My plan for this space was to write an extensive review of country star Dierks Bentley’s concert Wednesday at Les Schwab Amphitheater. But circumstances have conspired against me, not the least of which is a general ambivalence about the show. So here are a few brief thoughts, and then I’ll get out of the way so you can see a ton of terrific photos of Bentley and his adoring fans that were taken by The Bulletin’s Pete Erickson.
–Like a lot of country’s biggest stars, Bentley knows how to work a crowd. He talked about riding Phil’s Trail and slipped in a reference to JC’s Bar. He told the audience Central Oregon’s High Desert reminds him of home in Arizona. He said he’s stood on a lot of stages, but not many with a more beautiful view than the Schwab’s. He invited the audience onto his tour bus. He got screams of delight every time he mentioned beer. He was a puppet master on stage, essentially conducting the crowd with pointed fingers and pumped fists and hands cupped around his ears.
–Bentley did all his big hits. The lovey-dovey ones (“Feel That Fire,” “Every Mile a Memory,” “Come a Little Closer,” “I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes”) and the party / drinkin’ ones (“Sideways,” “Am I the Only One”) and the travelin’ / ramblin’ ones (“Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)” and “Lot of Leavin’ Left to Do”). He closed with his breakthrough hit “What Was I Thinkin’” and skipped an encore (bravo, Dierks!), instead ending the show by huddling with his band and then bowing as a group while Dropkick Murphys’ “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” blared over the loudspeakers. It was as odd an ending as you’ll ever see at the Schwab.
The highlight of the night was “Long Trip Alone,” a song with a beautiful, easy melody that Bentley dedicated to the American military. The timing was just right, too. Any time you pair a pretty song with a Cascades sunset, you’re going to make some memories.
–When they were plugged in, Bentley’s band was anything but country. They were essentially a hard rock band with a banjo plugging away in the background. Which was fine, but it wasn’t very country. Country these days comes in the artists’ look and lyrical themes. And country these days is mostly about pop-rock hooks. Country is where the arena-rock riffs of yesteryear live in the 21st century.
–That said, Bentley was in fine voice: deep, and creakier than on his records, which was welcome.
–My biggest beef with the show was that bluegrass — a major influence on Bentley (he says) and the basis of his 2010 album “Up On the Ridge” — was given such an obligatory treatment. Mid-show, the band brought out the upright bass, mandolin, fiddle and banjo, but rather than rip through two or three or four songs from “Ridge,” they aimed straight for the lowest common denominator. They did the title track (and single) from that record, then used a “late-night jam session on the bus” construct to do a medley of familiar tunes, bluegrass-style: the “Dukes of Hazzard” theme, “All My Ex’s Live in Texas,” Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell,” Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive.” And then a cover of U2′s “Pride (in the Name of Love)” that was on the “Ridge” album.
People seemed to dig it — the “Dukes” theme, Billy Idol and Bon Jovi tickled their nostalgia bones, no doubt — but it turned me off. In fact, I thought it bordered on disrespectful to a style of music that Bentley claims to hold dear to his heart (and I believe him). Think about it: Rather than showcase their chops and the genre they love by actually playing bluegrass songs, it was as if the band feared losing the audience by playing bluegrass, so it chose to do its most accessible original, one serious cover and a bunch of half-jokey songs before scurrying back to the party country folks came to hear.
That’s not honoring bluegrass music. That’s just kind of weak. And I truly believe Dierks Bentley is better than that.
Alright, enough blabbering. Check out Pete’s awesome photos.
just wondering if you’ve heard the bluegrass songs on each of his previous albums. if you had, i think it would be obvious that he knows and respects bluegrass. getting del mccoury for your first album is no small feat. can’t find the link right now, but i think it was in the december 2010 edition of the bluegrass journal magizine. i’d love to know what you think after you read that and hopefully listen to all the bluegrass cuts on each album. i never listened to country radio until i discovered him last year. now i’m a believer. and btw, i think his version of “pride” with the punch brothers and del mccoury is a beautiful song and showcases his respect for bluegrass and other types of music.
harriett
Hi Harriett,
Thanks for the comment. I have not heard the bluegrass songs on his previous albums, but will check them out per your advice. And I certainly agree that getting Del McCoury on any album is no small feat!
Note that I didn’t exactly say Dierks doesn’t respect bluegrass. I said the way he treated it in this show bordered on treating it disrespectfully. A slight but important difference. I do believe that Dierks knows and respects bluegrass. But I also think that it’s possible for someone who knows and respects the genre to treat it disrespectfully by giving it a sort of token role in the show. That’s all. I’m not questioning Dierks’ chops or his love of the genre, just the decision to present it in the way that he did.
But anyway, I appreciate the feedback and will definitely dig into Dierks’ back catalog.
Thanks,
Ben
PS I like “Pride” too! I just think it’s the least challenging (and most easily digestible) of his bluegrassy songs because everyone knows the tune already. Even if you don’t like bluegrass, you can hear “Pride” and sing along. That’s great, but it’s more evidence that Dierks’ mid-set bluegrassy break is really not geared toward people who love that music, but toward making sure the crowd doesn’t go running for the beer line and the bathrooms when they hear a mandolin. And I don’t think that should be the goal. The goal should be to play some of his great bluegrassy songs and give ‘em the time they deserve … not a medley of kitschy covers chopped up and run through quickly so as to get back to the mainstream country stuff.
thanks so much for the reply. i would personally love for all of his shows to be mostly bluegrass since i loved bluegrass way before i knew dierks bently existed. my favorites on each of his previous albums are the bluegrass ones. but look at the low air play, sales and chart positions for up on the ridge. must be discouraging to do songs like roving gambler and you’re dead to me(from up on the ridge) and people want to hear sideways. i like to think that when he does bon jovi and billy idol bluegrass “style” that he’s trying to showcase the beauty of acoustic music and how that sound can hold its own in any genre of music. here’s the bluegrass track from each album, in order from first to last. i think you’ll love them.
train travelin, good man like me, prodical son, last call for alcohol. and again, thanks for the reply!