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Note that I edited out some of the article. Dierks fans can go to the original article and see what was written about him. Rodgers had some nice things to say about Kellie.
Larry Rodgers - Apr. 20, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
Phoenix's Dierks Bentley drew a large crowd to his homecoming concert at Country Thunder USA, and he appeared to have a ton of fun reconnecting.
(editied)
"It's good to be home," Bentley told the crowd of about 30,000 as he took the stage as the headliner of the third night of the four-day festival.
The crowd for this day's Country Thunder seemed weighted toward 20- and 30-something fans, drawn by Bentley, former American Idol finalist Kellie Pickler and rising country-rock band Heartland.
(edited)
Pickler warmed the crowd up with a short set that opened with the rocking Gotta Keep Moving and the still-funny Things That Never Cross A Man's Mind.
The women in the crowd related to lines in the second song like "I wonder how these jeans make me look from behind," while many of the guys were no doubt applying that concept as they watched the shapely Pickler work the stage.
Standouts of Pickler's set were the bittersweet Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You and her cover of Tammy Wynette's classic, Stand By Your Man. Pickler also sang a cover of Patsy Cline's Walkin' After Midnight.
The likable singer could benefit by getting another album out soon to beef up the original portions of her concert sets.
Pickler quieted things down for emotional takes on two songs that refer to her challenging childhood, My Angel and I Wonder.
She wrapped things up on an upbeat note with a fan favorite, the girl-power tune Red High Heels.
Tucson Region
2 ex-'Idol'-ers give poles-apart performances
By Cathalena E. Burch
Arizona Daily Star
FLORENCE
Bucky Covington pushed a shock of his wavy blond hair from his eyes, glinted from behind sunglasses and belted out that classic refrain from CCR's "Fortunate Son":
"It ain't me /It ain't me /I ain't no fortunate one, no," he wailed in a Southern-fried, rough-hewn baritone that has served him well since his Season 5 early exit from "American Idol."
The crowd loosely filling the reserved seating area and packing the lawn needed little coaxing to sing along, especially after having heard John Fogerty sing it the night before.
Fogerty, the pen and voice behind that song and most of Credence Clearwater Revival's hits, would have been pleased with Covington's take.
Pink Floyd also would have loved how Covington's voice cranked up an octave on "Another Brick in the Wall."
It was certainly an odd choice of a cover for a country concert, but don't tell those thousands of folks singing along.
Covington was at his best, though, when he played his own songs, steeped in Southern rock while wading thigh-high in country twang.
In one breath he sang with passion about hoping heaven is a lot like his hometown, then he turned misty on the painful "I'll Walk," about a girl who loses the use of her legs.
You don't settle on a mood with Covington; you go with the flow. The tender ballad was the launching pad for crunchy guitar riffs and a sonic assault on the honky-tonk ode of finding religion between "The Bible and the Belt."
Covington ended his show with his breakthrough single "It's Good to Be Us," which is surprisingly contemporary for a guy who comes off as walking outside Nashville's margins.
Covington boasted the biggest afternoon crowd of the four-day event. On days one and two, the audience was sparse until the evening lineup was under way.
Covington anchored the mid-afternoon, following fellow newcomers Luke Bryan and Chuck Wicks. Which kind of begged the question: How did he rate a pre-dinner slot while fellow "Idol"-er Kellie Pickler landed in the prime opening gig for headliner Dierks Bentley?
If they scheduled them in order of "Idol" finishes, it would make sense.
Pickler finished sixth, two ahead of Covington's eighth place in that memorable fifth season.
But on the Country Thunder stage, Pickler might have earned a no-bill from Simon.
She lacked the finesse of a prime-time opener. There was something clumsy about her stage presence. She seemed to be trying too hard, and she ended up talking more than singing.
Perhaps it is because she has few songs of her own from which to choose.
She has one album, her 2006 debut disc, and three radio singles, including her latest, "Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind," and her touching bio-ballad "I Wonder."
She covered those and a handful of album cuts, most of which took the woman's case of having it harder than men a little too far.
Then she resorted to covers, which, frankly, she pulled off amazingly convincingly.
She can affect the perfect alto-range on Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man," although the song's message smacked in the face of her own songs that favored women standing on their own.
She also pulled off a rich twang on Dolly Parton's "9 To 5," which she delivered after telling the crowd of 35,000 that she once had a 9-to-5 job as a roller-skating waitress at Sonic before "Idol."
Pickler's long-winded tales and song intros would have worked much better in daylight.
Tucson Region
2 ex-'Idol'-ers give poles-apart performances
By Cathalena E. Burch
Arizona Daily Star
FLORENCE
Bucky Covington pushed a shock of his wavy blond hair from his eyes, glinted from behind sunglasses and belted out that classic refrain from CCR's "Fortunate Son":
"It ain't me /It ain't me /I ain't no fortunate one, no," he wailed in a Southern-fried, rough-hewn baritone that has served him well since his Season 5 early exit from "American Idol."
The crowd loosely filling the reserved seating area and packing the lawn needed little coaxing to sing along, especially after having heard John Fogerty sing it the night before.
Fogerty, the pen and voice behind that song and most of Credence Clearwater Revival's hits, would have been pleased with Covington's take.
Pink Floyd also would have loved how Covington's voice cranked up an octave on "Another Brick in the Wall."
It was certainly an odd choice of a cover for a country concert, but don't tell those thousands of folks singing along.
Covington was at his best, though, when he played his own songs, steeped in Southern rock while wading thigh-high in country twang.
In one breath he sang with passion about hoping heaven is a lot like his hometown, then he turned misty on the painful "I'll Walk," about a girl who loses the use of her legs.
You don't settle on a mood with Covington; you go with the flow. The tender ballad was the launching pad for crunchy guitar riffs and a sonic assault on the honky-tonk ode of finding religion between "The Bible and the Belt."
Covington ended his show with his breakthrough single "It's Good to Be Us," which is surprisingly contemporary for a guy who comes off as walking outside Nashville's margins.
Covington boasted the biggest afternoon crowd of the four-day event. On days one and two, the audience was sparse until the evening lineup was under way.
Covington anchored the mid-afternoon, following fellow newcomers Luke Bryan and Chuck Wicks. Which kind of begged the question: How did he rate a pre-dinner slot while fellow "Idol"-er Kellie Pickler landed in the prime opening gig for headliner Dierks Bentley?
If they scheduled them in order of "Idol" finishes, it would make sense.
Pickler finished sixth, two ahead of Covington's eighth place in that memorable fifth season.
But on the Country Thunder stage, Pickler might have earned a no-bill from Simon.
She lacked the finesse of a prime-time opener. There was something clumsy about her stage presence. She seemed to be trying too hard, and she ended up talking more than singing.
Perhaps it is because she has few songs of her own from which to choose.
She has one album, her 2006 debut disc, and three radio singles, including her latest, "Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind," and her touching bio-ballad "I Wonder."
She covered those and a handful of album cuts, most of which took the woman's case of having it harder than men a little too far.
Then she resorted to covers, which, frankly, she pulled off amazingly convincingly.
She can affect the perfect alto-range on Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man," although the song's message smacked in the face of her own songs that favored women standing on their own.
She also pulled off a rich twang on Dolly Parton's "9 To 5," which she delivered after telling the crowd of 35,000 that she once had a 9-to-5 job as a roller-skating waitress at Sonic before "Idol."
Pickler's long-winded tales and song intros would have worked much better in daylight.
++++
article is kinda so-so
Obviously not a Kellie fan I don't like this reviewer that much although everyone is entitled to their opinion.
What really STANDS OUT to me in both reviews is this: EVERYONE is perplexed by Kellie's not having another cd out. Folks want to hear HER songs, new music and even if they are a fan realize how much she could benefit from a new release.......to me, as a fan, it is a reminder of how Kellie's career has been a struggle with missed opportunities and very poor management.........case in point, her missing the CMT awards and not being their the share the "moment and glory" not to mention the free publicity and exposure. Breaks ya heart.
Thanks Kellica for My Set and Nikki for my Blinkie! 
Linear Mode
