Country music superstar and Grand Ole Opry member Dierks Bentley thrilled thousands last Friday night with his performance at Humphrey Coliseum, playing his unique mix of modern and traditional tunes.
Bentley, a young talent from Phoenix, Ariz., drew in the crowd by starting the show with his 2005 hit “A Lot of Leavin’ Left to Do,” then steamrolled ahead with hit after hit for the next hour and a half.
Most older country music artists perform with a stool and a microphone and offer little in the way of entertainment value beyond the power of the actual music.
Bentley, however, weaved his music around a series of entertaining outbursts that included dancing with fans, cracking jokes and even jumping from the stage to serenade the upper decks of the arena.
At one point, Bentley even opened up one of his on-stage speakers to reveal a hidden fridge of Budweiser products.
The high-energy aspect of the show pleased the enthused audience, and at one point Bentley was even showered with a couple of fans’ silky undergarments. It was apparently not an unusual experience for Bentley, as he simply scooped them up with the end of his guitar and flung them onto his unsuspecting steel guitar player.
The antics drew huge responses from the crowd, keeping the mood light and enjoyable.
Bentley did not stop with his own hits, though. He incorporated a few traditional country songs into the act as well.
Bentley got his big break in Nashville while working at TNN (now Spike TV) researching old country performances. His understanding of musical history and tradition gave his show an added degree of depth and authenticity.
He used the Hank Williams Sr. classic “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” to segue into his soft-paced hit “Slowdown,” then concluded his encore with Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.”
He also performed a bluegrass remix to his hit “My Last Name” and followed it up with “Train Travlin’,” a bluegrass hit he wrote for the Del McCoury Band.
Preceding Bentley on the “Locked and Loaded Tour” stage were fellow young stars Miranda Lambert and the upstart Randy Rogers Band.
Lambert’s abrasive and defiant anthems “Kerosene” and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” played well to the local crowd, while her hits “Me and Charlie Talkin'” and “New Strings” showcased her ability to belt out melodic hits with the best women in the business.
The Randy Rogers Band had the sound of a college band still trying to find its sound, but the variety of musical approaches they offered were nevertheless enjoyable. Fiddle player Brady Black showed incredible talent and truly awed the crowd with a few impressive solos.
For those seeking a collision of traditional country music, Southern rock ‘n’ roll and modern mainstream sounds, Bentley and company both met and exceeded expectations.