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DIERKS BENTLEY SETLIST
intro music- I Got Some Rust on My Chevy, but It's Ready to Roll Encore: Encore 2: outro music: Fast as You (Dwight Yoakam song) DIERKS BENTLEY TOUR DATES
Nov 18 Minneapolis, MN Heart 360 Benefiting Mpls Heart Institute Foundation Read More
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In Topeka, KS, all that musically glitters is gold...make that Gravel & Gold--
Country favorite singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley has been in the business for two decades now and made one of the final stops on his Gravel & Gold Tour, at the Stormont-Vail Events Center, to a thrilled crowd of happy fans, in support of his tenth studio record, Gravel & Gold (via Capitol Nashville, released in Feb.).
The ‘surprise’ to fans was that Bentley was only a 'support act', playing an extended set, before the “real headliners” would appear on stage to close out the show….
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The night got underway somewhat early, and as traffic still snarled outside, with a solid 45-minute set from large Lubbock, TX act, the Josh Abbott Band. In support of brand-new single, “What Were You Thinking” (not to be confused with Dierks’ similar titled hit) from their upcoming album, Somewhere Down the Road, due out January 26th.
Eight members filled the stage, and played songs from the fifteen years they’ve been a band, including collaborations with the likes of Carly Pearce (on 2016’s “Wasn’t That Drunk”) and Kacey Musgraves (on 2011’s “Oh, Tonight”). Abbott proved to be an effective cheerleader and cheerfully set the mood of bringing a Texas honkeytonk vibe, to an arena in the middle of the Heartland. While the new single (released this same day) lyrically speaks to insecurities in relationships, the mood was anything but sad, especially on their set-closing party anthem “24-7-365”.
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For Dierks Bentley, the road of Gravel & Gold has been a long one, releasing lead single “Gold” back in August 2022, ahead of the new album’s release in February, and Topeka was fortunate to land one of the last regular shows of the tour. While the long wait to see him in concert seem like a downside, seeing Bentley and his crack band musically honed to perfection and firing on all well-practiced cylinders, was a pretty rewarding benefit.
Every player was solid at their craft, from restless bass player Cassady Feasby to White Bear, MN native and Fiddle Player of the Year, multi-instrumentalist Dan Hochhalter, to rising solo artist and ex-Old Crow Medicine Show member Charlie Worsham, and the rest, all playing at a musical peak.
Bentley and band began their 100-minute performance with that lead single from the newest record, he in casual flannel and the band all visibly enjoying themselves against a large backdrop video screen that accompanied the venue’s two elevated side screens.
The crowd got louder with the first bars of 2013’s “I Hold On”, which topped Country Airplay charts when originally released and was followed by party anthem, “Am I the Only One” which topped the charts back in 2011.
The audience sang along to newer slice of life single, “Living” (the 2019 recording of which has a cameo from Bentley’s son), and back screens turned virtually ablaze as the band played under red lights for 2018’s “Burning Man”.
Cell phone lights swayed back and forth for the ballads and a mid-set highlight was the band huddling close near the front of the stage for a brief acoustic set, pretending to all jostle for attention and lead vocal duties.
2010’s “Up on the Ridge” led directly into their spirited cover of radio hit “Callin’ Baton Rouge” and Bentley said before playing “Sun Sets in Colorado” that he tries to give the song some local flavor (looking for a nearby town that ends in “o”) and came up with “Wamego” which was hard for the band to pronounce and remember and wasn’t smoothly working musically as well either Playing Salt Lake City recently and trying to substitute “Colorado” with “Provo” wasn’t well received either Bentley said, so he assured us it was better to just play the original.
Promising nothing but hits following, energy went to another level as the crowd sang along to 2012’s “5-1-5-0”, transformed the middle of Kansas to a Gulf Coast for “Somewhere on a Beach” and true to the song’s title, started handing out beverage while playing “Beer’s on Me”. The main set would end with Bentley’s first hit- the song that broke him into stardom immediately and is still a huge fan-favorite, 2003’s “What Was I Thinkin’.
The encore started with Bentley casually shuffling back out, dressed in a pilot’s jacket and hat, complete with aviator sunglasses and found him handing out Mardi Gras beads while singing massive hit, “Drunk on a Plane”.
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As the band departed, a film began playing on the screens showing a tour van going back in time to the 1990’s and the spandex-loving, neon and animal print wearing, keytar-bearing, mullet shaking, bananas down their pants group Hot Country Knights barnstormed the stage, announcing “Dierks Bentley’s set ran way late!” but the true stars had finally arrived.
Ok, under the wig and outfits of "Doug Douglason” and others, might have been Bentley, his band, and crew, but everyone was playing their parody role to the hilt, never breaking character to reveal the joke, and plowed through a bevy of more-than-familiar 90’s Country radio hits, as well as couple of their originals.
The band quickly ducked into their virtual on-screen van and sped away, managing to forget drummer Monte Montgomery (aka Steve Misamore) on stage alone, left behind to dance solo to a Dwight Yoakam hit and rouse the crowd up one last time, before the road crew chased him off stage.
A worthy bit of levity after a set full of hits, all performed with a true sense of musical authenticity, something he mentioned before playing “Something Real” from the new record, and it’s that genuine authenticity that’s kept Dierks Bentley successful, with a still growing and loyal fan base. The Gravel & Gold both shone brightly in Topeka.
(Special note to our Minnesota readers is that his next scheduled show is a Nov. 18 Heart 360 Benefit concert at The Armory [tix here]] and is recommended for anyone in the area).
(Click on any image to enlarge and see in full)
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| john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / Twitter.com |
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