DIERKS BENTLEY IN DAYTONA BEACH

Although Dierks Bentley in Daytona Beach was a free show, it came with a price. Verizon sponsored the event at the V-Lounge--(how appropriate for V-Day weekend), which is normally a "right-on-the-beach" stage behind The Ocean Deck Bar and Grill. But the weather wanted no part of cooperating, and it raised it's ugly gusts up to 40mph, rained relentlessly, and brought with it a chill to the air.

Driving 4 hours from Tampa (normally only 2.5) in the pouring down rain, wrapped up in the warmth of my Dierks Bentley hoodie, and thanking the hubby every hour for doing the driving, all I could hear in my head was DB singing, You Hold Me Together from the Feel That Fire album:

"By now I should've been broken,
On the rocks that rise from life's ocean,
Just another ship lost at sea
By now I should've been scattered
In the wind of my lonesome travels
Like a thousand dandelion seeds
And I should've come unraveled
At the seams like a well worn sweater
But you hold me together"

I knew it wasn't likely D would sing my favorite FTF song that night, but the surrounding images screamed these lyrics to me!

We arrived around 3 pm and scoped out the place. We talked to The Ocean Deck and Verizon staffers and everyone was giving us a different version of what the plans were. Food was good, but no tables, so we shared with another couple--Betty and Warren from IL. Big NASCAR fans! The girls from Verizon posed for a pic:


Winning VIP passes and Meet & Greets via the DB Fan Club was supposed to get us special seating by the stage in addition to the M&G. But due to the weather and high tide, the event got moved in doors--and all hopes of VIP seating were dashed! Not that anyone can control Mother Nature. We found out that Dierks actually made the decision to move it indoors for safety reasons.

First in line for the Meet & Greet--that is a first! Usually I'm last, but with 100 behind us, we wanted to try to get in to the VIP area! Can't you just hear Ricky Bobby saying, "If ya ain't first, yer last!" Brittany and Chris told us there was a photographer to take pics and they would print them for us by night's end. Could not use our own camera, and no autographs.

I brought my copy of the 2009 DB Congress yearbook I made and sent to him since I didn't know if he had received the original. He said he had, but would love a second copy and that he really liked it. So I gave it to him along with a letter for him and one for Tim. Took a pic with hubby and me and time to move on. Shortest M&G ever. Just as well, since we wanted to make our way to the VIP area ASAP!


Big mistake on my part thinking we (the DB fan-clubbers) were the "only" VIPs--there were probably 100+ others. And since everyone inside The Ocean Deck had already been there all afternoon, we had to squeeze through a sea of hundreds to get to the make-shift VIP area--which was a pit of sorts.

Normally I love being in the pit for Dierks, but last night was the worst I have ever been in--literally we were all squished in on all four sides. Luckily hubby is taller than me, so he stood behind me and took photos. About 3/4 of the way through the show, the fire marshall came in and offered a choice: Clear the aisles (what aisles?) and go outside to listen to the show via the Verizon tent speakers, or shut down the show. All those who volunteered to go outside got a free drink. Funny thing is, it got WORSE after that up front! What?

While all of that may have been the "price," the show was the reward! Verizon hosted a quick Q&A with the NASCAR Nationwide series drivers #22 Brad Keselowski and birthday boy Justin Allgaier, Verizon's #12, and they both introduced Dierks!


Dierks and the guys kicked it off with hot harmonies on Dixieland Delight! I've never heard them sing this live--what a treat!


The rest of the set list had the party rockin' just right! A few songs in, and Dierks asked the crowd to shout out requests. Everyone wanted Sideways but he said he had to work up to that one..."I gotta BE sideways to sing Sideways!"


Dierks told us how he loved being back performing in the small bar setting, apologized for having to move it inside but that just got him closer to the bar and asked for a shot of...who knows what. That cup was never empty all night and the Bud Lights flowed freely.


Then (not sure of the order), Life on the Run--D changed up the lyrics and since the stage was so small Robbie had no mic, but was definitely singing his "low low low low" part. In fact, Dierks got playful with a lot of lyrics last night. Like on I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes ("If you need a little bit of help from "Steve"...Sorry, Steve, I've never seen you in a vest before!").


As usual, Every Mile a Memory was customized for the locale ("Florida stars...Daytona night). So So Long and How Am I Doin' were dedicated to all the Ex BFs and GFs. Trying To Stop Your Leaving, Little Heartwrecker, Feel That Fire were all sang straight with lots of that Dierks Bentley moxie-grit emotion! With Free and Easy he interjected, "I keep rollin' like Tim's old banjo," and before Lot of Leavin' Left To Do, Dierks had this to say:



Come A Little Closer and Settle For A Slowdown were the only two slow songs besides 'Eyes, but every word and note was perfection!


Covers included Hank Jr.'s Family Tradition--where the crowd went wild...but it was not my favorite vocal from him--sorry dude, what melody was that?

On the flip side, he started out "I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison, and I went to pick her up in the rain..." David Allan Coe would've been proud! After that verse though, he stopped and said "That's not the perfect country song cos it doesn't say anything about Little White Tanks Tops! Then launched into What Was I Thinkin'...more fan participation.


Closing the night with Last Call: "It's not last call but that's the name of this song," Rod rocked it on the electric guitar. But I really wanted to hear the fiddle from the recorded version! Kristi Jo, where were you?


No stage diving/"surfing" and no fans on stage...absolutely no room. All 5 of them had to stay in the same spot all night! Steve only had half drums--not the full set he's used to.

Despite the pushing and shoving and sardine-ness, if I had been front row on the rail, and had elbow and breathing room, it would have been one of the best shows I've ever experienced.

After the singing, Dierks signed a few autographs, hugged Kasey Kahne's mom and left the stage. I tried to get a set list or a pick--no luck. At the last minute Jay called me back; he had found Dierks' Thomas O'Brien, thick, black, 100% cotton,"towel" and gave it to me. If ya ain't first, yer last!


Met Kasey Kahne's mom, Tammy and got a pic. She was so nice!


We then made our way back to the Verizon tent to pick up our M&G photos and I had totally forgotten about the autographed poster and a swag bag with a t-shirt and other goodies! What a cool suprise! Thanks, Verizon!



It was great to see/meet some DB Congress reps (Keesha, Ann, Lissa). The drive back to Tampa was a lot faster than the ride to the beach. Dierks is always worth it.

Next DRT: Orlando, Feb. 27-Universal Studios Mardi Gras!

~Ronna

DIERKS NARRATES THE RISE OF KAHNE

Tony Thomas, KMPS radio DJ/Music Director, tweeted the following on Twitter yesterday:

"How cool is this? Go #9! The Rise of Kahne - A new DVD about Kasey Kahne, narrated by @dierksbentley!"


The Rise of Kahne - New Kasey Kahne DVD

Kasey Kahne | MySpace Video

KAHNE CHOOSES BENTLEY SONG FOR SHARPIE 500 INTRO

I wonder how many Sharpie's Dierks Bentley goes through in a typical tour month. With all the autograph signing and all the set lists taped to the stage floor, I'm guessing hundreds. And that's just the black ones. Then there's the silver Sharpies for signing the black DB Congress shirts. I always carry silver Sharpies--just in case!

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Personalities among NASCAR’s Sprint Cup drivers are as varied as their musical tastes. Fans will get more of an indication as to what might make their favorite drivers tick during driver introductions for the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway tomorrow night, Aug. 22 at 7:30 pm. Each driver was asked to walk out to the song of their choice.*

It's no secret that Dierks and driver Kasey Kahne are friends. So it's fitting that KK has chosen buddy Dierks Bentley’s “Life On The Run,” for his driver introduction song before the Sharpie 500! Great choice, Kasey!

Let's go racin' boys!

Somewhere in the distance is where I need to be
All I care about right now is speed

Here they come now, they're closin' in
Pack of blood hounds gonna catch my scent
Here they come now, now I'm gone again
Yeah


*Source: TriCitiesSports.com (Thanks to Meg for the link!)

KAHNE & BENTLEY, BUDS FOR KIDS

In 2005, Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 Budweiser Dodge in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, created the Kasey Kahne Foundation as a way to give back to chronically ill children and their families as well as disadvantaged youth. Every year the KKF raises funds for these deserving causes through several exciting events.
The Sound Check 9 benefit concert on March 5 in Duluth, Georgia (Wild Bill's) was one of those events, featuring Dierks Bentley, multi-platinum country music star. “I’ve been friends with Dierks for a while now,” said Kahne, a nine-time winner on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. “Dierks has been a long-time supporter of children’s charities, which is also the focus of the KKF. So teaming up on this concert is a good fit." All ticket proceeds go to the kids.

A special offering of 100 VIP Meet & Greet tickets with reserved seating sold for $150 per person. Reserved seating was $50, and General Admission was $30.

The latter was my budget this trip, and in my opinion, the best "non-seat" in the house! Re-united with many of my DRT (Dierks Road Trip) buddies from Atlanta last May, we all lined the front of the stage--the only place to experience a DB concert!

The evening kicked off with a question and answer session with Kahne, Elliott Sadler and Darrell Waltrip. Darrell asked Kasey how he and Dierks had become such good buddies and Kasey said they met at the Opry, got to talking, had a lot of the same interests--including NASCAR, country music, and children's charities. I recorded it, but there were several people in the audience talking loudly the whole time the interview was going on, even yelling at one point, "Stop talking and start singing!" How rude! After all--this WAS a benefit event--show some respect, people!
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DB Congress representative, Angie (choppergirl) drove down from South Carolina again this year. "This had to be one of the best Dierks shows ever and one of the funnest DRTs I've been on. The day started early as I met Keesh and the Dierks-mobile and we swung by and picked up my friend Teresa and hit I-85 in SC with the pedal to the medal to Georgia! We got to Wild Bill's between 11 and 12 to see a handful of Dierks fans there. We hung around and chatted a while, and listened to soundcheck outside the doors--they sounded awesome.

As the day goes on we get to see more fan club members, a lot that I hadn't seen in a long time. It was really exciting when we went inside knowing the time to see D was getting closer. Nascar drivers took the stage first--DW, Kasey and Elliott Sadler talked a while. That was awesome since I'm a big Nascar fan as well.

Soon here comes Dierks and the band and they rocked Wild Bills! He sang all our favorites including some of the new songs. Hearing Feel that Fire and Sideways in person was out of this world! The whole night Dierks was right there in front of us. Keesh had her night made as he twirled her around and held the mic for her to sing along!

Dierks, you and the guys were awesome! Cant wait for a chance to see you again! Thanks for coming out and talking to us by the bus before you left! Was great seeing so many fan club friends and great meeting new ones!" ========================================================================
DBentleyFan7 is a new DBC rep from Georgia. She didn't' have far to drive! "This was my very first Dierks show, I have been wanting to see him live for the longest time and finally did! He is crazy and I loved every second of it!

One group had a sign saying 'I wanna feel your fire' and he screamed at them saying 'YOU WANNA FEEL IT?! COME ON FEEL IT!' And then he ran so fast to them and just let everyone grab him that was in the crowd!

He knows how to put on a show, wow! I loved him before, but now I am head over heels for Dierks.

There was also a moment where Dierks looked mad and I don't blame him! A girl RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME got a hand slap from Dierks and then she just decided to grab his boot; he almost fell when he tried to go to the next group because that lady held onto his leg! He looked back at her and THREW her hands off of him! I can't say I'm not shocked, there were quite a few drunks there and she was one of them. The girl next to her jumped down her throat and was saying she can NOT do that! You go girl!

I'm just so impressed with the way he performed. He knows how to get the crowd going! I'm a regular at Wild Bill's since they have a lot of country stars there, but Dierks was the only one I've seen get the crowd going as loud as they did! You can tell he loves his fans." =============================================================================
"OMG!!! That was me that jumped down her throat," says LILWHITETANK54, Tracy, DBC rep in Alabama. "She was all trying to get (bass player) Robbie's attention. She didn't even look at Dierks the whole time she was hollering at Robbie & that's why he moved I bet. I have no idea who she was or where she came from, she just came out of nowhere. When she could not get Robbie to pay her attention, that is when she grabbed Dierks' leg. I was totally mortified because I didn't know her and I was so worried he would not come back over there to us. After that I told her she had to GO (and a few more choice words)! But I had a blast and did not let her ruin it for me! I stayed afterwards & met Dierks & got pics & autographs! If anyone is on here that met me or my sister, (Tracy & Tabatha from Alabama) ya'll email me! ====================================================================================
Debra is a proud DBC rep from Alabama. Here's her review: "Hey all-just made it back from Atlanta today--Dierks was really on FIRE! I arrived at Wild Bill's about an hour before the doors opened and got to visit with my old DRT friends... Granny Ann and Debra above Debra and Angie (choppergirl)
...and met some new ones as well! Always love to meet new fan club members-you girls are the nicest people to spend time with and enjoy the concert with-seriously! Debra and Tracy above

Of course us DB fans-Congress members as well-were first in line to go in and made it right to the front of the stage! That was so awesome to have Dierks performing so close to us all night! Rod was so sweet to come and play several times right in front of us also! The band sounded fantastic and I heard Dierks perform Life on the Run for the first time LIVE and of course it was great! Thanks too Dierks for throwing Sweet and Wild in there for us-really enjoy you singing that song! Dierks sang to us lucky girls on the front row many times and Keesha got the dance floor twirl during So So Long! He held my daughter Kristen's hand and sang to her and I do believe she's a DB fan for life now-lol! Really fantastic performance by Dierks and the band-fun to see Robbie singing now! One of my best Dierks shows ever! I didn't get to see Dierks at the bus-my daughter wanted to stay at Wild Bill's with some of her friends so I joined them. Much love to my fav DRT buddies Ronna,Chrissie,Rachel and her gang,Tammy,Angie,Lisa,Holly and Kelly-it made the show sooooo much better to have you guys there with me! So great to finally meet Granny Ann-what a wonderful, sweet lady! Trenda and 2 new Tracys I met also!!

BTW there were several times that Dierks was so close to me I could have touched his boots too-but I would never think about doing that! He's so sweet about getting that close to us and I certainly don't want him to stop! Thanks to all the FC who commented on my DBC shirt (complete with Dierks autograph!)I also got many comments and questions about my DBC shirt throughout the night by other people there-love promoting Dierks that way! Thanks for a fantastic night Dierks-you ROCK!" My pics were some of the best I have ever gotten-but it's because we were soooooo close: ================================================================================
As for me, I loved meeting all the new people from the fan club. I was so flattered that Tracy asked me to sign her Band of Sisters (and a few brothers) book that Crissy (TX) made last year! Ann (AL) gave out tons of DB Bracelets sent from Tara (CA) and as I was squeezing my way through the crowd to get back to the front of the stage, one girl saw my bracelet and wanted to know where I got it--so I gave her mine! Anything to get people to dierks.com to join the fan club and the DBC! I also handed out business cards to everyone who asked about the dbc shirts, the fan club or just curious about what DB Congress is all about. I remember this one lady who had been to Red Rocks in Denver, CO(I had my RR shirt on), and I gave her a card--hope she and the others find their way to this site!Me, Granny Ann, & Chrissie (GA) I did get a hand-hold from Dierks during Every Mile a Memory--that's always been a good luck song for me to get attention from D during the live show!

I love when Robbie sings "low, low, low, low"--just like his bass--during Life On The Run. Here's the first minute...
I was surprised but happy to hear them sing Sweet and Wild. And Rod, Tim and Steve showed they're as talented as ever!
Robbie Harrington:

Tim Sargent (I saw Tim squeezing through the crowd by the stage before the show and we exchanged hellos):

Rod Janzen:

Steve Misamore:


I guess my favorite part was after the concert, by the bus. Although they had a long drive back to Nashville, Dierks made time to sign and take photos with about 20 of us die-hard fans. He was so excited to be singing with Jessi Colter at 10 am the next morning, so I think he was rushing to get out of the cold and to save/protect his voice.

I had him sign my FTF CD, but didn't ask for a picture. Instead, I used my time to ask, "Please tell me you've seen the dbcongress.com website!?" "Yes, I have, it's great! Amazingly detailed! I have been meaning to blog about it. I told them (Echo) to get with ya'll to make sure you were ok with us (fan club) using the name "dbcongress." I told him yes they contacted us and we'd be honored! That's our Dierks! Always thinking of others! I hate that I can't remember word for word what he said, but I was just happy he has seen the site and likes it, and that I heard it from him in person! Made my whole night!

~Ronna, DB Congress Chair

DIERKS, KASEY MIX COUNTRY, NASCAR

Good buddies Dierks Bentley and Kasey Kahne mixed up country music and NASCAR Friday night at The Coliseum, a club in Daytona Beach, at the "Off The Track, Off The Record One Night Stand Event, presented by Budweiser." Country Music Is Love has the scoop from a couple of Dierks fan clubbers who attended Friday night. See what songs he sang and photos here.

Dierks and Kasey moved the party to the Daytona International Speedway the next night for the Bud Shoot Out, and I was there! Full blog with photos and video coming soon!

Think this is the first gig for these two? Think again! They've been good guys with good causes from a few years now. Check out the article here.

Dierks and Kasey will team up for charity again, March 5th in Atlanta at Wild Bill's. Tickets are on sale via the DBFC website.

~Ronna~