Dierks in Detroit - Motor City Rocks!

Please welcome guest blogger and "Wolf Pack" member, Stacy Baker, DBC rep in Michigan.  We told you about the Wolf Pak back in February when Dierks was streaming his recording process live from the studio in Asheville, NC.  The fans online watching and chatting were dubbed "The Wolf  Pack," and apparently they are showing up in Meet and Greets with special shirts, like Friday night, May 6, at the Fillmore in Detroit.

"This was our 3rd show this past year, and also my 3rd time with a meet and greet. My husband, Bill, won one but being the great guy he is, he gave it to me. This was the first time we both got one.

The night started out with us seeing Dierks driving his famous jeep down Woodward Ave. It was pretty cool. He waved to everyone and parked it between the buses. Anyway, I decided to make a "Wolf Pack" shirt to wear to the concert. It said "The Wolf Pack "hearts" Stubbs [Dierks' nickname]". Right away when it was my turn, Dierks said how much he loved my shirt. He remembered me from our last meet and greet, which is always nice and shows how thoughtful he is with his fans. He said that the Wolf  Pack was showing up everywhere on the tour. He mentioned something about putting the Wolf Pack in the new album's liner notes.

I had brought a picture for him to sign, so I could hang it with my collection, but I almost wish I had him sign my shirt. I was expecting the "Stacy, God Bless, Dierks Bentley" standard signature, which is what I have always seen him do. But instead he mimicked my shirt and said "Stacy, I love my Wolf Pack, Dierks Bentley". I didn't even realize he had signed it different until I got home. I was too nervous/excited at the time. He told me two more times before we left that he loved my shirt and thanked us all for the Wolf Pack support. He pointed out "camera guy" as well, so I got to say hello to him, too. It was such a great night.

The concert was amazing (of course). He stopped in the middle and said he was going to go off the setlist and do a special song. So it was just Dierks and his guitar singing "Line No. 7," which he wrote about Detroit for Esquire magazine [Available on itunes]. It is such a great song and felt like such an intimate moment between Dierks and our city. He kept saying how nervous he was to perform it, but he did great.

I twittered about it later: "Line No. 7-wow...that's all I can say. Awesome song and crazy, crazy night." A little while later my husband said, "Dierks just re-tweeted you!"  I didn't believe it at first, but sure enough he replied back with "MOTOR CITY ROCKS! Bouncing off walls."

Needless to say, that was a great ending to a great night. Looking forward to seeing him in Nashville next month!"

Stacy

Steve Wiseman posted some awesome pics he took of Dierks from the show on the WYCD website.  Here are a few below.  Click here to see all the photos.

Instructions from Dierks: How to Write A Song (for a Woman) - Esquire Magazine

You may remember Somewhere in Mississippi, Dierks Bentley's songwriting challenge for Esquire magazine's March 2010 project.  Now a year later, Dierks writes a ditty in and about Detroit, along with a fashion photo shoot in Motor City for the magazine again.  "...he wrote such a good song [last year] that we pretty much had to ask him back this year." (Esquire).  Now I know what you're thinking. Dierks + fashion photo shoot? This from the guy who wears a white T and backwards "Stubbs" cap 90% of the time?  Yep--and he wears Armani well, doesn't he?

The country soul of Detroit: "For a country singer, there's a connection to Detroit in that hardworking blue-collar people are the lifeblood of what we do. Every four years, politicians go out on the road and talk to real folks to get their votes. But that's what country singers do every day. We talk to the people before and after the show. We have a sense of what's going on without looking at the stock ticker."

This year, our DB prez also gives instructions on how to write a song for a woman and it's featured in the May issue on sale April 26:

How to Write a Song (for a Woman)
Instructions from a country star
By Dierks Bentley


Originally published in the May 2011 Music Issue, on sale any day now


Little story: I moved to Nashville when I was nineteen, and I started collecting songs I had been writing in a three-ring binder. I was getting great feedback from family and friends, so I was feeling pretty good when I took a job working at one of Nashville's many publishing companies answering phones. One Friday some of the writers invited me to hang with them at the end of the day and play a song. I pulled out my best tune when it was my turn. One guy told me I needed to write five hundred more songs, put them in a drawer, and then give him a call.


Luckily, your audience is going to be a lot more sympathetic.

The Instrument


Acoustic guitar: It's portable and every guy looks good playing it. And it suggests an appropriate measure of sensitivity. That, or a small Casio keyboard. If you can get the girl to start laughing before you've even uttered a word, then you're off to a good start. (With love songs, as with love, humor is underrated.)


The Music


Learn three chords: G, C, and D. If they're good enough for Bret Michaels and "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," they're good enough for you. And a really slow ballad is best.

Hum out a little melody, get to the chorus quickly, and keep it simple. Whatever you're playing is merely supporting your clever, sincere, heartfelt, and occasionally funny lyrics that she never in a million years expected you to sing. The right words are 90 percent of what you're going for. About the words ...


The Lyrics


Unless you've got Dr. Luke building you a monster track, you aren't going to be able to hide crappy lyrics behind the music. In fact, crappy music might be the foundation for your lyrics, so they need to be great. But greatness in this context is easy. You don't have to be Kris Kristofferson. (Or Mumford & Sons. I really dig their simple but gigantic lyrics.) A few tips:


Avoid the generic. The only reason Justin Bieber can get away with a whole chorus that uses only the words baby and ooh is because he's Justin Bieber. Specificity and originality beats cliché every time. So maybe instead of "I love you, I need you the rest of my life," go with "I could live without your love — I'd just have to get used to feeling numb the rest of my life."


The Delivery


When I perform, I always look at specific people to read their energy and feel what's going on in the room. The more they get into it, the more my energy level goes up. The bottom line is: Look at her.


It's probably best not to use a guitar pick; less noise to interfere with the lyrics.

And if you screw up, it's no big deal. When I forget the words during a show, I rewrite them on the spot. No one ever seems to mind. She won't either. (Some emergency rhymes: Crazy/baby, girl/world, apart/heart, desire/fire.) The key to screwing up a song is to laugh it off and press on. No matter what happens, good things are waiting for you after that last note.

DIERKS FEELS THAT...FALL, DURING 'FIRE'

While singing Feel That Fire on stage in Detroit, Michigan, Dierks Bentley "took a little slide off the stage last night..." according to his FaceBook post. He showed his appreciation to the fans and proved he wasn't hurt too badly by continuing with, "thanks for catching me in the front row!! great show. at the y now...beautiful drive."

So glad you're OK, Dierks! You know your fans will always 'support' you, literally!



Here's the same fall from another angle:

DETROIT TAILGATERS MEET DIERKS

Despite the fact that his fame is skyrocketing, Dierks Bentley is doing a great job of keeping that personal connection with his fans. Not only with the lucky tailgaters in Detroit yesterday, but also by sharing with the rest of the world via his daily tweets on Twitter and FaceBook feed. Thanks for the "in the moment" photo, D!

"hanging out with some tailgaters after coming back from the gym...party is on here in detroit!" #fb