A crowd of about five hundred bikers gathered on a windy, sunny Sunday morning in the parking lot of Harley Davidson of North Texas–there was no shortage of leather, chains, tattoos or bald heads.
Rows and rows of glistening Harleys lined up on display around the perimeter of the parking lot. Bikers, men and women alike, mingled and enjoyed live music from the band Gypsy Voodoo. They enjoyed food and non-alcoholic beverages while three girls in neon bikinis hosed down bikes in the middle of it all.
Amidst all of the festivities, people lined up at various check-in tables to register for a charity ride. “Miles & Music for Kids,” hosted by country star Dierks Bentley, is a touring celebrity motorcycle ride and concert series benefitting the Children’s Miracle Network, the Children’s Medical Center in Dallas and Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth.
This year marked Dallas’s first time hosting the ride, which went 40 miles from the Harley dealership in Carrollton to Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth to the site of the concert, featuring country artists Bentley, Brandon Rhyder, Kristen Kelly & The Modern Day Drifters, Roger Creager and two surprise guests.
“I do a lot of charity rides. I enjoy the camaraderie and doing something that’s for a good cause,” said one ride participant, dressed in a cut-off Harley Davidson tee shirt, a leather vest connected in the front by two metal chains and faded jeans.
His girlfriend, wearing a leather do-rag over her chin-length red hair and a denim vest, agreed that the camaraderie and a sense of altruism are the main draws to the ride.
“Things like this bring people together,” she said.
Although “Miles & Music for Kids” began in 2006, this is Bentley’s second year hosting it, and his first year bringing the event to Texas.
“I’m so happy to be down here–I love it. This is my first time doing the ride in Dallas but I’ve played Billy Bob’s so I know what that is like. The show will be a more down home vibe with lots of requests. It will be different from regular, in your face shows and give more of a family experience,” said Bentley before the ride.
Bentley’s involvement with the Children’s Miracle Network began with a personal experience.
“It started off with a friend of mine who had a sick child, so that’s how I got involved. I have an 18-month-old myself, so I’m really blessed to have a healthy child, and I have friends that don’t,” he said. “I visit a lot of children’s hospitals and it’s the best resource a community can have.”
Although Bentley is best known for his country boy anthems and sensual love ballads, his other passion is motorcycles.
He got his first bike in 1995 and has tremendous respect for those in the biking community that came out to support the cause.
“I’m just the host. It’s all about the fans and the riders. They have a tough exterior, but inside, they’re the nicest people,” said Bentley. “Music and motorcycles–– the two communities get along really nicely.”
Although that may be the case, Bentley brought two seemingly different groups to together for a full day of fun in the name of a good cause. His effortless charm made everyone feel at home, whether they were at the Harley dealership or Billy Bob’s, the ‘world’s largest honky tonk.’
Engines began roaring at 2:00 p.m. when the dense parade of bikers took off for their hour-long ride from Carrollton to the Stockyards in Fort Worth. Bikers could pay $300 for a VIP ride and concert ticket, which meant they could “ride at the front of the pack with the celebrities,” and have VIP seats at the concert.
However, despite the Harleys that lined the exterior of Billy Bob’s, there didn’t seem to be many bikers present for the show. The attire changed from leather and chains to cowboy hats, boots and lots of rhinestones.
Opening acts Brandon Rhyder, Kristen Kelly & The Modern Day Drifters, and Roger Creager set the country rock tone, but concert goers really got excited when Bentley’s “good friends on the Texas music scene” and surprise guests were announced: Jack Ingram and the Eli Young Band.
The Eli Young Band came on the stage to screaming fans and played one of their older songs, “So Close Now,” to open their set.
The band said they are about halfway done with a new record and gave a preview of their newest sure-to-be hit, “Crazy Girl,” that remains true to their Texas country rock style with a hint of romance.
The next surprise artist, SMU graduate Jack Ingram, also premiered a not-yet-released song, “Stand Up,” but still performed crowd favorites like “Where You Are” and “Love You.”
The music was put on hold when representatives from Nationwide Insurance, a sponsor of the event, came onstage to introduce two girls who are the results of generous donations and events like this one.
Jessica and Tatum, both former patients of the hospitals benefitted by the event, were saved by technology available in the local children’s hospitals.
A live auction followed for the piece de resistance of the evening, a white Fender Telecaster signed by all of the artists backstage. Although the same guitar supposedly went for $10,000 at the auction in Nashville, it ultimately went to the highest bidder at $6,000.
When Bentley finally came on stage, he was in the same slim-fitting grey tee shirt, jeans, and black duct-taped boots he had worn earlier for the ride.
“Sorry guys, I forgot my change of clothes at the hotel room so I’m still in motorcycle gear,” said Bentley as girls swooned in the audience.
Between expressing sincere gratitude to the day’s participants and his friends that played in the show, Bentley took the audience on an emotional rollercoaster playing songs that spanned his entire career thus far. His new single, “Sideways,” energized the crowd, and the women in the audience loved hearing old favorites like “Close Your Eyes” and “Come a Little Closer.” He finished off the set with the song that put him on the map as a young country rebel, his ode to girls in white tank tops, “What Was I Thinkin’.”
The concert, which stretched over a six hours period, ended in the most appropriate way – a jam session with all of the artists onstage.
Learn more about the Children’s Miracle Network at www.childrensmiraclenetwork.org.
