Billy Bobs pictures, videos, news and more!!

Well, I'm here to tell you....Billy Bob's was a H*U*G*E success!!  I would really like to know how many tickets were sold!  It was probably about 1/2 full or more.  Thats 3000 people!  I know it was a killer show and there were fans from 7 or 8 states there in attendance!  Here are some of us now.....

Thanks to Cyndee for her great shot of us!
And I wanted to send out a special "Thank You" to Debra James for stopping by and saying HI to all of us!!  You made a whole bunch of people happy!!  :)

There were about 4 ladies missing, and I'm sorry they didn't get in the photo with us, but if yall send me a pic I'll post it here!  :)   And I won't try to name every person in the picture above, but yall know who you are!!  Haha!  We all had a great time, and it was good to see each and every one of you!!  :)  So glad so many were able to make it back to Texas again!


The night before,  on Thursday, a few of us landed at the "Key's Lounge".  Some of the ladies had not seen it, and I am always on board for the Key's, so we went that night and we had a really good time.  It was Jam Night and there were a nice variety of musicians and singers in the house!!  It was a fun night!

Here is a short clip of what was going on that night at the Key's.....

Jammin' at the Key's Lounge

Here's the group of us that were at the Key's Lounge, but I can't find a pic of us there.....we were all at Billy Bob's in this pic, waiting on our Meet & Greet!  I think this is Cyndee's pic.  Thanks!

In this pic we have....from the back....John, Anthea, Deborah, Cyndee, Shelley, Diana, Kate and me.

Everyone was so nice!  I met 3 new fans....Deborah, Shelley and Diana.  Thank yall for coming to Texas to hang out with us a couple days....it was so fun!!

We haven't gotten our M & G photos back yet so I can't post any of those pics....sorry. 

After listening to the new songs live, I've come away with a new favorite....oh I still love "Womans Touch".... but I think I'm leaning more towards "Run Away" now!!    I just LOVE it!!!  I found myself humming and halfway singing it, and it irritated me so much that I didn't know the words, I decided to try to figure them out.....and I did!!!    I've posted the lyrics to it (with the exception of a couple ?? words) on my Facebook page, and I think on  Caseymania Facebook.   It is a very very radio friendly song!!!  I could see it going a long way!!  And I think everybody has probably thought about just loading the truck up and taking to the highway, flipping a coin to decide which direction to go!!  I know I have!!  Well.....not in a long time.....but in my younger years, when something would go all wrong.....I'd just wanna pack up the truck and just GO!!!  Never looking back.....but I didn't....well, I did sometimes..... :-/ but I always came back!!  Hahaha!!  So what I'm trying to say is....I think most people can relate to the song!!  :)  Don't yall agree?!?!

Speaking of radio friendly songs, it's a good bet that Casey's next single will be "Drive" .  Click the link above and hear Casey and Blaine perform it acoustically at Fox Nashville a couple days ago.  Here are a few photos from the Billy Bob's show, courtesy of Kathy11 & Cyndee.  Thanks so much girls!!  Good job!!  Wooo Hooo!! 

And now, without further ado, here are a couple of the favorite videos from Billy Bob's....
Big Thanks to rjnelson785 for these great videos!!

Run Away....




Woman's Touch....

And here is the link to the rest of Rhonda's awesome videos!!  Click  HERE....  

Just before Casey got back into town for the Billy Bob's show, DFW.com caught up with Casey and he had only good things to say about us....his Fans!!  Click HERE to read the full article!!
I'm going to close for tonight....but I have more coming, so come on back 

Until then.....

New Casey James songs unveiled last night in Colorado!

Wow!!!  What a surprise to wake up to today!!!  Several new songs were performed last night in Denver, Colorado at the Grizzly Rose, to anxious and surprised fans!!  Back last month when he did several shows in Texas and I was able to go to a few of them, this first song "She's My Girl" is one of them he asked us not to reveal, so I couldn't!!  But I am so glad I can talk about this wonderful bubbly song!!  I immediately loved it....from the catchy melody to the cleverly written lyrics, it was 2 thumbs W-A-Y up for me!!!  This is just another testament to the mad writing skills Casey holds!!  I'm just so proud of him!!  And now, without further ado.....

She's My Girl (Alot of girls fall in this catagory, I think it'll do well on radio!)

Breaking Through the Blue (Gotta love this one...it's got Casey written all over it!)

Falling Too Hard (Nice Country sound to this, love it!!)

Can't Give Up *(the familiar vibrato is back in this song... :) Love it!)*

Run Away (Love it, it makes me wanna go pack my clothes!)  :)

That Girl  (Cute song)

OMGosh!!!! I saved the best for last!!!!!  This song is handsdown the BEST of the evening in Colorado!!!!!!!  As someone said.....this song'll make ya wanna smoke a cigarette, even though you don't smoke.....hahahaha.....get my drift?!?!  Haha!  This is one downright sexy song.....there!! I said it!!!!  Yes, it's s*e*x*y.....and very much so...... ok....gonna go smoke that cigarette..... :D (joking.....hehehe)

A Woman's Touch

Great BIG HUGE THANKS going out to @MichInColo for all 7 of her amazing brand new
song  videos!!!  Your the BEST!!  :)

I love the bluesy sound to the last song....it really is a very beautiful and soulful song, and I'm so glad he's getting back to his blues....I've missed that about Casey!!  But I'm not saying anything negative about all the other songs.....they are fantastic in their own way as well....beautifully written with catchy, radio friendly melodies.  He can't go wrong with any of these tunes, that's for sure!!!  They are all fantastic songs that are really gonna resonate well with the fans!!!   And I hope all 7 of them make that next album he's working on!!

I guess there's no pictures yet from the show last night, but not complaining when we have 7 new videos to watch over and over!!!!  :)

I'll be back when I have more breaking news!!!!!

Until then.......

Happy New Year!! Lots of new info....

Well, Happy New Year to everybody!  Hope you all are happy and healthy starting out your new year!  Casey has been on a bit of a hiatus for a bit, and very much deserved, I would say!  He has literally worked his tail off this year, and so have his dedicated band!  But that don't last forever....and they have their first show of the new year coming up on January 12th, this coming Saturday in Denver, Colorado at the Grizzly Rose.  I've been to that Rose once....quite a while back, in 2009 I think.
Anyway, the next one, which is becoming like a second home for Casey, he's been there so many times..... is Billy Bob's Texas in Ft. Worth, Texas!  He and all the band seem to be in top form when they play this venue!!  And people come from miles and miles around and other countries to see and hear Casey & the band play Billy Bob's!  So come out if you can, the show is Friday, the 18th of January!  Get your tickets  HERE .
Also, we are having a Fan Dinner across the street from Billy Bob's at Cooper's BBQ.  I have the time set for 5pm.  There are gonna be 2 Meet & Greets, but I'm thinking one might be the radio station winners, and the others are the ones who paid for the pass.  Thats just an assumption, I'm not sure yet.  But I got confirmation of the times of the 2 VIP's.... one is at 7:45pm and the other is at 8:20pm.  If you have purchased a VIP pass, you will be getting a confirmation email telling you what time your VIP meeting is.  Then we will know for sure what's going on.  If you want to join us at the dinner, click on the following link and click GOING. 
Casey James Fan Dinner.  I will update you on that Event Page as needed.  :)

While Casey was off, he had some time to sit down and write us a long Yellow Note!

Is that sweet or what???  He is just a doll....hands down.  He makes me proud to be
his fan.
I checked in on the Mediabase charts, and it looks like "Crying on a Suitcase" is holding it's own against all the other artists songs, and coming in at #19 this week.  That's a good thing, lets all keep those requests going out to the radio stations!  By the way, he is actually being played in DFW now.....I'm so glad they came on board!!   Yeee Haaawww!!  :D

Just an FYI! From MGM website: "Country Music's Party of the Year, the 47th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, hosted by (used to be Reba)  Luke Bryan (he's gonna be missed on Fremont Street!! :-/) and Blake Shelton, honoring country music's best and introducing the industry's hottest emerging talent, will be broadcast LIVE from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 7, 2013."
The all important Fan Jam will be held this year at 'The Orleans'... more about that later.

Before I go, I wanted to show yall these 2 silly crazy funny videos from Casey and the boys.....aboard the bus.  I'm pretty sure these were taken after that last show in Amarillo!  Haha!!  I'm sure they were beat down and ready for a nice break!  So here ya go....

Merry Christmas from Casey James and the Band

Merry Christmas from Casey James and the band

(The Outtakes)

Didn't that just tickle your funny bone!!  I laughed till I cried!!  Literally....  Especially when he opened the door and Blaine was standing there!!  Haha!!  Very funny stuff guys!!  And I appreciate that humor all year round!!

Ok, see yall soon.... I got a few more things to post....maybe in a day or two...

Until then.....



 

A brave woman who touched so many of us...

By now, many of you know that one of our loving 'Casey sisters' has left this world to be with the Lord.  Even though I never knew a whole lot about her....I knew she was smart, strong and stood her ground and refused to back down from cancer.  I know she fought, and for a while, we thought she had beat it....but all too soon, she got the news that the cancer had returned.   And I believed if anyone could beat it...she could.  But it was much too much for her frail little body to take any more.  She lost her battle on December 28th 2012.

The first time I remember hearing the name Barbara Bortle, it was attached to a twitter name.... @daydreaminmeme .  Of course that was one of the cutest twitter names I had seen, and was instantly curious who this 'meme' gal was.  I began seeing her comical but very realistic words and quotes of the deep Cajun accent....which is common in Louisiana.  The way she would write... "gawjus" and "dawlin" just tickled me to pieces!!  I knew she was my kind of gal!!  And I would talk with her whenever I could.
About that same time I noticed she was making some very awesome poster-like photos with words attached of Casey, and they were so well done, I immediately asked for permission to use them on this site, and she so graciously said yes.... Later on I will post some of her work.

Below you will find a wonderfully written piece by Shari G. and she perfectly describes how this next event played out.  Thanks so much to her and Marie L. (this was her idea) for generously allowing me to use her work for this project.   It just couldn't be told without this next piece of work.  Read on.....

Goodness is Contagious

Casey James once said that he wanted to surround himself with a united front of goodness. Well, when it comes to his fans, that is exactly what Casey has done. When the call goes out to Casey’s fans, they answer with a singular passion and commitment that is as impressive as it is inspiring.
Casey experienced this outpouring when he was a contestant on American idol and relied on the dedication of fans to vote for him every week to stay on the show. But it has expanded well beyond casting votes for two hours straight once a week.
Back in February, Casey visited St. Jude Children’s Hospital as part of the Country Cares initiative. Following his visit, a couple of Casey’s fans worked with St. Jude to have Casey’s name included on the roster of artists on whose behalf donations could be made and then his fans sent in donations to this very worthy cause.
There have been many small acts of kindness, from fans giving extra tickets for free so others can see Casey, to Christmas card exchanges, from people gifting his single, to people getting personalized autographs for fans who can’t meet Casey in person.
But this last month, Casey’s fans have outdone themselves. After hearing that Casey was going to be performing at a concert to benefit the American Cancer Society’s Breast Cancer Awareness campaign, sponsored by radio station 94.9 Star Country, one fan had an idea. She thought of another fan who had long wanted to see Casey in person but who had been battling breast cancer.  She had been inspired by Casey’s own story to fight hard and get better and had been strengthened by notes Casey had signed for her with words of encouragement.  One goal sustained her during her ordeal – getting well enough to one day see Casey in concert.
What if we could send her to this event? What if we could raise the money for the plane ticket, hotel room and the concert? What if Casey’s fans could pool their resources and make her dream come true? This one idea did not fall into the trash heap of “what if’s” and “if only’s.” This idea turned into a plan which turned into a reality.



She told another fan and then another and then the word was spread amongst the tight-knit Casey community of fans via social media. The support for this little idea was overwhelming. So much money has been donated that not only will this one fan’s dream come true and she will be there to finally get her hug from Casey, but a contribution to the American Cancer Society of the excess money raised will be made by the fans of Casey James.
Music has healing power, so does friendship. Casey James fans have brought the two together to create their own unique united front of goodness.

And now..... here is Barbara's journey.... R.I.P. sweet lady.... much love....until we meet again...

When Barb Met Casey … in Her Own Words

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Shari

The Excellent Adventures of Casey James’ Special Friends by Barbara Bortle
As many of you know, I am a very recent breast cancer survivor & my goal over the past year has been to get well enough to attend a Casey concert. His story & his music both touched my heart & served as a compelling inspiration in my battle with this disease. Having followed him since “that TV show”, I’ve been lucky enough to meet so many of his amazing fans online thru Twitter and FaceBook, but most significantly thru Shari Geller’s The Casey James Blog. One truly special fan in particular, Marie Leathem, had the idea of sponsoring me to go to Casey’s concert in Roanoke, VA on October 14th, at the annual Pajama Jam Breast Cancer Benefit held there in conjunction with a local radio station. Marie put the idea out there, and Casey’s awesome fans responded with true “Caseyness”, raising not only enough money to pay my expenses, but also enough to make a $1,312.00 donation to the American Cancer Society in Casey’s name. The following is the story of that magical evening.

I flew into Roanoke from New Orleans Friday afternoon & I was greeted by my dear friend, Painter, as I like to call her. She has been attendin Casey concerts all year & gettin Casey to sign pictures for me at nearly every show, as well as lettin me listen to him play via her cell phone. She had a few surprises up her
sleeve, it turned out…I turned around & there was another dear friend, NorthCountryGirl!!! NCG, as we call her, filled in when Painter couldn’t at gettin Casey to sign pictures for me at his shows. Then we went outside and there was a black stretch LIMO waitin to take us to the hotel!!!!! We were giddy like little kiddies the whole way there. Roanoke is a beautiful place, and the hotel was simply splendid. We went to our room to freshen up & then went out to get a bite to eat.
Earlier in the week leadin up to the show, I had been informed that David, Casey’s Sony guy, would be callin me to discuss & coordinate my meetin with Casey (SQUEE!), so every time my cell phone made a noise, the three of us would jump with anticipation. Of course, there was a copious amount of textin back & forth with Marie, so we got LOTS of exercise…lol. Back at the hotel, we checked out the arrangements for the show, which included a dinner & silent auction. We found out that we’d hafta line up outside in the courtyard to register & wait for the doors to the ballroom to open at 6 p.m. Now, just picture this…we’re all in our pj’s & there’s a gale force wind blowin out there & the line was around-the-corner long! I was freezin my brand new boobies off…lol…but it was well worth it to see Casey!!! And keep in mind, that all this time, we’re waitin for that call from David…we got word from Marie that it would be around the time sound check was goin on, so we settled down to wait….impatiently, I’m afraid.
Well, sound check came & went without a phone call, so I began to think it wasn’t gonna happen….you ALL know how guys are…they SAY they’ll call but they never DO! Lol… We cheered ourselves up by plannin to see Casey after the show when we hoped he’d come out to sign autographs & take pics with the fans. Finally, the doors opened & the line began movin….we were almost at the end of it, so by the time we got inside all the tables up front had been claimed. We found a spot in the very back, but centrally located, so we could see alright. It was just a tad too far back to take any really good pictures, tho, and the music comin over the PA system was ear-splittin, so I put my phone on vibrate, just in case THE CALL came thru. Then I got a text…from DAVID!!! It said that they wouldn’t let us down, not to worry, they weren’t at the hotel yet, but they’d see us after Casey’s set. I texted my thanks back & that we were all lookin forward to meetin them. Then we finally were able to breathe again & relax a lil bit…lol
Hunter Hayes came on stage to play & he was very entertaining…the dinner was buffet style, so we had to get up to get our food, but I took that phone with me, just in Casey! Right near the end of Hunter’s set, my phone vibrated again…it was another text from DAVID!!! He asked if we could come to one of the meetin rooms right NOW…I said lemme think about it…hah! I texted back “sure” & told Painter & NCG to come on!!! We moved outta there like Commandos on a mission to save the free world…lol We found a nice lady who said she’d take us to the meetin room & before we knew it, we were in the same room with CASEY!!!!!!!!!! (in his robe & pajamas!!!!)

There were some other people in there for what I guess was a radio station
meet & greet…David introduced us as “special friends” and we waited until
they were all done before it was our turn. This was my first glimpse of Casey up
close & personal….I gotta tell y’all….pictures don’t do him justice….he is
INFINITELY more gawjus in person!!! I had brought with me all the pictures
he’d signed…on one of them he’d written “Get well soon & come get a
HUG!”…so I got that one out, as well as the donation check to give him, and
waited for my turn. Casey looked up at us & he recognized Painter…his face lit
up the whole room & he said “Hi!!! It’s great to see you again!!” I’m kinda fuzzy
about what happened next, but then I was standin in front of him & showin him
the “HUG” picture he’d signed…I told him I had come to collect it & he said,
“Well, here it is!” Then he gave me the biggest, bestest bear hug I have ever had
in my life!!!! It was sheer heaven….he just holds on for dear life. I totally forgot to sniff him…or even breathe!!! When the hug was over, he still kinda had his arm around me for a while….awwww, So Sweet!!! Then I told him that not only did his fans pay my expenses, but look at what else they did & I showed him the check. He was absolutely blown away by it….he was almost speechless. I think he got a lil bit choked up…the look on his face was pure awe. I told him that it was his fans showing their “Caseyness”, spreading love & good works…he said, “You’re too kind”…and I told him “No, Casey, this is all because of YOU & your music…you have touched so many people by your example.” He was so humble & appreciative…listenin so intently to what I was sayin…it was just incredible! Then I told him how his struggle with the accident served as my inspiration thru my battle…that I thought of him in that wheel chair tryin to learn how to walk & play guitar again, and I’d think “If Casey can do THAT, then I can do this”…and he said “Awwww” & he gave me ANOTHER enormous hug…OMG!!! I just about died that very moment! He is the sweetest, most adorable Dawlin ever & I’m getting choked up just rememberin it all. At some point I asked him to do a special favor for me & he said he would. I also invited him to New Orleans & he said he’d love to come, that he has family there! Then I asked him to sing my tee shirt & he wrote “That was a great hug! Great to meet you! Love, CJ” I thanked him & it was over…time to let Painter & NCG have some face time with him. We took a group picture, which was fun because the radio station guys & David were all takin pictures with our various cameras & kept messin up, so we’d hafta pose again & again!!! We all thanked David & then went back to the ballroom for Casey’s set.

Barbara showing Casey all the pictures he'd signed for her

The long awaited HUG!!

Y’all have seen the videos & pics from Casey’s performance by now, so I won’t
be redundant here, except to say that when Casey played his single Let’s Don’t
Call It a Night, the ENTIRE room erupted in hoots & hollahs & applause!!! And
by the time he finished with Poke Salad Annie, they were all on their feet
screamin & cheerin for more!!! He won over many new fans that night with his
music, his amazin guitar skills, and his incredibly charmin ways. He is gonna be
SUCH a big star soon…I’m glad I got to meet him now, cuz before we know it,
we won’t be able to get next to him like we can in these early days of his career.
When Casey came out after the show, we waited in line to see him one last time.
I just wanted to thank him again for bein So Sweet to me…the line was LONG,
lemme tell y’all! At one point, poor Casey looked out over the line & just sighed,
but he never lost that beautiful smile on his face for one second. When he saw us
waitin, his face lit up again & he gave us an incredibly special smile. I told him I
just wanted to thank him again…he came around the table to give me
ANOTHER huge hug!!!! OMG!!! How lucky am I??? I reminded him about
comin to New Orleans & he said he would (YAY!) & then I checked with David
to make sure he gave the donation check to the right people. He had forgotten
(men!), so he checked with the radio station people & they said they would
make sure it was delivered to the American Cancer Society. Then he said he’d
see us in New Orleans at the Cafe du Monde & I said we’d all have beignets!!!!
In closing….y’all were thinkin I’d never get to the end, right? lol…I just want to express my deep, deep gratitude for what y’all have done to make my dream
come true in such a special & unforgettable way. I feel like I’m finally livin MY
life again, and it’s all thanks to your Caseyness!!!
Much, much love,
Daydreaminmeme/Barb

God bless Barbara and her family... I am so touched to have known her....for the little time I did....  she will be so missed.  We love you....




Go to the light Barb....go to the light.

Until next time... :'(

Part 3 of Texas Casey Adventure....plus other news

I'm back with the 3rd and last installment of the Taste of Country Christmas Tour, starring Casey James.  This last show was in Amarillo, at the Midnight Rodeo.  It was a nice place and very country-fied!   For the last time this year, J.B. and the Moonshine Band opened up for Casey.  This was the show that I did something wrong to my phone, and ended up with about 10 slow motion videos of Casey!!   They are kinda cool, for about 2 minutes....then I was looking for the sound....and there was none....and I tried everything under the sun to put them back to regular videos!  I guess thats what I get for poking buttons and doing stuff I know nothing about.  :(  I may post one just becuase it does look very cool, among other things....hahaha!!

Anyway, this is the show that we (John,Anthea & I) were to surprise my good friend Laura, who was going to the show, and had NO idea WE were!!  All of us have VIP's so we  parked where we could see and waited for her to go in.  Soon, Kathy & Steve, walked up to the locked door to wait.  Then we saw Laura and her son, Clint, getting out and walking up to the door.  We wait till they get in and then we sneak in from the side of the building.  I asked one of the workers where she went and they pointed her out.  So she had her back to us, and I was praying that she kept still, till I could run up and surprise her!  So we all get our tickets scanned and start over to where they are, sneaking up on her....  She stayed put and I quietly almost ran up to her and in her left ear I whispered....."Well, hello darlin'!!"  And she was SOOOOOOO Surprised!!!!  Then I said...."and look who I brought with me!!!!"   We all started hugging and jumping and kissing on the cheeks and wiping each others tears.....it was so amazing for us to finally be able to pull it off!!!
So I'd say it was a total success!!  We had so much fun that night, catching up and just enjoying the company we were in!!  And of course Casey was on fire that night!!!
But first things first.  After we greeted each other, we sat down and soon Casey was there with us and was in a very good mood, talking and laughing with us.  A lot of questions were asked and he answered every one, as best he could!  He did hint to us that a new single would be released soon, and which one, but I don't think he wanted us to tell, so I won't.   Then he sang a new song for us that he wrote and may be on the next album.  I asked him if I could talk about it on my website, and he said "No, this was just for us".... so I can't talk about it either.   But I will say this....it's really good!!!
Since I didn't get ANY videos, I'll have to post some pictures.  I do have a video of Anthea and John's interview by the radio station in Amarillo!!  And toward the end, they speak to Kathy and Steve Terry.  Very fun....watch!!

Thanks to Blake FM Radio for sharing their video!

Thanks to Kathy T for sharing this gorgeous shot!

Thanks again to Kathy for this shot!

This is Cindy H. Me and Deloris in Amarillo

We had such a great time running around Texas sharing the "Caseyness" with anybody who would listen at the shows and in between the shows, traveling from one town to the next.  It was a blast....I could do it a lot more, because I love to travel, but going to 6 shows in one month was so amazingly fun, I think I'm caught up on my Casey fix....that is until January when he plays Billy Bobs again!!  I'm so excited, and hope I can meet more new fans at this show!!  I'm looking for some videos for yall, and if I find them I'll post 'em for yall!!

Ok, well, I'm about to start on something that is going to be hard....as most of you know, we have lost one of our own "Casey sisters" to that horrible breast cancer.  Barbara Bortle, better known as @daydreaminmeme fought a brave battle against the culprit but was no match for it as it took control over time.  I will be posting a story in her words, of how she finally got to meet Casey the first time and how all us Casey sisters, helped that happen for her!!  The story is incredible, so come back and read all about this brave lady's fight and having a dream come true.

See yall soon....