Bentley performance does not disappoint

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This article was published 22/01/2019 (2593 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s been almost exactly two years since country superstar Dierks Bentley planted his boots in Bell MTS Place, and in that time, the party-hardy performer has continued his evolution into a bona fide artist, as evidenced by his most recent release, The Mountain, the ninth full-length album in his catalogue. 

Bentley’s voice could be heard before he could be seen, humming out part of the chorus of his latest single, Burning Man; then the band kicked in, the lights went up and a fully bearded Bentley was centre stage, bopping around with excitement. 

The 43-year-old Arizona native is currently on his second tour supporting that record, so despite the fact his stop in Winnipeg was early on in this leg of his journey, the show was already running like a well-oiled, well-practised machine. His stage setup was minimal, but effective — a large video screen provided the backdrop to a simple U-shaped set of risers, and the pace was relentless. 

Right off the top, a guitarless Bentley blasted out fan favourites Up on the Ridge and Somewhere on a Beach, infusing his crowd banter into the instrumental breaks in the music, before dipping back into his newer hits for Woman, Amen. 

Vocally, there’s not much to fault Bentley on; his songs, generally speaking, aren’t the most difficult when it comes to exhausting his range, but he sticks in his sweet spot for a reason – it’s sweet. His gentle rasp lends itself perfectly to both the amped-up and toned-down tracks.

The dad of three certainly had some corny moments, including pretending to be blown backward by the sheer force of a singalong and literally climbing up the risers during Riser, but a certain level of cheese suits his down-home and often goofy persona. Bentley’s approachability also helps him transition flawlessly from the more thoughtful, emotive moments, such as 2016’s title track, Black, to party-starters such as 5-1-5-0; his fans are prepared to go on that thematic ride with him because his presentation of it is so genuine.

Bentley picked up his acoustic guitar for I Hold On, but quickly ditched it again in favour of fist pumps and handshakes to anyone on the floor who could reach him. Not long after, opening act Tenille Townes popped on stage to sing Elle King’s part on the duet Different for Girls. 

It’s always nice when a headliner makes room in their set for an opening act to come back out, and when they actually seem like they’re enjoying it, it’s all the better. 

In the back-half of the main set, Bentley made his way through the crowd to a satellite stage near the back of the floor, where he promptly shotgunned a beer before tackling the ballad Say You Do, backed by his amazing five-piece band on the main stage. A couple of duets with Jon Pardi, followed, before Bentley ripped into his closing duo of high-energy jams, What Was I Thinkin’ and Sideways, which had him sprinting from one side of the stage to the other.

The encore kicked off with a hilarious commercial for the fictitious airline ‘Dude Air,’ which could only mean one thing — Drunk on a Plane was on its way. Sure enough, Bentley was back on stage to belt out the platinum-certified 2014 single, as well as Free and Easy, to close out the night.

Bentley hit the stage earlier in the night as well, as part of his comedic, ’90s-inspired, wig-wearing country ‘supergroup’ and cover band, Hot Country Knights Accompanying the costumed Bentley were members of his band, also decked out in the most ’90s country garb you can imagine, and the band blasted through a short 20-minute set of country classics including a hilarious (and excellent) rendition of Reba McEntire’s Does He Love Youand a snippet of the Isley Brother’s Shout that ended with everyone laying on the stage.

It was an absolutely ridiculous way to start the show, but it was great; the only way parodies such as this work is when the musicians are stellar, and that was exactly the case Tuesday night.

erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @NireRabel