Saturday morning sweetness: a bit of a break...

Another request came in for a "California sunshine" concert shot--here's Bucky Covington singing from the heart at the KNCI Country in the Park concert in Sacramento. Photo by our very talented friend Minnie, who shares more of her excellent shots from the show in her Photobucket gallery.
Thanks again, Minnie!

Come on back for a full feature post later today--February is going to be a very big month for Bucky Covington and his fans and friends, and we'll need to be ready...

Meanwhile, hop over to The Covington Times, where they've paid me the compliment of using one of my rare decent concert photos this morning. (Thanks, y'all!) They've also posted an excellent stage shot of Rocky and Sammy on stage at Rocky's "farewell show" in Wilmington last year--stop in now for a link to more shots by the very talented Jackie Blue.

Here's a very quick news sweep:

Chart news: "It's Good to Be Us" remains a firm #19 on both the Mediabase weighted and Top 500 charts, and while those bullets are lovely and plump, there's no such thing as a too-big bullet. Keep your favorite national Saturday night country radio show in mind, and we'll keep those requests flying...

Upcoming shows: There's a little break between now and the start of Dierks Bentley's Throttle Wide Open --it opens on 2/14 in Gainsville, Florida and we can't wait to hear all about it! Bucky and Luke Bryan are the openers--which means you'll get a lot of great music for your money. Tickets for most of the tour stops are on sale now at Ticketmaster.

Off-tour, that The Machine Shop rave-up in Flint, MI on 2/22 is an "act fast" situation--don't be left out of one of the few intimate-venue shows this winter! Get your ticket today at www.etix.com, or locally at Busted Knuckle Underground Clothing (5880 State St. in Saginaw) or the venue box office.

This one deserves a second (over-the-shoulder) look! Dana got this fun shot of Bucky at Wild Country in Collinsville, IL, during the taping of the local St. Louis Country show, which airs tonight at 11:35 on KMOV in St. Louis, MO. "Bucky was, as always, fun, gracious and wonderful", she wrote. Thanks for the photos, Dana!

On the tube and around the net: If you're in the local St. Louis viewing area, you've got a rare treat ahead. In January, Bucky performed live the at the Wild Country club in Collinsville, IL; that concert will be featured on the local St. Louis Country show tonight at 11:35 pm on KMOV. (Thanks again to Dana for the news.) Those of us outside the viewing area can catch a glimpse of the fun via that 13-photo gallery at the 93.7 The Bull site.

The CMT Online Awards Nominee Report repeats at 1:45 a.m. tonight/Sunday morning and at 1:30 p.m.on Monday.

Vote for Bucky: The "Idol Madness" playoffs at Idol Thoughts are tough, but we love a good challenge; vote for Bucky right here and give him a big thumbs-up. The Country Weekly "Country's Hottest Bachelor" survey is goin' strong, and "It's Good to Be Us" is always applause-worthy at GAC's Top 20 Country Countdown and CMT's Top 20 Countdown. CMT's Pure Country Pure 12-Pack ballot is still wobbly (sigh), but we'll keep trying anyway...

We'll be on the lookout for stories, recaps and photos from Bucky's two tour stops with Trace Adkins--what a combination that must have been! Congratulations to all of Bucky's and Trace's fans who were fortunate enough to be there--and if y'all have any goodies you want to share, we're all eyes and ears...

More later--enjoy your Saturday!