The Year of Concerts (#13): Dierks Bentley
Some days you're livin'
I hated country music growing up. Really, I hated it most of my life.
Absolutely despised it.
Stumbling on Brad Paisley began to melt my resistance. But Dierks Bentley is who made me embrace the genre. I saw the video for "Sideways" and never looked back.
So, Dierks is in a league of his own, for me. I'd seen him live six times over the years, and his shows always impressed. Number seven, on the Gold & Gravel tour, did not disappoint either.
While I like all of Dierks' albums, "Gravel & Gold" is one of his best. Like "The Mountain" album before it, Dierks explores topics that offer a glimpse into his who he is through thoughtful exploration of life. Life is meant to be lived, and much of Dierks' newer music seems to focus on that fact.
And really, that's what a Dierks show is all about: enjoying life. Dierks exudes positive energy on stage, which is infectious to the crowd. Some of the loudest singing at a concert I've heard is at a Dierks show. People enjoy themselves.
They live life.
Five of the setlist's first six songs focused on life lessons. Opening with "Gold," Dierks breezed through similarly introspective songs, "Same Ol' Me," "I Hold On," "Living" and "Burning Man."
I think "Burning Man" captures the essence of the show open best:
"Maybe I'll go to the desert
Find myself in the Joshua Trees
If we pass in the night, then just hand me a light, and
Tell me you burned just like me
I'm a little bit steady, but still a little bit rolling stone
I'm a little bit of heaven, but still a little bit of flesh and bone
Little found, little don't know where I am
I'm a little bit of holy water, but still a little bit burning man
Burning man"
It was nice to hear the more serious side of Dierks to start, with the only diversion being the fan-favorite "Am I the Only One," where Dierks invites fans onstage for a beer-drinking contest.
But Dierks can't keep his sense of humor at bay for too long. Dierks always has a playful side on stage, joking with his band constantly. I remember one show where a woman threw a bra on stage. Dierks picked it up with the neck of his guitar and flung it at a band member, laughing.
During an acoustic portion of the set, Dierks lets the band members take center stage, including on vocals. He does a schtick where he acts like he's getting annoyed that the band is taking all the attention, and they do their best to ham it up in the spotlight.
It's funny, but Dierks clearly appreciates having such a talented band with him. Fiddler Dan Hochhalter always impresses with his aggressive playing. Guitarist Ben Helson is a steady presence with an excellent voice and a rich background in bluegrass (he's bluegrass director at Bethel University). Mandolin player Charlie Worsham is a solo artist in his own right who brings a quiet shyness to the stage.
The setlist hit most of the songs fans would expect. Although, to my disappointment, he didn't play "Sideways." "5-1-5-0," “Up on the Ridge,” "Somewhere on a Beach," and "What Was I Thinkin'" all got the crowd dancing. And, of course, he played the tongue-in-cheek "Drunk on a Plane," dressed as a pilot during the performance.
Where his humor comes out in spades is the end of the show when Hot Country Knights make an appearance. Hot Country Knights is the mock 90's country band led by Dierks' alter ego, Douglas "Doug" Douglason.
Dierks and his band come out on stage in character with mullets and tight pants aplenty. Doug is known to put a banana down his pants, and sexual innuendo runs rampant in songs. Two of Hot Country Knights' songs are "Asphalt" and "Herassmeant" – and yes, both lean heavily into booty references.
Dierks and band have finetuned the Hot Country Knights persona over the years, and they've found a nice balance of pure silliness with 90's country classics that get the crowd moving. In the past, the Knights came out first thing before the first open act. The first time – when they were more a stereotypical bluegrass band – people didn't even realize it was Dierks until he took over the mic for a rendition of his "Rovin' Gambler."
But it's a crazy and fun end of the show and not your typical encore. Often, people are starting to tire out near the end of a concert. But the infusion of the craziness of Hot Country Knights keeps them energized.
It ends the show on a fun, party note – in contrast to the more reflective open.
But that's how life goes – running the gamut – as does a Dierks Bentley show illustrating it.
1. Gold
2. Same Ol’ Me
3. I Hold On
4. Am I the Only One
5. Living
6. Burning Man
7. Gone
8. Say You Do
9. Black
10. Up on the Ridge
11. Callin' Baton Rouge
12. Sun Sets in Colorado
13. Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)
14. 5-1-5-0
15. Somewhere on a Beach/Beers on Me
16. What Was I Thinkin'
17. Drunk on a Plane
As the Hot Country Knights:
1. Ain't Goin' Down
2. MidKnight Rodeo
3. I Like It, I Love It/Meet in the Middle/Little Rock/Heads Carolina, Tails California/Achy Breaky Heart/Man! I Feel Like a Woman/Friends in Low Places
