Dierks Bentley reveals late-night Ryman Auditorium concert
When Dierks Bentley plays concerts, he’s typically singing No. 1 hits to 20,000 fans.
In honor of his new album “The Mountain” that will be in stores June 8, he has something more intimate in mind.
Bentley will perform “The Mountain,” his ninth studio album, in its entirety during a late-night concert at Ryman Auditorium June 7. The ticket pre-sale will start Tuesday, and tickets will go on sale to the public 10 a.m. Friday at Dierks.com and through Ticketmaster. Proceeds will be donated to The Opry Trust Fund.
“When you put a new album out there, you just want to sing those songs,” said Bentley, who will launch his The Mountain High Tour on Friday. “I’m getting ready to go play for … lots of people and I know what they want, they want the hits. You only have a few (new) songs you can squeeze into your set list that feels comfortable for me and feels right for them. But I want to play them all live. The idea was to play the Ryman, which is my favorite place, during CMA Music Fest week, and just do the album top to bottom.”
With 17 No. 1 songs to his credit, Bentley is known for hits including “Drunk on a Plane,” “Somewhere on a Beach,” “I Hold On” and “Different for Girls.” “The Mountain” is a seamless blend of Bentley’s contemporary country work and his critically acclaimed bluegrass album “Up on the Ridge.” The collection, he said, is more gratitude and fewer ditties.
“It was a dark year in country music last year,” said Bentley, who started recording “The Mountain” in Colorado last year. “I needed those mountains. I needed that air. I needed that elevation. I feel like I made a record that was inspired by the mountains that fans are climbing in their personal lives and their perseverance. Then just being physically around those mountains and the way you feel when you’re there, it all came together to make an album that captures my vibe right now.”
Bentley said the plan is not without challenges. The “Woman, Amen” singer and his band typically only learn one new song at a time and then slide it into their ready-made set. This time, they must learn 13 new songs. In addition, “The Mountain” features piano, which Bentley said he’s never had on an album before, and “crazy mandolin playing” from Sam Bush.
“We’ll have to get him or mimic him somehow,” Bentley said. “It’s a smaller venue so it’s great, just for those hardcore fans who are willing to listen to songs they don’t know and want to hear them. It makes me feel less self-conscious. Knowing we’ll be singing for a room full of people who will be really excited to hear these songs … it’s a pretty cool thing.
Info - mountain high and dierks bentley tour 2018 schedule