Every Mile a Memory On the Way to 100 Shows

Hey everyone! Stephanie here - your DBC Historian. I recently attended my 100th Dierks Bentley show and Ronna asked that I guest blog about my awesome day so here goes.

It started out like any other day. Takara, Leigh and myself hit the road around 7:30 towards Council Bluffs. My anxiety level was high to begin with, as it is on every concert day, but this day was special. Once we passed the city limits sign I could almost feel my stomach trying to leap out of my throat. Will there be anyone in line yet? Is the venue set up like it was several years ago when we were here? Is my ticket at will call? Did my m&g pass transfer? So many questions!!

We finally got to the venue and there wasn't a soul around. Whew. One good thing to help calm my nerves. We managed to snag a parking spot at the golf course across the street from the venue and made our way inside the casino for a quick potty break. Since there was literally nobody in line, we plopped down underneath a tree across the street from the entrance to the venue and stayed in the shade. Overall, it was a gorgeous day!

The buses were parked along the street by the venue so we were hoping to get lucky and catch Dierks out and about like we did several years ago. Around 3:30, I look up and see him walking across the street to visit with another group of fans that were waiting outside too! He was gracious enough to take pics with everyone and sign autographs even though he was on his way to lunch. What a great guy! Even though many of my friends and fellow DBC reps were tweeting about this being my big day (thank you all for that by the way), I wasn't too confident on him reading it so I just opened my mouth and flat out told him. He said he'd have to figure out something special to do for me during the show! Umm...cue me freaking out!!!!!

There still weren't a lot of people in line which really surprised me since the show was sold out. It was a pretty laid back line too. People weren't shoving or cutting. It really didn't get crazy until half an hour before doors. That's when all these VIPs started showing up and getting in their own special line. We were really hoping that they would all just head to the VIP area, but we didn't get that lucky. As it got closer and closer to 6, we got more and more worried that even though we had waited outside all day long, our spots were about to be taken.

Once they opened the general admission gate, me and Takara took off running. Leigh was our designated bag holder so we didn't have anything weighing us down! As we got closer to the front, we noticed that quite a bit of it was taken up already. We did manage to pass (and possibly scare) a group of teenage boys and took the spots they were aiming for. You don't mess with Dierks fans bound for the front row!

Leigh, me and Takara

Around 7:20, I headed for the m&g area. They were running a bit late which only added to my nerves as I saw the space around my spot getting filled with more and more people! Finally Mel came out and got the group. They led everyone into a little room backstage and we stood there waiting for Dierks. As I got up to the front, Tom asked me to unroll my poster and started looking at it. He's such a nice guy! The person before me stepped out and I walked up to Dierks. He looked at all the pics on my poster and said he remembered some of them, even knew when some of them were taken! He turned it around to face the rest of the people and says "has anyone else been to 100 shows?" Nope, just crazy me! We took the pic and he laid my poster down on the bar and he signed it. He told me he was still thinking of something special to do for me and asked where I was for the show. Front row, of course!

Surprisingly, I had zero problems getting back to my spot! After that, it was just a matter of time before the opening act was done (who wasn't bad at all) and it was time for Dierks to hit the stage!
He took notice of where we were pretty much right away! One thing I like about this venue is that it allows easy access to get on and off the stage and you better believe he made good use of that. I won't go too much into the details of the show performance wise, but the guys gave it their all despite them missing the big amphitheater set-up. And the crowd ate up every bit of the show, especially during Drunk On a Plane! Crazy how big of a hit that song has become for Dierks!

The first round of stage lovies came during Feel That Fire. Dierks hopped off the stage and walked along the front row shaking hands. He got to our group and this happened:




I was curious if that was all that was going to happen until he started his Every Mile a Memory intro:



You could not have wiped the big cheesy smile off my face for that entire thing if you tried! And to look over and see Leigh tearing up nearly made me start bawling in the front row. I've made a lot of concert buddies over the years, but I think I've seen Dierks more times with Leigh and Takara than I can even remember and I was so thankful those 2 were standing right there with me when all of this went down.

The end of the show came and out came the guitar. Part of me wondered if I was going to be going home with another one, but what I got was even better! Dierks starts making his way along the front row again, gets to me and stops. He makes a lifting motion with both of his hands and my immediate thought is "oh man, I'm going on stage again!" quickly followed by "how do I get over this barricade in a dress without flashing the crowd?" Once again, it all happened in a flash. Dierks lifted me down from the top of the barricade (he's really strong by the way) and up I went on the stage to join the guys for the final bow!

Dierks led me backstage where he was raving about how awesome the crowd was! The energy he has when he walks off the stage in insane! He wrapped me up in a giant hug and called the rest of the guys over to do the same. Sweaty group hug haha! I adore all the guys so very much!!! Dierks asked me if I needed anything and I said I needed water (being on that stage is frightening...I don't know how he does it) so he grabbed my hand again and runs me up the hill to his bus.

I go inside the bus and take a seat next to Steve. Dierks asked where my first show was and the guys got a kick out of my whole "he stayed for 3 hours signing autographs and I fell in love" story. Dierks gathered everyone up for the group picture that he insisted needed to be "blasted all over social." We took a couple more individual photos and I said bye to the guys, got some more hugs, another big hug and an "I love you" from Dierks and walked back outside with Tom.

We headed back into the venue to say bye to all the crew guys! I got big hugs from Jay and Reade... Dierks seriously has the best crew out there! It was about that time that my phone started blowing up and I opened up Twitter to see that Dierks has already put our group shot up!

I could've been struck dead by lightning in that moment and been perfectly okay with it!! After grabbing some post concert food, we hit the road for Kansas City. Normally I would've been passed out in the backseat in about 20 minutes, but this post concert high got me through the entire 3 hour drive home and then some.

I never could've dreamed up a day this amazing. I'll never forget this show and I don't think any other show will ever top it in my book. I'm so thankful for Dierks' friendship over the years, getting to know so many of his band members and crew members and more importantly, all the amazing friendships that have come from meeting people at his shows (special shoutout to my FRHs)! I know those are friendships that I'll have throughout my entire life wherever I end up in the future.

So here's to another 100 - already counting them down with 101 in St. Louis the next night! #everymileamemory

Buy Your Own Flock! Dierks Bentley's Riser Bird Movement for Kids - Not just for Nashville Residents

They say birds of a feather, flock together.  DB Congress is Dierks Bentley's flock, and he needs our help! 

If you can't be at the ninth annual Miles and Music For Kids this year (September 28), or you just want to give more support to the kids at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, you can buy your own flock and decorate your own yard--even if you don't live in Nashville!

All awareness and support is appreciated!  Let's hit this campaign hard and help our president (Dierks) donate his biggest check ever! That mean's "rising" above last year's record breaking $307,296.

Here's an idea.  If the $80 for a flock of 8 Riser birds is a little out of your donation range, ask family and friends to share in the cost with you!

Let's land these birds all across the DB Congress Rep world!  Send us your pictures of the birds in your yard and we'll post them!  We'll even give away some DB autographed items.  Email us your photo and you'll be entered to win!  Email us at dbcongress@yahoo.com.

To buy your own flock CLICK HERE.

Please flock it forward.  Share this post on Facebook, and Retweet it!

Riser Bird Flocks Nashville; Announces 9th "Miles & Music For Kids" on 9/28/14

Flocks of Riser Birds began descending on Nashville this week to help announce country music star Dierks Bentley's ninth annual "Miles & Music for Kids" celebrity motorcycle ride and all-star concert scheduled for Sun., Sept. 28 in Nashville, TN.   Randy Houser, Kip Moore, Jon Pardi  and Chris Young have been tapped as the first artists to take part in the event, which has raised over $2.5 million to date for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals across the country.

Presale tickets are available beginning tomorrow, July 9 on www.dierks.com and general public tickets go on sale this Fri., July 11 at 10:00A CT.

"The Riser bird symbol we've been using to represent this album has really come to mean something to my fans.  I've been hearing stories about it on the road, people are getting tattoos of it.  It's a symbol of strength and resilience, and I think it's perfect to extend into what we do for Miles & Music, especially when we are talking about the history of the event, the bikers and fans who come out every year to support it and most importantly, the children and their families being treated at Vandy. ” said Bentley. “The Riser Bird Movement that started this week is a cool way to get the community involved in a deeper way and earlier this year….it's been fun to see it start to spread across town." 

This year’s annual event will once again begin at the Harley Davidson of Columbia (1616 HarleyDavidson Blvd., Columbia, TN) for an hour-long ride that ends downtown at Nashville’s Riverfront Park. From Riverfront, Bentley will take the stage for a family-friendly day of music with a lineup that will continue to grow as the event approaches.

Fans can purchase a combo ticket for the ride and concert for $50 or individual concert tickets for $30. Special VIP packages and student tickets are also available. This month, Nashville residents can “Flock It Forward” at www.dierks.com/riserbirdmovement by sending Riser Birds to their friends, also benefitting “Miles & Music.” All proceeds from both events will benefit Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, a Children's Miracle Network Hospital. For more ticket info, visit www.dierks.com.

Need flocking protection? Flock insurance protects your yard from being flocked!

About Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt:
 Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, a freestanding hospital dedicated to serving only children, is nationally recognized as a leading provider of pediatric health care services. Experts treat and work to prevent all health issues ranging from common childhood conditions to serious, advanced diseases. Featuring Centers of Excellence for the treatment of diabetes and congenital heart disorders, Children's Hospital also operates the region's only level 1 pediatric trauma unit and a neonatal intensive care unit with the highest designated level of care. In addition, Children's Hospital is a top-level teaching and research facility. No child is denied care on basis of limited ability to pay.

Dierks Bentley Hosts Tige and Daniel's Second Annual Birthday Bash

Dierks Bentley Hosts Tige and Daniel's Birthday Bash 

by  Guest Blogger Adrian Taylor

When it comes to hosting a birthday party, who makes the best host? Dierks Bentley does! On June 23, 2014, Dierks Bentley literally flew himself to Winston Salem, North Carolina to host 104.1 WTQR morning show radio DJs Tige and Daniel’s second annual Birthday Bash. 

Now I don’t know what Tige and Daniel did to get Dierks to host their party, but as a diehard Dierks fan, I am so glad that they were able to get him.

The stage was set up with four stools for the acoustic performance. In the front was Brian Layson (lead guitar), Dierks Bentley (guitar/host), Dan Hochhalter (fiddle/banjo) and hiding behind Brian was Cassady Feasby (bass guitar). I must say I was sad when I didn’t see Steve Misamore or Tim Sergent, but Dierks, Cassady, Brian and Dan did an amazing job on stage. And before I go on, it was good to see Jay & Carlos running back and forth from backstage to the stage.

Dierks took the center stool and began by talking to the audience. He first thanked Tige and Daniel for allowing him to perform at their birthday and thanked all of us for attending (granted the majority of the people there won tickets via the radio station). Dierks, being the jokester that he can be, told a few jokes and changed Tige & Daniel’s name so many times I lost count. A few times during  the set, Dierks would be telling stories, and getting the crowd laughing so much, that he had to look to Brian and say, “what key does this song begin in?” And Brian would have to say “dude, how many times have we done this song?”

About half way through the performance, Tige & Daniel’s birthday cake was brought out and Dierks led the crowd in singing “happy birthday” to them. Afterwards, Dierks took a picture with Tige and Daniel and he put his backside to the audience, and said he was going to pull a LukeBryan. With us being in North Carolina, the first thought I had was “no Dierks, don’t fall off the stage!” Instead, Dierks said, he wore the tightest jeans he owned. 

Dierks performed a few more songs, then talked about how he was honored to be at the birthday bash this year, and that he didn’t know how Tige and Daniel got the hosts they did, but that since they had Luke Bryan last year, and him this year, it would be hard to top next year, but if they couldn’t find anyone next year, that he would come back. Personally I think that is a great idea!  

After performing 10 songs, Dierks finished the night off with Home. He dedicated it to all the service men and women. When Dierks finished Home, he looked at me and tossed me one of his new guitar picks. Afterwards, the radio station thanked Dierks again for coming out, and invited everyone to celebrate with the cake and other food. 

As everyone was walking away, I yelled up at Brian, and asked for his set list. He picked it up, and said “here ya go.” I told him thanks, and my friend Jessica and I began to walk away. Several other people there tried to get the other set lists from Dierks, Dan and Cassady, but they had no luck. So I have to say I was happy I got one. Several people then asked me how I knew the band, and before I could say much, my friend Jessica replied, those guys are like her extended family. And I have to agree with her. 

So after getting my set list and guitar pick, Jessica and I were on two missions. One of which was to get our own individual photos with Tige and Daniel (we got pictures with them together as we walked in) but we wanted solo pictures. And mission number two was to try to say hey to Dierks and the guys and try to chat with them for a few minutes. We found out that Dierks was having to jet off to another show for the next day, and wasn’t going to be able to meet with anyone after the show. Of course this made me sad, but I know that Dierks has a very busy schedule. 

Jessica and I left the venue, and walked down the sidewalk in hopes of getting a picture of Dierks leaving. We saw his jeep and the tour bus (unfortunately it was not Goldie). Then we saw the guys get into a white SUV. As they were pulling out, they exited through a gate that was near where Jessica and I was standing. I had brought Dierks a card, and he had the driver stop and he reached for it. He told Jessica and I both hey. And said, see y’all girls again soon. 

So despite not getting to hang with Dierks and the guys after the show, it was amazing to have been there and get to see the guys perform literally five minutes from my house.

So Dierks may have been hosting Tige and Daniel’s birthday party, but it felt like another great Dierks concert!

If you want to see photos from the event, check out the album here:

Watch the tiny couch interview with Dierks, Tige and Daniel below.

Adrian Taylor

NC-DBC