Dierks Bentley’s Riser Tour: Go Behind the Show in Exclusive Photos
"I know what my fans want," Dierks Bentley insists, "a kick-ass show, an affordable ticket and a good parking lot scene to get the pre-gaming going!"
Let the pre-games begin: Bentley's headlining Riser Tour begins Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina, and will crisscross the country through September. In celebration of the trek, the country star shares with Rolling Stone these exclusive behind-the-scenes photos from the road and tour rehearsals, along with photo captions in his own words.
"The Riser Tour is something I've been looking forward to my whole life," he says. "For me, going really big means starting really small — just our band leader Dan Hochhalter and me locked in a room for days working on the set list."
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Go With the Flow
"The flow of the show is critical to the vibe for the night, so we put a lot of time into getting the set list to a spot where we can start working through the songs with the full band."
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My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
"I bought my D-28 Martin guitar years ago, because so many of the players I looked up to played Martins. It's been all over the world with me and has even collected a few of my hero's autographs – George Jones, George Strait and, most recently, Garth Brooks and Merle Haggard."
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Band of Brothers
"After we get an idea of the set list, all the band guys and I spend a week or two in a tiny room working through the music."
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Creative Recycling
"We spend about eight hours a day trying to make the older hits new and figure out how we're going to integrate the new stuff. Each of the guys dedicate a lot of time off the stage. It's almost three weeks of work before we even set foot on a stage."
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Old Faithful
"'Big White' is the same truck I drove to Nashville in with my dad when I was 19. Two hundred thousand-plus miles and she's still going strong!"
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It Takes a Village
"We build the full production in a warehouse right next to downtown Nashville. It takes a lot of people to get a show like this up and running. We have a team of people building the set who make sure everything works properly — lighting, sound, video techs, video producers — who all work together to make this thing happen."
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Beating the Heat
"We work oftentimes 12-hour days for two or three weeks once everything is built out … with no air conditioning. When the southern heat kicks in, it gets hot, so there is always plenty of beer … and water."
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Surf’s Up
"One of my favorite parts of the new production is 'The Wave.' It's a video and light wall that's really never been done like this before."
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Long Haul
"It took a lot of time for designers and the crew guys to figure out how to build a curved wall and load it into a long straight truck each night to get it from city to city. They made it happen."
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Sweet Carolina
"The back of 'The Wave.' So proud of the guys for pulling this thing off. Can't wait to get out in Charlotte and see what the fans think!"
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Lawn Goers
"When I was in my twenties, I had to buy lawn tickets to shows so I'd be sure to have enough money left for beer! We're planning some ways that we can be sure there isn't a bad spot in the house, and this second stage is going to help us get all the way out to those fans in the lawn."
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On the Road Again
"My band. My brothers. These guys devote their lives to making this dream of mine a reality."