CMT Blog: Dierks Bentley

Let me preface this entry by saying that I love, love, love country concerts. I do wish, however, that an artist would ask me for advice just once on making the perfect set list. I know these artists have to do their big hits -- the ones everybody is paying big bucks to hear. And I know they need to promote their newest album with songs they have on the radio now, or ones they might want on the radio later. And then there are the covers that give everybody a little something unorthodox to remember them by: "Oh my God! You should have heard Keith Urban on 'Material Girl.' He was better than Madonna!"

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I'm not an uber-traditional Catholic. I don't carry a rosary everywhere I go. I still eat meat on Fridays. And when my friend brings home a new Cadillac Escalade, I will definitely covet my neighbor's goods. But then I hear a song like Lee Ann Womack's "There Is a God," and I am so moved, I think maybe I'm more of a believer than I realized.

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If you can only read, afford or rationalize one magazine this month and you love reading about lifestyles of the rich and down-to-earth country stars, you will have to make a very tough choice. On newsstands right now are two tempting reads. There's the People Country "I Count My Blessings" issue with Alan Jackson and his wife, Denise, on the cover, as well as the December InStyle with Taylor Swift.

People is typically a lifestyle read and not so much about the music, so I was pleased to see sections on the 10 songs that changed Keith Urban's life, the music teacher who gave Carrie Underwood the courage to sing, the song that makes Martina McBride happy (Bach's "Air on a G String") and the story behind Dierks Bentley's "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes."

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I thought I'd seen everything, but then this weekend, I saw Dierks Bentley play a health club. Well, actually it was more like a sports complex on steroids. But there he was, right in front of the rock-climbing wall with basketball courts, elliptical machines and weight benches all around him. The crowd, though, was all about Bentley. There was not a sports bra in sight. Fans were packed in elbow-to-elbow to see the free show (with Michelle Branch), and I still have at least 10 songs from the phenomenal night in my head.

"My Last Name"
"Beautiful World" (which he performed with Branch)
"Settle for a Slowdown"
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I met Chris Young last week and he couldn't have been sweeter. Until he started singing. Then his smoky, dirty, sexy, I-want-you-naked side came out when he sang "Gettin' You Home." It's the one about her black dress hitting the floor and loving him all night long. In a way, songs like this are aspirational more than they are relatable. I think I speak for a lot of married couples when I say that it's been a while since the lyrics of this song have rung true. So I put together a playlist of country songs to kind of bring the sexy back.

"Gettin' You Home," Chris Young
"Need You Now," Lady Antebellum
"What I'd Give," Sugarland
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They are not going anywhere. The Station Inn near downtown Nashville is quickly being surrounded with fancy schmancy buildings and hot spots, but there they are -- all stubborn and vintage and timeless. In a kind of run-down tiny building, they're doing what they do best: giving bluegrass music a place to call home. Dierks Bentley got his start playing there, legends like Earl Scruggs, Emmylou Harris and Bill Monroe have played there, and stars like Ricky Skaggs, Alison Krauss and even Dolly Parton have stopped by to sing. But now that the Inn is engulfed in this trendy new 'hood called the Gulch, some folks are wondering how it will survive. The lease expires next year, but the Inn's owners have an option for two more years. That's good news for anyone who likes to go, like Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, who recently caught a Doyle & Debbie show there.

Dierks Bentley says that one of his favorite songs is "Beautiful World" because of its inspirational message, but I'm wondering if it has something to do with the fact that he got to duet with the incomparable Patty Griffin. The song is about how there is a lot of negativity in the world, but if you choose to see the good in people and believe in something better, then it truly is beautiful. Its video is simple and understated, much like the song, and I like how as the two drink coffee and sing to each other you can sometimes see rain falling outside the cozy house. Somehow that seems to bring the message home. By the way, Bentley and CMT One Country are offering a free download of "Beautiful World" for a limited time. Beautiful indeed.

Dierks Bentley raised $215,077 for the Children's Miracle Network with his Miles & Music for Kids event yesterday (Oct. 11) and holding the giant check said, "I just can't believe it, looking at this number. Thank you all so much." Motorcyclists turned out in droves for the charity ride and concert, and after spending all day with his audience, Bentley was as comfortable as if he were at a backyard barbecue. He started his headlining set with "Sideways," and after thanking the crowd announced, "Let's keep this as down-home as possible. We're taking requests." He got plenty of those and ended up playing "Every Mile a Memory," "Lot of Leavin' Left to Do," "What Was I Thinkin'" and even brought 3 Doors Down frontman Brad Arnold out for a couple of tunes.

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Dierks Bentley will be riding his motorcycle into downtown Nashville on Sunday (Oct. 11) during his fourth annual Miles & Music for Kids event, with the charity ride culminating in an all-star concert. Yet, Bentley still remembers that first year, in 2006, when he was worried about the fundraiser for Nashville's children's hospital. "That was the big goal. We didn't know who was going to show up. We had a lot of artists donating their time, like Jeff Foxworthy and Montgomery Gentry," he said. "We ended up making $100,000 so it ended up exceeding expectations. I was nervous, you know, the first time trying to pull something off. You've got cops involved, a lot of volunteers and artists and fans, and you want to make sure it's a great experience for everybody. And it ended up working out."

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If you didn't make it up late last night to catch Dierks Bentley on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien, I understand. People have things to do and beauty rest to get. Still, it was really worth watching. Especially because it seems like O'Brien's camera man is a bit of a hardcore country fan. I am basing that assumption on the five very extreme close-ups of Tim Sergent's hands working his magic on the steel guitar behind Bentley. Looked cool, sounded even cooler. And Bentley himself sounded better than ever, making an intimate song like "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes" feel just right for late night TV. If you like Ellen Page and Kevin Nealon, by all means watch the whole episode. But if Bentley's all you want, slide the bar down to about 39 minutes into the show.