I was just another person floating in the sea of plaid flannels making its way towards the entrance of Red Rocks. Even though my never-been-worn cowboy boots screamed imposter, I, along with thousands of other attendees, made the trip to Red Rocks on a picture-perfect September evening for one thing and one thing only, to see Dierks Bentley perform.
Other musical acts on the line-up for the evening included Tucker Beathard and Randy Houser, both of which promised a night of dancing, singing and cheersing with an ice cold Coors Light raised high in the air.
Tucker Beathard started the party off right with his hit song “Rock On” and Randy Houser continued to get the crowd on their feet with his popular songs “We Went” and “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight.” Houser performed another hit song, “Like a Cowboy,” that was raw with emotion, and brought the entire venue to its feet with a roar of applause.
The energy was palpable as the crowd anxiously awaited the arrival of Dierks Bentley, and he did not disappoint when he burst onto stage playing “Up on the Ridge.” At this point in the show most of the crowd was on its feet dancing and clapping to the music, but when Bentley played one of his most popular songs “5-1-5-0” the guy next to me who looked like he would rather be anywhere else couldn’t resist the urge to tap his foot to the beat.
Bentley paused the entertainment to share with the audience how his musical career began, and how his musical influence was rooted in bluegrass, and took off in a place none other than Telluride, Colorado at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. To honor these roots, Bentley brought out The Travelin’ McCourys to jam with Bentley on the prestigious Red Rocks stage. Bentley’s musical talent, along with The Travelin McCourys’, was showcased when they covered the song, “Wake Me Up” by Avicii, which they had only practiced together for the first time a few hours before Bentley’s set.
After The Travelin McCoury’s debut, Bentley closed out the show with hits like “Somewhere on a Beach,” “Riser,” and “What Was I Thinking,” receiving a standing ovation at the end of the night from the crowd cheering “encore, encore!”
Not wanting to disappoint, Bentley burst back on stage out of an airplane dressed as a pilot, aptly performing, “Drunk on a Plane.”
Dierks Bentley brought the crowd together with his musical talent and despite my recent acquaintance with country music, it made me want to drive out west with my windows rolled down screaming “Somewhere on a Beach.”
Cheers Dierks.
