Wed Nov 29, 2006 5:29 pm

For my first concert in 2 months, I was all fired up for this one! It was my mom and I, Dannel, and Melanie (2 of my mom's friends). My sister, Whitney, was gonna come with us because she is just insanely obsessed with Dierks, and she loves Miranda too! Unfortunately she was sick, so she had to stay home.

Right before we were ready to go, we found out that it was freezing rain! Greeeaaat. Sioux Falls is a 5-hour drive from where I live, so not very good news! Anyway, the arena was connected to the Sheraton, so we didn't have to go outside and freeze! We entered the arena again at about 6:00, and we all got our tickets and Meet & Greet passes. I felt so special because my M&G pass for Miranda had MY name on it instead of my mom's this time!! LoL because this time my pass came from the fan club.

Mom and I found our seats as soon as we walked into the arena, 3RD ROW!! We sat and chatted for a few good minutes, but we had to leave shortly after for Miranda's M&G!

Miranda Meet & Greet - The wait in line seemed like forever. I was nervous and shaking, but I have no idea why. Hey, at least I wasn't crying =P I told my mom how awesome that would be be if Miranda remembered her because of the dog treats she was gonna give her dogs! I was going to have Miranda record a answering machine voice message for my cellphone, but it didn't seem like it'd turn out well anyways, because the Randy Rogers Band started playing while we were waiting in line, and all the sound cover we had was a curtain! When we were next up for our turn, we were still waiting outside the curtain, and I peeked in and Miranda was wearing camouflage, just like I was! Hahaha and I started jumping up and down like a screaming little girl. It was great =P Our group of 4 went inside the curtain, and they all wanted me to go first, so I handed the guy my camera, and I walked right up to Ran and I said "Hi Miranda" and I gave her a hug right away! I swear I can never remember right away how much prettier she is in person. Even compared to any M&G photo, she's just gorgeous. And she was so sweet as always! She said "I love your shirt!" And we were both giggling. And I asked her if she could record a voice message for my cellphone, and she said "Sure I can make it quick!" But I got all my stuff out, and I think it was the camera guy who said she couldn't, and she gave me this sad expression, and she said "I'm so sorry, honey, I can't do that. =(" And I was totally fine with it, I just said "Oh well that's ok!" And she smiled and she said all happily "I can take a picture though!!" And I laughed and I'm like "Ok good!" Haha that was so sweet. We got our picture taken, and I told her thanks so much again, and she said "Your welcome, and I'm so sorry!" And I said "Oh no problem!" And we both said "It was nice meeting you!!" I was completely fine with her not being able to record the message. the M&G was so rushed anyways, and with the loud music in the background it probably wouldn't have turned out. And anyone could tell she felt bad, and she wanted to do it, but she was so nice about it! I love that girl!!

My mom told me about her M&G with Miranda when she caught up with me. She told me that Miranda said "I remember you! I have your picture in my bus!" Because my mom gave her dogs dog treats again like she did in Albert Lea this summer! I'm jealous! Hahaha. And mom showed me the action shot of me giving Miranda a hug, and that made my night!!

We stepped out into the arena and watched Randy Rogers Band without sitting in our seats, because they were nearly done with their show by the time the Meet & Greet with Ran was over with. Their stage presence is so much better than I even imagined! And their song "Kiss Me In The Dark" is awesome. I haven't heard much of their songs before, but now I love their music!

Dierks Meet & Greet - The 5 of us were all waiting in line forever again. And in the arena, we heard the announcer present Miranda, so we were hoping we wouldn't miss too much of Miranda's show! She started out with "What About Georgia?" so I was just singin' along in line, lol. I handed the gal my camera, and I walked right up to Dierks and I said "Hi I'm Hayley! Nice to meet you" and all that =) At times in Meet & Greets, you're the one who does the question-asking or most of the talking, but right away he said "Oh I see you got a Miranda Lambert shirt on!" And I just laughed and I said "Yep!" And he said "I like that!" Haha that was cute. He's so observant which is great about him =) He's adorable! Then when he was finished, she told me "Thank you very much" and I said "Good luck tonight!" and and "Thank you!" and those, haha. He's wonderful!

Ran's Show
When my mom was done with her M&G, we headed out of the curtain and we got something to drink, and with Miranda still performing on stage, and me memorizing her set list, I told her "Hurry! 'Me and Charlie' is next!" Which is my all-time favorite song from Ran. We got to our seats about half way through the song, and this is where all the jumping around and screaming comes in for me! Next she sang "I Wanna Die", then "Bring Me Down", a brand new one called "Gunpowder and Lead" (AWESOME!!), then "New Strings." When she played "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" next, I think I was the only one singing along and mimicking all her actions on stage! I hope this song will do well on radio...nothing beats it!! Her last two songs were "Hillbilly Highway," and last but sure and hell not least..."Kerosene." This song is always the highlight of her whole show. She was runnin' around and stomping her feet and all her fun stuff! Everyone around me was standing and clapping and singing, but if you happened to see a girl who was psychotically jumping up and down and screaming her head off...that would've been me!! My favorite part of the whole song is "I'm holdin' up my smokin' gun," (of course!)so I had to throw in that action too! It was great! During the end of the song, all of the band members came up to the very front of the stage, and I was waving, and Alex nodded and winked at me. So sweet =) Miranda's performance was over, and we sat and waited for a bit longer. I don't think I've ever had thee biggest headache as I did then, ouch! All that screaming! While mom and I were waiting, we looked through pictures on our cameras that we took, and my mom started freaking out at this one picture, and she said "OMGosh Hayley she looks just like you in this picture!!" And out came my screaming-little-girl-ness again! Pretty much shocking, haha.

Dierks' Show
Dierks' show started at 9:00, and he had the coolest introduction! All the lights were off, some music was playing in the background, there was a steady drum beat, then all of a sudden the beat started speeding wayyy up, and there were purple lights flickering, and it was all loud and crazy, then it ALL stopped, and all we could hear was the opening acoustic guitar chords to "Every Mile A Memory." The crowd went ballistic. It was an awesome opener!! He played not one bad song. "Settle For A Slowdown" is my all-time favorite, which was amazingly played! And his new upcoming single's called "Long Trip Alone" and he said it has to be one of his favorite songs he's ever written, and I completely agree! Gorgeous song. Some moments I will never ever forget from this guy...there was a girl in the front row who was holding up a sign that said "16 and Never Been Kissed by Dierks," so at the end of Dierks' song, he bent over and gave the girl a kiss on the cheek! I was so cute!! And there was a gal and her friends at the end of our row who were holding up a sign that said "We Wanna Come A Little Closer," so when Dierks was in the middle of singing "Come A Little Closer," he actually jumped off the stage and walked over to the pile of girls who were over there!! We were so close to that section, and I was gonna climb over everyone to make it, but it was so impossible, lol. That was crazy! I loved it! Dierks also played some new songs off his brand new ablum, and some of his great old ones: "What Was I Thinkin'," "That's How I'm Doin'," "My Last Name," and they were all awesome! And I was snapping a few pictures of Dierks, and my camera busts on me! Just luckily it didn't happen during the Meet & Greet! Of course Dierks came on for an encore at around the end of his show, and he played Johnny Cash. Then about in the middle of the song, Miranda and the Randy Rogers Band came back up on stage to sing with him!! And Miranda was wearing a white Blake Shelton hoodie, and we noticed that she was wearing the bracelet that my mom gave her at her M&G! So of course my mom was flippin' out, and she was telling everyone standing around her, "OMG Miranda's wearing my bracelet!!!!!!!!!"

it was an AMAZING show!!

PICS http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f230/HayleyJohn/Concerts/Dierks%20Bentley%20Sioux%20Falls%20SD/

Sun Nov 26, 2006 2:28 am

Tonight was round 3 of my Miranda and Dierks tour. Ran was in St. Paul, which is the closest for me.

Got to the arena around 5:30 or so, which I thought would put me deep in line. However, there were only around 30 people in 4 lines at that point. I found some friends I met at the Julie Roberts show last month, so we were about 6th in line when they finally opened the doors at 6:35. I hurried down and got a spot in the front row and when they got there, headed off to the merch table for something for Ran to sign.

The lines at the merch tables were insane!! They were about 20 people deep. There was no way I was gonna get a pic for Ran to sign, so I went to the far edge and got served in about 5 minutes. Whew!!

Quickly hurried to the meet and greet line, as it was supposed to start at 6:50 and it was about 6:48 by this time. I met up with Rachel (zoysiagirl) and we got to the back of the line. The meet and greet started around 7:05 and the line was pretty long - probably about 30 people. Saw Ran walking down the hall toward the meet and greet room with Crysta. When Ran got to the door, she saw me, smiled, and said Hi when she entered. The, I visited with Crysta for a bit while we waited our turn.

When it was my turn, I visitied with her for a bit and did the standard photo. I have to think of some creative pose!!

Randy Rogers was very good again. They've got a great sound and I am quickly becoming a fan of theirs.

On to the highlight of the evening...Ran's performance. All I can say is WOW!! She gets better and better every time I see her. Unfortunately, the crowd wasn't as great as Dekalb or La Crosse, but she still rocked. The set list was the same 10 songs and she nailed every one of them. After Gunpowder and Lead, a guy next to me said "That's a great song. I love it". The crowd did get going for Crazy Ex-girlfriend, which is great to see. The entire place was on their feet and rocking for Kerosene. I am really seeing more and more people getting into her music, which is great.

After the show, Aden got me a set list. Gotta love the band!!!

To keep this shorter, Dierks was excellent as well. He really gets the crowd going and is very high energy. He even ran out into the crowd again during a song. Also, he fell during one song and never missed a beat. I even love the encore...

I managed to get a drumstick from Dierks' drummer again. I kept this one, tho!! It took a good jump on my part - it was headed a row or two behind me. Definitely an excellent time. Can't wait for the next show in 12 days!!!

Nov. 25, 2006

I'm going going to go into too many details, because I'm completely worn out. I worked 4:45 am to 4 pm yesterday, and then made the hour and a half drive to Dubuque. The concert was awesome, and Ran was great. I left part way through Dierks' set since I had to make the drive home and work at 7 this morning. I am completely worn out, but it was so worth it.

Here's my pictures:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=micbvo0.32w154c4&Uy=-3omgf8&Ux=0

Oh yeah, I wore my Realtree shirt because it's my favorite t-shirt, and Ran said I love your t-shirt, I have one just like it. I didn't tell her that I got it from Blake at Fan Fair this year

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

By Blair Lovern

Just passing along a photo from 99.5 The Wolf, the second most powerful and influential country station in America. They are so powerful and influential they can get a cake for Miranda Lambert. Er, I could have also gotten a cake but it would've been just be me there eating it.

Columbia's Miranda Lambert spent her 23rd birthday (11/10) visiting Dallas area radio stations in support of her new single "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend." Pictured at KPLX (The Wolf) prior to a carb binge are (l-r) Columbia's Jordan Pettit, The Wolf's Justin Frazell, Lambert, KPLX's Tara and Cody Alan, Columbia's Teddi Bonadies, and the station's Chris Sommer and Ed Lambert (no relation).

Sun Nov 19, 2006 9:34 pm

This weekend was amazing - 2 Miranda shows, La Crosse and Dekalb. Since each show is unique unto itself, I'll so separate reviews!

So, I got to La Crosse about 5:15 and doors didn't open until 6:30. I had the VIP ticket from Dierks' fan club, so I got in the door before most. Since it's general admission, I knew leaving for the meet and greet with Ran would be a problem. I made friends with a couple people standing near me and they agreed to hold my spot. The meet and greet started at 6:50 and was done long before Randy Rogers started. I met up with Jessica (FaithandMirandafan) in the meet and greet line. Jessica had Ran's birthday card and it looked awesome!! We kept letting people go in front of us, so we could take a coulple minutes to present the card to Ran.

Jessica gave the card to Ran and she absolutely loved it!! She said it was awesome. Jessica has the pictures when she presented the card. Jessica and I got a pic together with Ran too. I chatted with Ran briefly and here's the result:

Got my spot back and The Randy Rogers Band started promptly at 7:30. They're really good - I'll have to pick up their cd. The fiddle player is insane. I've never seen a fiddle player jump around like he does.

Anyway, on to the highlight of the evening - Ran's performance. She did 10 songs in all and looked and sounded incredible. The crowd was totally into it - singing along to almost every song. Not too many (besides me) knew the lyrics to Gunpowder and Lead. When she sang Bring Me Down, people all around me were singing all the lyrics really loudly. I love seeing and hearing the crowd getting into Ran's music. She sang 2 new songs - Gunpowder & Lead and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Even for Crazy Ex, the crowd was totally into it. During Crazy-Ex Ran was out in the center part of the stage, kinda in the crowd (but still on the stage) and during the lyric "I'm a Crazy Ex Girlfriend" she looked right at me! One of the Dierks fans who helped save my spot even gave me a high five at that point! Kerosene totally rocked and the crowd was REALLY into it. The band was rocking and the entire set was incredible.

After the set, I got Aden's attention and got the set list (made people around me jealous) and got Ran to sign it the next night. All the band members are totally cool and great guys.

Then along came Dierks. I'll keep this part short, since this is already really long. Dierks puts on a great show. He's totally high energy and interacts with the crowd really well. His show was excellent too. After the show, I had a meet and greet with Dierks:

One thing Dierks does in his meet and greets is has everybody hang around after he signs. He visits with people, answers questions and just "keeps it real". One really interesting thing he said is he brings people out on tour with him that he likes to listen to. The other members of Dierks fan club were very complimentary of Ran - they said how much they loved her show. Dierks is a very down to earth guy and extremely nice too.

I didn't get out of the arena until almost midnight, as we were having fun visiting with Dierks. I needed to get to Dekalb for the show the next night, but stopped in Madison at 2 am (couldn't drive any longer).

The adventure continues in the next review (Dekalb)...

So yeah, Craig pretty much said everything worth saying...lol Oh well!! Ran rocked and I LOVE HER!! I'm a little sad that I didn't get to talk to Aden...You all know how much I love him! lol Anyway, I didn't get any pics of me giving Ran the card...I'm a little sad but it's okay! She loved it and said that she would read it later on when she had time!!! I'll get some pictures up...Craig's are far better than mine because I was further away from the stage but it's all good!! (And I'll get you the one of both of us with Ran, Craig!) GREAT SHOW! And Dierks is amazing...lol RRB is pretty darn good too!! WOW! lol

Sun Nov 19, 2006 3:29 pm

What a great night. After standing in line for four hours, we finally got in and got spots right up front. We made a few friends, and they saved our spots while we were off to meet Ran. The M&G went great. We were having so much fun back there and Ran was so sweet. She remembered exactly when I saw her last, which was cool. Since I have so many pictures of me just standing next to Ran, I asked her if she wanted to do a fun picture, and she said sure. So, we did the whole Charlie's Angel's thing. It was awesome. I love that M&G pic. After the M&G we went back and watched the RRB. Then it was time for Sara and I to go meet Dierks. There were two lines when we got there. One for Bud Light, and one for radio. We begged them to let radio go first, so we could get back and not miss any of Ran, but it didn't work. They took the Bud Light group down first. We were standing at the top of the stairs, and we see Dierks walk by. He was looking up at us and waved, but as he was doing that he ran into the railing of the stairs. It was pretty funny. Then it was our turn. Sara and I were right at the front of the line so we could get back to the show. Dierk's was so sweet.He signed both the pictures I had for him, and after our conversation he gave me two more hugs. It was awesome. We made it back just as Ran was finishing up What about Georgia, so we didn't miss too much. Ran's set was awesome. You could see her eyes light up when she realized a lot of people already knew the words to Crazy-Ex. It was awesome. Then it was time for Dierks to come on. He put on a great show as well. They were both so awesome. After that show, I am contemplating hitting up the Dubuque show next week, I just have to find a ticket...lol I had a great time with everyone. We definately need to do that more often.

Here's my pictures:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=micbvo0.2w56f92c&Uy=-xivxx8&Ux=1

iowafan - Jill - Madison, WI

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Here's a link for some pics.... GodBlessTexas! - Peoria, AZ

http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e249/hisbabygirl115/Dekalb/?sc=1&addtype=local

Bryan and I started our day with a nice hour long drive to Dekalb! We hooked up with Craig who was saving our spot at Fatty's, arriving there about 1:30 or so we got there just in time! The place filled up rather quickly! The crowd I must say was evenly mixed, with a few "Wolverines" sitting at the bar!

It wasn't long before we were joined by Sara, and her sister Melissa, (who I might add reminds me of Sara Evans!) Sara's Mom and her friend Kristine I think it was...The food was great! Now if anyone has been following our "stories" it's common knowledge that Sara is on a quest to find a drink that she likes! Having all congregated for Ran at Joe's Bar in Sept. it was decided that Sara isn't a big fan of "Uh hummmmmm on the Beach"...so our quest continues! Craig and I plotted and we eventually came up with something! Now the fun in all this is Sara never really knows what she's drinking, nor does she ever know the "name" of the drink, so her comments and her onliners often contribute to the on going saga of finding her "niche" unbeknownst to her, she's making comment after comment that has the rest of us in stitches...like "Oh! This one's creamy!" , or "I'll have to take this one slow" or "I'm not really liking this!" or better yet "Gee yesterday I had "virgin" hair and look at me now" (she got her hair colored and cut)...*Hint* for you drinkers out there let just say it was a real SCREAM! to the "finish" !
She never did finish it though even with all of our coaxing! The food was great and we were stuffed, time to join Jill, with some Hot Cocoa to the rescue! Jill arrived at the venue around 2:15 and there were already about 20 people in line. All I can say is what a trooper! She did a fantastic job for the Ran Fan Entourage!

Like Sara said Jill was the first out of the gate and it was on... before long there we were all 10 of us I think it was front row and ready to rock! Gotta love Ran! I must say Dierks fans are some of the best, there were several that took it upon themselves to save our spots when we left for the M&G and that was awesome! The meet and greet went smoothly and was over long before RRB took the stage! Each of us had something specific to discuss with Ran, I must say I love her spunk!!! Our "discussion" led her to say a resounding "That's Bull Crap"! And I must say I can't agree more Ran! Jill was like "tell us how you really feel!" We did our group pic, and as usual Ran was nothing but sincere and appreciative!

Being from Texas I am already a HUGE fan of RRB! They covered Ragweed's "This Time Around"! Randy was very receptive to BrYan's wearing his RRB shirt, and of course us knowing all the lyrics didn't hurt! Brady the fiddle player is High Energy! They did a great job getting things started! Great new CD! Love their music!

Ran was in true form, and it felt good to hear those around us that weren't really that familiar with her ooooh and ahhhh over how impressed they were with her! It's amazing how she can relate to everyone in the crowd and be so well received, the guys of course want to be next to her, she's gorgeous! And the girls well they want to BE her! They love her grit and spunk! Each time I see her she just gets better! One thing for certain is she KNOWS where she's going! Gun Powder and Lead got a great reaction, and the crowd roared when she started Crazy Ex Girlfriend, dispelling any bad review she may have gotten after the CMA's! She's on a roll.........it ended all too quickly! Dec won't come soon enough!

Bryan and I took the opportunity to go upstairs and chat with Randy Rogers and the guys while the stage was being set for Dierks....took a couple of pics, and discussed things "Texas" while we were there, We did run into a fellow fan sporting his Stoney LaRue shirt, we were in good company!.

Dierks is certainly an Entertainer!!!! He loves his fans, and they know it! He did a great job, of making sure he reached EVERYONE. I too "scored" a pass to meet Dierks but mine was after the show. It was awesome! He did the official line up and get a photo and signature thing, but then CMT was in the house and he took us back to "his backstage" and we were allowed to mingle and encouraged to ask questions...All of RRB was there and Aden from Ran's band was there...It was a great time..all of which was filmed and to be on CMT...I couldn't resist asking Aden if he ever had a bad hair day! That was fun and brought some interesting answers! His M&G lasted about an hour and half....They are all just awesome individuals! I also had the opportunity to talk to all of RRB about seeing them back home Dec 16th, ahhh fond memories of Schroeder Hall....moonshine and NO Cell Phone Service! They are hilarious!

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Alright, finally cought up on my sleep and cleaned a very messy room and got a test and 2 Huge papers done. Oh ya and the race season is over.

My mom, sister, me , and my frined Kristine went down together to Fatty's. There we met up with Craig, Veronica, and Bryan. There food is awsome! But the drink was not and had the group laughing all night long! Then we left for the venue to meet up with Jill who was standing in line and waiting there for many hours! Good thing she is from the North! She ate and I held her hot chocolate that warmed up the hands! THen they opened the door for us to go down to the floor. Jill was first out of the gate and took off towards the front of the stage. By the time I got there she was already sitting down. We all spread out and waited fo rmy other friend Allison to get there along with her boyfriend.

The a little before 7 we left for the Meet and Greet and thank god we had enough seet holders! We were all in the back of the line as usual! There were some who tried to be last but we won that battle! Meeting Ran again was awsome as usual! I gave her a Camo t-shirt I found and I have the same one for myself! Plus I gave her a candle holder that has snowflakes on it for the holidays. She said that she really liked it and thanked me. She also commented on my necklas, the gun one from Junk Gypsy! I love that store!

Then we had our group shot! That was awsome again and I think they are getting used to us doing that! Thanks Veronica for taking the pic of me and Ran since I forgot mine back by the stage!

Then we got back to the front of the stage and watched the Randy Rogers Band. They sounded pretty good. People around here have never herd of them and I think they made some new fans! Then after that It was time for me and Jill to head back for our meet and greet with Dierks Bently! Jill had got an extra M&G pass that was a suprise to her and let me go back with her! Thanks! While we were waiting and our pleading to let us go back forst didn't work we saw Dierks and he waved at us and our good looks must have distracted him b/c he ran his elbow right into the railing by the stairs! That was funny and would later be my ice breaker when I met hiim.

Jill went first and made him feel bad about not getting any meet and greets while in his fan club! Then it was turn and asked him if his elbow was ok and he said ya. He was so sweet! Wiow Can't believe I got to meet 2 artist in one concert! Thanks again Jill.

Then we rushed back to watch Ran who was already on stage singing! She is so awsome on stage! She is like a firecracker! We were going nutts for her! Aden saw me and Jill and waved to us! We bothed mouthed Set List and he smiled and shok his head yes! Here is the set list:

Georgia
Charlie
I Wanna Die
Gunpowder
Bring Me Down
Strings
Travelin Band
Crazy Ex
Hillbilly Highway
Kerosene

She was awsome as always and is getting better each time I see her! We were the only ones that knew the words to Gunpowder and Crazy Ex!

After her set Aden gave me and Jill set lists! Then some girls around us were asking how we got those. My mom said b/c we have an in with him! The girl said we were so lucky!

Then was Dierks and he was awsome to! Alot better than when I saw him with Kenny Chesney. I got crushed a couple of times and touched his hand like 4 times! I love being in front! But my ears took awhile to get back to normal since the speaker was right in front of me! oh well it was a blast and can't wait to do it again!

Concerts are alot more fun when you go with a group of Ran Fans!!!

I will get pics up soon! Although they are not as good as the others are!

Here is a link to the pics:
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2754846390092774183MxlaRN

countrychick8 - Sara - IL / NC

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Well...here's the final part of the weekend. La Crosse Friday night and Dekalb Saturday night.

Picking up where I left off from the La Crosse review...I got into Dekalb around 1:00 or so and got over to Fatty's to get a table for everyone. Ronie and Mav joined me about a half hour later. Sara, her sister, mom, and best friend joined us around 3:00. Mav was intently watching the Ohio State/Michigan game, but still paying attention to all the goings-on at the table.

As Ronie said, we had some fun with Sara at Joe's in September with a drink. We had to continue that tradition and got her another one with an interesting name. Of course, we didn't tell her the name, but as Ronie said in her review Sara's comments had us falling off our chairs. Let's just say the name had something to do with Screaming. Sara kept saying things like "I have to take this slow" and "I don't really like this".

Despite all this fun, Jill was outside the arena freezing to save us a spot in line. Ronie got her a cheeseburger and hot chocolate and we went to join Jill in the cold. When the doors opened, Jill was first in and got us a spot in the first row on the left hand side of the stage. We all joined her and had awesome spots for the concert.

We went off for our meet and greet at the appointed time. Met Lindsey (Pologirl) in line and kept letting people get in front of us. Turns out, the front of the line was really the back of the line. However, Tony let us go the real back of the line! When it was our turn, we chatted with Ran individually (got her to sign the set list Aden gave me from La Crosse) and she agreed to a group photo with everyone's camera. She's extremely accomodating and gracious. Couldn't ask for more!

Mav and Sara's clan helped save our spots (as well as some Dierks fans) and we were back well before Randy started. Randy was great again and Brady still cracks me up on the fiddle. At one point, Randy saw Mav wearing a Randy Rogers Band T-shirt and acknowledged him during a song. Mav was trying to get a drum stick from the drummer and he threw it our way, but bounced off our hands and landed about 3 rows back. I did manage to get the set list from one of the guys and gave it to Mav. Jill and Sara went to meet Dierks and barely made it back for the beginning of Ran's set. They missed about the first minute of What About Georgia.

After the changeover, Ran came out and just rocked the place. We were right in front of Scotty. Ran was awesome - same set list as La Crosse. She sounded great and really got the crowd going. A lot of people were singing along with her songs they knew. Our group knew the lyrics to Gunpowder and Lead as well as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The set went by way too fast. I could have listened to her for another hour. Ran got a great reaction from the whole crowd.

During the changeover, Mav and Ronie went out to the merch table for a while. Aden came ver with set lists for Jill and Sara. I managed to get Keith's attention (drummer) and motioned for a drum stick from him. He brought one over and tossed it to me. Jill had a "What about me?" reaction, so Keith went back and got the other and tossed it to her. The whole band is just awesome - great guys!

Dierks was excellent too. He really got the crowd into it and everybody loved him. He ran out into the crowd once and acknowledged his fans in every song. I've always liked Dierks and seeing him twice in two days (and meeting him once) gave me a greater appreciation for him. He's a great entertainer. At the end of the show, Dierks' drummer came over and tossed a drum stick to me. Since I already had one, I gave the one from Dierks' drummer to Mav.

After the show, we got a group shot with everyone and Ronie headed out for the Dierks fan club meet and greet. She was gone forever (but had a great time). Sara had to leave as her sister was tired. Jill, Mav, and I visited with Crysta while she did inventory after the show. I think we were the last fans to leave the arena!!! Ronie, Mav, Jill, and I visited for a while longer before Jill hit the road back to Madison.

It was an awesome experience and seeing the concert with other Ran fans makes it even better. Ronie, Jill, Sara, and Mav are great people and fun to hang out with.

karateguy - Craig - Minnesota

Fri Nov 17, 2006 11:32 am

Well the Dayton show has now come and gone and it was AMAZING. The VIP tickets were so worth it and the wait in the cold was also worth every minute of it. Ran rocked the house and put on a great show.
Dierks did amazing also he was all over the stage and right in our faces, not that Im complaining It Was GREAT Best show ever!!! Cant wait till next time!!!

Pics

http://www.myspace.com/ericajane06

Nov 16, 2006

Things are Crazy!

Well thank goodness the holidays are just around the corner! Things have been a little crazy lately with the CMA's and my birthday! The CMA's were a blast. I always get so nervous at award shows but it usually works out fine. The new single, " Crazy Ex Girlfriend " is not technically out but we would love for y'all to call radio stations and request it. That way we will get a jump-start for when it comes out in January. We are still on the road with Dierks. He may be the hardest working guy in country music. We have like four shows a week. I like it but I'm also ready to settle down for a while. This has been a great tour and I'm glad I was a part of it. I got to play my home state for my birthday and hang out with a lot of family and friends. I also got to hang out with the girls from Junk Gypsy. They have been really busy decorating my new bus but even after a few beers I couldn’t convince them to give me any hints! I know it’s gonna be awesome and I can’t wait to see it in January. Most of all I want to say thanks to everyone who brought and sent me birthday cards and gifts. It was so thoughtful and made for a wonderful B-day! I'm not sure if anyone has heard but we had to give Gypsy away. I was very sad but she moved to a great home in the country and is getting along wonderfully. A sweet Ran Fan took her (thanks Morgan!) I think she is better off somewhere where she can run and play than stuck on a bus all day. I plan to go home for thanksgiving and play with Dixie and pretty much do nothing. I hope you all get to do the same. HAPPY TURKEY DAY! Ran PS: If ya'll want to hear "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" again you can check out my myspace site at: www.myspace.com/mirandalambert. I hear I got about 7500 hits in the first 24 hours. Thanks Ran Fans!

Wed Nov 15, 2006 10:48 pm

Well, I just got home today from my vacation to Texas. It was AWESOME and sooooo very worth it!!

Before the Tyler show a bunch of us got to tailgate with Bev and Rick. Blake was there which was cool -- I got a pic with him (see pic links below) The show was GREAT! Randy Rogers Band opened and they put on a good show. Ran of course ROCKED! I left after Ran -- as I had a 2 hour drive to my brother's house in Carrollton (just North of Dallas)

Friday nights Dallas show was .... well, I thought it was GREAT! Ran rocked as usual -- but, the crowd just seemed dead! ..... I'm not sure why?! I talked to Bev about that in Belton Saturday and she thought the same thing. She also said that there was hardly anyone left for Dierks show......probably because it was so late....? The rodeo started at 7:30 and finished just before 10. Ran came on and played 45 minutes --- over at 1045 --- I left after that. I didn't see Dierks any of the 3 nights that I attended.

To me, I think the Belton show was the best one of the 3 shows. The crowd was VERY much into it ---and of course RAN ROCKED! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE NEW SONGS!!!! ('Gun powder and lead' --- and, of course 'Crazy ex-girlfriend!')

I met a bunch of Ran fans on this trip -- too many to list. To all of those I met --- It was great meeting you and to those I have met before---- it was great seeing you all again!.... so, until the next Ran show ......

Here are some of the pics I took while in Lindale, all the meet and greets and some stage shots:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000170.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000162.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000163.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000164.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000165.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000166.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000167.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000168.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000171.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000174.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000176.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000177.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000179.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000180.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000187.jpg (Ran was given a giant birthday card from the radio station--- signed by a bunch of fans)

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000190.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000193.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000194.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000203.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000204.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000205.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000206.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000207.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000208.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000210.jpg (my sister <Jedidiah's mom> and Ran)

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000216.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/motleycruester/S5000217.jpg

Hey guys,
sorry its took so long,but I'm finally gettin back to reality and caught up with everything and got the pictures uploaded to a site for everyone. I took 400 pics and only have 40 of them uploaded,but I will work on gettin some more of them I just went thru and picked my favorites.
I could write a really long review lol but i have work soon so I'll keep it short and may add some tid bits later!
ALL the shows were awesome, Tyler was awesome, We had lunch with Momma Bev @ Pettys! and got to Tailgate with her family that night before the show, which was really cool and I tell you what Rick knows how to cook!! The show was awesome!Dallas had to be the best as far as gettin up close and personal wise lol Cody,Kyler and I had bought the dirt passes and ended up right against the stage and Ran saw us when she got up there and smiled and she even let us sing along durin a piece of Crazy Ex Girlfriend! it was really cool! Belton was cool, it was the funniest meet and greet because I went and told her my name and she was like " I swear I remembered you didnt have to tell me" made me laugh! The only downfall was we had a good spot by the side of the stage was that we had TWO 8 foot tall cowboys in front of us and I had to stand on Codys feet to see anything lol but we only stayed for Ran for that show and then headed to Corpus which was SIMPLY amazing! I had a meet and greet with both Dierks and Ran and Dierks meet and greet was awesome! I'll give all the details later..but We had an amazing time at all of the shows!
here is the link to SOME of the pics, I'll get some more up soon!

http://pictures.aol.com/galleries/leannfan8/

Wed Nov 15, 2006 11:50 pm

Left Abilene about 1pm Fri. the 10th, headed to Dallas, TX. 180 miles later, I arrived at my brothers apartment in Dallas, at about 3:45pm. My bro. arrived from work, 5 min later.

We did the 3 S's(sh_t, shower, shave) but not together, nor at the same time(LOL). We left to grab a bite to eat at a local drive through. Headed to the DART train park and ride station, NE of Dallas. Got ride tickys. Hopped aboard, and headed to downtown Big D.

Arrived downtown near American Airlines Center about 6:45pm. Had concert tickys scanned at entrance of same, and headed for the "will call" booth. Passed the merch table area, but just those selling Dierks merch were present, but Ran's stuff was highly visable. There was a small line at the will call area. Finally got the Meet And Greet envelope. Headed for the group gathering area stated inside envelope as the Jack Daniels #7 Club.

My bro. headed to his seat to catch the rodeo, while I hung around waiting for time to go.

Met and talked with Beth Moore from Oklahoma, who was to celebrate her 21st birthday the next day. She came down with her mom. She showed me the pistols belt buckle she was going to give to Ran, just like the one she was wearing. Spotted Cody from Ok., as well. He ventured over to where we were and exchanged "Howdy's"!

The Jack Daniels Bar had a booth in front of thier establishment, and was giving passers by a chance to sign up for prizes of sorts, and a sort of yatzee roll chance to spell JACK in 3 rolls to win a small boot key chain with their logo on it, if you won. I didn't.

Went back over to where Cody and Beth were hanging, and Met Jeff(Crazy about Ran), who showed us the big belt buckle he was presenting to Ran for her birthday.

Someone had brought a large 6 foot home-made birthday card for fans to sign, but while waiting in line to sign it, we were called for the roundup of her fans to head for the meet and greet.

We headed two flights of stairs down from the main floor area, and down the hall, back of the stage area. There were probably 50 of us gathered for our chance at a pic with Ran and and signature on something we had brought.

I hung in line with Beth till my turn came. The backstage area was where the concert guards / staff and probably artists came to eat a buffet type meal. (On a side note: I actually hung with Beth, because she was kinda cute to look at, fun to talk to, and seemed really excited, as I was, just to be there.)

My time had come. Ran recognized me from previous shows. Handed the guy taking pics my camera, and the result is the pic below.

I turned around to face Ran and handed her my gift of a blue paraiba and fire opal bracelet, and had her sign a Jack Daniels card. As I was leaving for Beth's turn, Ran opened the box and noticed what I had given her, and thanked me for it.

I smiled at her as I headed back down the hall to go back up the stairs.

Here, I forgot how many flights I needed to go up, stopped, and noticed Beth coming up the stairs. We went up one more flight, tried the door, it was locked, went back down and tried that one, it also was locked. One more flight down, and finally freedom. Beth was to go to the floor only area for the concert, and I had seats in the stadium with my brother, so she waved and said her good-byes, as we headed in opposite directions.

The rodeo was well under way as I reached my seat. Actually, I wasn't in my assigned seat as others had placed themselves near my bro, till the usher/guard, had them to move as others had come to take the seat I presently held. Now in my correct seat, I got my program book from my brother and checked to see who was up next to beat the clock. In it's 6th year, The Texas Stampede, part of The Pro Rodeo Tour helps support the Children's Medical Center of Dallas. Up at this time was Bareback Riding.

Other events included Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Saddle Bronc Riding, Tie Down Roping, Barrel Racing, and Bull Riding, Of course the Rodeo clowns were out during the Bull Riding event. An exhibition of a great team of horses showing how they are handled while the wagon was backed next to the edge of the arena. And there was a pretty good run around the arena, as well as moving the horses while doing a complete circle with one rear wheel of the wagon made a 360.

Well that's it!

Well nearly...

There was a mini wagon race with 3 teams of 3 children who had to pull a wagon to 3 equal distant positions around the arena, and make the trip twice. One would run one leg of the race to the next position, then exhange pullers, while wearing a large foam cowboy hat. The winning team, got their choice of prairie dumplings left on the floor of the arena (jk).

Then we went home.



...



...



...



But before we did... there's was this little matter of a concert.

Nothing speacial.

Just some girl from somewhere in Texas who

"PUT ON ONE HELL OF A SHOW!!!"


The dirt floor was raked clear of leftover rodeo debree(you know what I'm talkin' about)
The floor was then opened to those who had obtained standing room only floor level tickets,
to get closer to the stage area, previously containing horses and cattle. [/size]

This now, 23 year old, CMA Horizon Award Nominee, played to a crowd of approximately 9000 enthusiastic fans,
who wowed them, starting out this 40 min. set, beginning at 10PM with,
"What About Georgia", then continuing with
"Me And Charlie Talking".

Then one for the ladies with a diddy of
"??? No Time". > (i didn't catch the title)

Proceeding next into
"Bring Me Down", then
"New Strings".

Next up was a little number
"Travelin' Band".

Then with her currently released single
"Crazy EX Girlfriend".

Followed up next with
"Hillbilly Highway"

Then finishing her set with the much anticipated
"Kerosene".

It was an amazing performance


What happened next, you ask???

Well.......

It depended on whether you were part of the crowd, a member of the band,
or part of the road crew who set up and broke down an artists set.
I for one, opted for a bathroom break.

At 11PM, the lights were dimmed again, as Dierks Bentley appeared on stage
singing his songs, which have made him this concerts headliner for his, "Locked and Loaded" tour.

But, as this is Miranda's board, I won't bore you with any of the relevant details of this artists ramblings.(LOL)

As me and my bro had to catch the next bus to the DART rail, we opted out of his set at about 11:45PM,
in order to get back to my bro's apartment.

TA DA!!!