Dierks Bentley gets to play before thousands of screaming fans each night on his Mountain High Tour, but when he’s off the road, he’s dad to his two daughters and one son – a job he says is the hardest, and also the most rewarding.
“When I get home, it’s a totally different reality that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world,” says Bentley. “Just hanging with my girls and doing the things we do and seeing life through their eyes, it’s incredible. It takes a man to do it. It’s not a boys’ game. It takes a man to do it. I love the juxtaposition to be able to be that man and to also go on the road and act like I’m 13 years old and play video games all afternoon waiting for the fans to show up. So, it’s really a blessing to be able to do both.”
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Bentley inherited his love of country music from his father, Leon, who passed away in 2012.
“My dad was my biggest influence in country music because my dad loved country radio,” Bentley says. “So, we always drove around listening to country radio and George Strait, Hank Williams and Randy Travis and all these guys, so. Without him, I wouldn’t be doing this, that’s for sure.”
Bentley will be joined by his family for at least some dates on his Mountain High Tour, where he hopes to soak up as much fun as possible on tour.
“I just want this to be fun for me at the end of the day,” shares Bentley. “I’ve got a lot of great stuff going on and I’m gonna spend the whole summer out there. I’ve got a nine-year-old, a seven-year-old and four-year-old. It’s more than just; it’s not about making money. It’s about my life. I want to have a great summer, have a lot of fun, make a lot of great memories, be totally present from the second we get there on-site, thinking of the fans’ experience when they first pull into a tailgate to when they leave and get home safely.”
The Arizona native is also joined on the road by Brothers Osborne and LANCO, two acts he chose because of their acceptance by country music fans.
“Obviously it’d be nice if it was people that are having success in their career and could help sell tickets and all that,” Bentley says of his opening acts. “You’re always trying to find that – I say this a lot, someone said this to me early on, where one plus one equals three. You know, where a group of people come together and their sum is greater than their parts.”
Find a list of all of Bentley’s upcoming shows on his Mountain High Tour at dierks.com.
Photo Credit: Greenroom PR/Jim Wright
