Bucky and Rocky's Big Night (updated 2:45 a.m. Eastern ; conference call number posted below)

This very striking poster-style cover by pookiesmom94 is the eighteenth entry in our "Bucky Covington CD Cover Un-Contest", and it's a beauty! Pookiesmom combined the handsome full color promo Idol portrait of Bucky and a subtle screencap from his "Best I Ever Had" performance. A bold display font puts Bucky's name right up front, and the bright blue and yellow color scheme is a sophisticated, high-impact eye-catcher. Thanks again, Pookiesmom94--it's lovely!

Just a short time from now, Bucky, Rocky and Home Cookin' will be taking the stage to the cheers of a big, big crowd of local and long-distance fans. There will be plenty of coverage of the night's events at the Fox boards all evening, and as soon as the conference call numbers are posted, we'll have them here. And if you'd like to revisit our guide to the weekend from a few days ago, feel free! There's a lot happening in the next forty-eight hours or so...

I'll be online most of the night, and I'll revise things here as they happen there--look for the time of the most recent update in the title of this post. Stay tuned, and I'll be back as the party gets started...

Actually, it looks like the party got a surprise early start; according to a post at the boards, Bucky and Rocky came in early and met and mingled for an hour with the Buckaneers who'd signed up for early entry at Hugo's on the planning thread. (How cool is that?) Rocky and Home Cookin' will begin in about a half-hour or so; Bucky will take the stage around 10:30 Eastern. And the very kind Leaf73 will be doing a play-by-play--look for her posts about 9:30. (Updated: here's the link to the "Official Live From Hugo's thread".)

The phone number to dial is (605)990-0400. You will be asked to punch in your participant access code. That is 195518 followed by the #.

(Please press 6 to mute yourself after you get in!)

(100 slots will be open for this call. I won't be on, but I'll bring the pbp info as fast as I can...)

"Wonderful Tonight" is the first song the callers heard, and they're saying both the sound and the band are great. Rocky's currently singing--some are having feedback/fuzziness problems on the line.

10:15--"Mustang Sally" now playing to a "whoooooo!"-ing crowd, then "You Can't Always Get What You Want"...(maybe) "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet". (Okay, I'm officially bummin'--that song is pretty high on my musical Guilty Pleasure List.)

10:40--Leaf says she just heard Rocky say "Bucky Covington"...
10:42--Sounds like the set is over and the guys are taking a break.
10:45--Thank you, ogopogo! Her info post (scroll down):

BUCKY WEARING WHITE T SHIRT BLACK LEATHER JACKET HAIR DOWN
ROCKY WEARING A ROCKY SHIRT HAIR DOWN
ON AS LONG AS WE WANT TO STAY ON
BUCKY SANG ONE WITH ROCKY
ROCKY HONKY TONK WOMAN
ABOUT 200 NOW AT HUGOS SO FAR
ROCKY HAIR ON PONY SORRY

(Sounds good to me! Also, it may be that "A Lot Like My Hometown", which they're calling "Bucky's single" over there at the Fox boards, may have been cleared for the conference call after all. Bucky's wife Crystal, Rocky's wife Terra and Aunt Sunny are on the line now.)

11:22--"the one you've all been waiting for..." Bucky just introduced, major cheers!

11:27--Bucky opens with "Wave on Wave". (Love it!) Crowd going nuts.

11:35--"Simple Man" begins.

11:42--"Long Hard Ride"

11:48--Sound problems and a little confusion...possibly "Every Rose Has Its Thorn".

11:55--Possibly "Keep Your Hands to Yourself"(!), then "Turn the Page".

12:03--"Neon Moon", then "Superstition". (I'm beginning to think Bucky feels really comfortable with that one...)

12:09--"Gimme Three Steps"

12:14--"...slow ballady tune. very pretty, but can't make it out." Whatever it is, it's said to be lovely. (Title coming soon, I hope.)

12:17--"Suspicious Minds". (Yay! Been wanting to hear this for ages.)

12:22--"Sweet Home Alabama"

12:28--"A Lot Like My Hometown" (the new one!)

12:32--Taking a break. One post reports that Bucky and Crystal slow danced together on stage during "Neon Moon". Looks like they're trying to see if they can get Bucky to come to the phone for a bit...Rocky Covington and the guys' "special mother" Tracey said hello to the fans on the conference call, as did Bucky and Rocky's father.

1:03--Bucky is on the line talking to the fans on the conference call. He says he's headed for Nashville in two weeks to lay down six songs for the label to choose from for a single, but he can't announce the name of his label now, although he knows it. "I'd be fallin' behind if I didn't." He also sang "Happy Birthday" for a fan's little daughter (awwww), then sang "Real Good Man" as his goodbye, signing off with "I love ya all." (Needless to say, there are some very happy people over at the Fox boards tonight!)

1:30--Band's back on stage without Bucky at the moment, rockin' strong by all reports.

(Sorry, I lost my place--I've explained why in the previous post.)

2:13--Bucky took the stage again; he gave the crowd a second taste of "A Lot Like My Hometown", then did "Suspicious Minds" once more to close the evening. And it looks like a good time was had by all!

Many thanks to everyone who made the conference call and the play-by-play possible--y'all are appreciated more than words can say.

I'm off to bed, but I'll be back later today--see you then!