Dierks Bentley: 9/14/24 “It was my second time seeing Grammy nominated, ACM, CMA, CMT winner and Opry member Frederick Dierks Bentley 48 from Phoenix Arizona LIVE. The first was at the Blind Horse Saloon during the ‘Beers On Me Tour’ in 2021 toward the tail end of the pandemic where Bentley packed 2,000 maskless fans into the tiny Greenville venue. The weather was perfect for an evening featuring full sets by three Country Music artists, Hurricane Francine having since past with its remnants remaining stalled over Memphis. I had entered a contest on Bentley’s Facebook Page back in June granting one winner a pair of tickets. On August 30th I received an email that I was the solo winner out of 167,180 entries and to claim my seats at will call under the artist’s guest list. The 31-stop ‘Gravel And Gold Tour’ which began in Fort Worth and ends in Milwaukee made its 28th stop at Simpsonville’s outdoor amphitheater. The tour is Bentley’s 16th major tour and brings with it all the bells and whistles with a 6-man band and 55 crew members. With 10 albums in his 23-year career with 41 charted singles including 18 #1s, the headliner’s set list was bound to deliver all the favorites. Arriving early I stood just outside the gates to hear the VIP Pre-Show acoustic mini-set. Upon entry and claiming my 10th row center seat I walked up to take in a close-up of the stage. The stage featured an E-shaped rear riser featuring a center ramp and two end ramps ending in sets of stairs. A small pit separated the reserve seating from the stage. 100+ lights enclosed the stage on the top and sides. The drumhead featured the tour logo ‘DIERKS BENTLEY GRAVEL & GOLD 2024 TOUR’ as well as the translucent video wall in the forefront. At 6:56 p.m. the stage lights illuminated as the first opener Tanner Usrey and his 4-man band took to the stage to the recorded sounds of Guns N’ Roses ‘Welcome To The Jungle’. It was my second time in 8 days seeing Tanner perform LIVE, the first was in Columbia with Koe Wetzel. Beginning with ‘Blackberry Wine’ from the Twisters Movie Soundtrack the Country/Southern Rock/Americana singer from Prosper Texas was off to a 30 minute / 6 song set. ‘My name’s Tanner Usrey from Texas, thanks for being here.’ Usrey drew the majority of his material from his lone studio album ‘Crossing Lines’ 2023 released on Atlantic Records. The set unlike Columbia’s which featured a cover of Rod Stewart’s Faces ’Stay With Me’ ended with a rousing version of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’. Tanner quit his job in 2019 starting off all on his own pounding the pavement for gigs and put 100K on his van in the first year and a half. He’s certainly paid his dues and has proven to be a worthy opener for the likes of Dierks and Koe! After a rather quick stage turn the lights went down to the recorded sounds of Ed Sheeran’s ‘BLOW’. A LB logo designed to look like a Lee jeans back pocket patch appeared on the video wall and two smaller screens to the left and the right illuminated to follow the LIVE action footage. ACM and CMA award winning Singer/Songwriter Kenneth Mobley Brice Jr 45 from Sumter South Carolina with 5 studio albums with 21 singles including 8 #1s took the stage for a 1 hour / 10 song set. Besides his own material, he has also co-written singles for artists like Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw and the Eli Young Band. His ‘More Than a Memory’ recorded by Brooks became the first song ever to debut at number one. Beginning with ‘Soul’ a top 20 hit from 2021 we were off to an evening of all-charted singles. Lee wearing a WAYLON cap and guitar strap which read ‘Words Fail Music Speaks’ quickly won over his home State crowd. ‘It is so hood to be back in my home state!’ The set featured a total of 6 number ones including ‘I Don't Dance’ ‘Hard To Love’, ‘I Drive Your Truck’ dedicated to our military and first responders, ‘Rumor’, and ‘One Of Them Girls’. The sixth was ‘I Hope You're Happy Now’ a number one for Carly Pearce which she invited him to sing with her. ‘If y’all know it I’m gonna need you girls to maybe take care of her part cause I can’t exactly fold her up and put her in my back pocket and take her around the country with me.’ Brice was both tough and tender. One of the more tender moments were when he utilized the video screens to backlight his silhouette looking toward the audience as the amphitheater illuminated with cell phone lights. Another was his solo piano work on ‘I Don’t Dance’ exclaiming, ‘What a beautiful night y’all, come on.’ Mid-set Brice switched guitars, his strap in Clemson orange and purple revealing his football number ’55’. Lee attended Clemson University on a football scholarship. He played special teams there as the long snapper, but after an arm injury, he decided to focus on a country music career. Brice has come full circle playing a full set of all hits in his home state, a great evening for the local performer achieving stardom status. A half hour stage turn uncluttered the stage set leaving only Bentley’s equipment and amps in the forefront. At 9:11 p.m. the lights went dark as the lights lit up all red, the sounds of a plucking banjo made the mood complete. The center of the video wall opened up in all white light as Dierks made his appearance slowly walking down the ramp and taking his rightful place front and center. Beginning with ‘Gold’ the only song from the latest release bearing the tour’s name Dierks was off and running to an hour and thirty-five minute / 18 song set. It’s lyrics ‘I got some rust on my Chevy but it's ready to roll’ sent a clear message that the artist was speaking of himself metaphorically. The next song ‘Lot Of Leavin Left To Do’ with a dueling acoustic guitar match with Ben Helson continued the irony. ‘How we doin tonight Greenville? Simpsonville, I guess is the new hot spot in Greenville.’ In ‘I Hold On’ Bentley held up and kissed ‘this here flat top guitar’. He swapped out the lyrics, ‘singing every country song’ to ‘singing every Lee Brice song’ and challenged the audience to sing their loudest to the song’s chorus. He paused to honor his VIPS in attendance, his Aunt Barbie, his friend George, and his banjo player’s daughter Sidney. ‘I got family in the front row, it’s a big show.’. ’To get this party up to the next level, I’m gonna have to trade this instrument for my preferred instrument where I do my best work.’ “Nobody plays the red solo cup like I do.’ The song was ‘Am I The Only One’ with a mash of Toby Keith’s ‘Red Solo Cup’. 16 keg shaped mini-video screens made the song come alive. Bentley called for a beer shot-gunning contest choosing a representative from each side of the audience, one male and one female. Turning over the discarded cans, the man was the clear winner as he drained the remaining contents of each to the floor of the stage. ‘It’s 2024 everybody gets a medal’ he determined! The hits rolled on, ‘Living’ and ‘Say You Do’ a pair of number ones, and ‘Burning Man’ and ‘Gone’ a pair of number twos. ‘Do you guys like the blue-grassy more country stuff?’ Bentley asked as he positioned banjo and fiddle to his left and guitar and bass to his right. His cover of Tom Petty’s ‘American Girl’ which he recently recorded for the country tribute album ‘Petty Country’ would determine the answer to the question. The sole answer only spoke to who the American Girl was, not the style of music, ’I’m pretty sure she’s a South Carolina Girl!’ ‘Black’ was performed behind a special effect video wall, and ‘Up On The Ridge’ mashed in New Grass Revival’s ‘Callin' Baton Rouge’. Charlie Worsham (former Old Crow Medicine Show) took the lead, and the band took over the spotlight leaving Dierks in the dark. Dirks called for a humbs up or thumbs down vote between him and the band, then introduced them one by one. Likening the all-Nashville band to the 6 players of a hockey team there was Charlie Worsham on guitar and mandolin; CMA Fiddle Player Of The Year Dan Hochhalter on guitar and fiddle; Tim Sergent on 5-string banjo, pedal steel, lap steel, and dobro; team goalie Steve Misamore on drums; and Cassady Feasby on bass. Bentley introduced himself as the obvious team’s center. A trio of number ones ended the regular set, ‘5-1-5-0’, ‘Somewhere On A Beach’ and ‘What Was I Thinkin’ his first #1 released back in 2003. A mash-up of ‘Beers On Me’ was interwoven. As road attendants tossed cans of Bud Lites from the wings Dierks caught them all one-handed without dropping a single one and tossed them out to folks in the front row of the pit for a toast. Thanking the crowd, he exited the stage leaving the lights dimmed obviously for an encore. The stage lights brightened to all blue as Bentley reappeared dressed in an airline captain’s hat and jacket with aviator glasses. Taking his place a top a on a scissor-riser center stage with a backdrop of an airplane’s cockpit and instrument panel he performed ‘Drunk On A Plane’ tossing out Mardi Gras beads into the audience. Exiting the stage the second time the band reappeared entering from the center of the video wall resembling the side door of a van as their alter egos ‘Hot Country Knights’. Dressed in colorful 90’s clothing, tight jeans and wearing wigs, dancing about with a headless bass and keytar as instruments they performed a medley of all 90’s covers [.T-R-O-U-B-L-E / 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]. The over-the top ending brought down the house leaving folks in all smiles and laughter as we exited the venue back to the future with a renewed sense of hope drawn from our past!” Review and photo by DAve (Concerts #928-930)
discoholicmusic
annaxmalina
dededos
tangentwithtanner
prguitarman
izzy806