DB Congress rep, Tara Toro, from New York, is our DBC "link-finder" for DBC on Facebook! She had the good fortune to fly to California (on a plane bound west) for two back-to-back Dierks Bentley shows. Did he really make her cry? Find out how and why...
I have been a member of DB Congress
for only three years, but in that time I have kind of made it my goal to attend
every Dierks show I possibly can (which can be challenging with kids). I wanted
a DBC shirt, but they were always unavailable. So when I saw recently that they had arrived,
I was super excited because I knew a concert was right around the corner!
Happily, a work trip in California
for my husband came up and we realized we had airline tickets that were going
to expire. I did not have to ask twice about coming along for two shows-LA and
Pozo, April 13-14. My husband said yes and we were on our way (with kids in
tow). Thankfully, I have a very supportive hubby!
So off I went solo to the Nokia on
Friday the 13th. I met some really nice
fans near me and we chatted until the show started. Will Hoge (he’s really
good!!) and Eli Young Band got everyone’s energy up as the openers. Dierks and
the guys came out and did an absolutely terrific set. They played five songs
off of “HOME” and all of the hits. He also had two special guests, Chris Shiflett from
the Foo Fighters and Garrett Hedlund, from the movie, Country Strong.
Everyone around me was out of their
seats and totally enjoying themselves. He has such a rapport with the audience
and succeeds in connecting with so many people. He and the guys never disappoint
and always give more than 100%.
Then it came time for "How Am I
Doin’." I know this is the song where he
goes to a gal and chats with her. I had the crazy pleasure of it happening to
me two months ago in NYC during HOME release week. When it came time for that
part, and he walked over to me, honestly the first thought in my head was “what
the?!” I mean, once is a once in a lifetime thing, but twice?
He slipped a bit
on the way over, so I braced his leg, then literally he sat on the stage in
front of me, held my hand, asked my name then the usual “where’s the after
party?” To which I replied, “on your bus,” and he laughed. Got up, inserted my
name into the “Tara, don’t lie you know you cry, cos you know how good it used
to be...,” looked over at me and pointed, and I pointed back.
Seriously, what a thrill! I cannot
believe it happened. The guys next to me were so happy for me, they high-fived
me. No photo though, their camera had
died.
The show ended with "What Was I
Thinkin’." I know I will be thinkin’ about this night for a long time.
Day #2: This is not a ‘Dierks held my hand’ story for
Pozo but simply what a gal will do to get to a DB concert--set off alone on a
beautiful sunny day, ready to pop the Dierks cd in the player for the 4-hour
drive in the rental car. After driving
through Chevron land, I should have had a clue the poor GPS was not leading me
in the right direction.
Then I saw “Pozo 20 miles” and was psyched. The joke
was on me. It took me on Forest Mountain
Road (I believe), a dirt road about 20 miles long up and down the mountain
cliffs, one lane if you can call it that, no railing, small boulders in the
middle of the road, me crying and thinking, “this cannot be the right road,
there is no way Goldie (Dierks’ tour bus) could have gotten through this!” Lots of prayers, and then seeing
cars/RVs/buses and thinking I have reached the land!
Pozo was a totally
different venue than the previous night in LA, but Dierks and the guys are so
versatile that the shows come off so well no matter if it’s outside, a 500
capacity dive, or the 5,000 seat Nokia Theater.
He opened the show
with “Country and Cold Cans,” and did four other songs off of HOME: “Tip It On
Back,” which he said he hopes to have as the fourth single in the fall, “Home,”
which was almost magical as he sang it against the beautiful Pozo sunset, “5-1-5-0,”
and “Am I The Only One,” along with his hits and some Buck Owens “Act
Naturally” in a nod to the Bakersfield sound. The crowd loved it and went a
little 5150 (crazy) with their very interesting dancing on the grass, (I wish I had captured Dierks' face as he watched that) and weed smoking, to which Dierks
inhaled deeply a few times to laughter and applause.
The nice thing at Pozo
is, I got to meet David and his wife Jamie. It is true that through the DBC you get to meet
so many nice people who become your friends! There may not have been any
personal moments at Pozo, but it was another fantastic show that was totally
worth the cross country plane ride. And it took me a lot less time to get back
to our friends’ house on a much safer road!
Tara Toro
DB Congress Rep, NY
