Dierks Bentley returned to Spokane with his slew of country hits for what will certainly go down as one of the most fun shows of the summer season.
Bentley is a longtime road warrior that’s just a veteran of the game. For over two decades, it’s been difficult to avoid his vast array of radio hits, from the more expressive “Living” to the good-time tunes such as “5-1-5-0,” and he sounds solid as ever while doing the deal pretty effortlessly.
Bentley truly puts on a show and seems to be having more fun than anybody in the venue while doing it. See: dragging fans up on stage to shotgun a Coors, dressing up as an intoxicated pilot for “Drunk on a Plane” and his very unique encore – more on that later.
Bentley’s country band had impressive playing all around, but I can’t help but love some old-school guitar, pedal-steel wails, banjo picking and quick-paced fiddle styling.
I must also mention my appreciation for the “on-stage beef” act Bentley has with the band, especially lead guitarist Ben Helson. I’m personally a big fan of a band that can stay loose and just have a good time on stage, and Bentley’s crew might be at the top of that list. To remain impressive musicians while acting like the performance is an MTV reality tv show full of “look at me” ego was certainly a first for me, but I loved every second of it.
Bentley is one of the most crowd-involved musicians I’ve seen. He was making jokes, interacting and pointing out signs after nearly every song. He also had a mini-section consisting of impromptu throwback requests to bouts of classics like John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” that display both impressive skill as well as heavy crowd appreciation.
One of my evening highlights comes from openers Cole Goodwin and Kaitlin Butts joining Bentley on stage for a cover of the Don Williams classic “Tulsa Time.” Butts is well known for her cover of the tune and doing it justice with a new sense of style, but Bentley, the band, Goodwin and his guitar-picking skills added layers of depth.
But of course, the true highlight comes from what is probably the most entertaining encore I’ve ever seen.
“Hot Country Knights” is difficult to describe, but it’s Bentley and the band if they happened to be a country group towards the tail end of the 20th century while embracing the good, the bad and the ugly that came with it. Suited up in outdated denim and tassels, fascinating wigs, fanny packs, a key-tar and a surprising amount of choreography, they perform a medley of 1990s country classics from “Pickup Man” and “Brand New Man” to “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” and “Friends in Low Places.”
Perhaps best summarized by an encore that’s part WWE spectacle, part neon lights and all cheese, a Dierks Bentley show is a good time that I would absolutely recommend and hope to see again.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.spokesman.com ’
