA great story Sherrie. So glad you had an exciting experience with Dierks. Isn't Ronna a great concert person to be with.
ReplyDelete