Dierks Bentley Concert

That's me next to his big truck! I'm in my big hat to keep me safe from the rain.

Last week I went to Merriweather Post Pavilion (despite the rain) to see Dierks Bentley perform. I had never seen him live before, and I wasn't about to eat the ticket costs just because of a little (or a lot of) rain. My friend and I were prepared: I wore my raincoat, rain boots, gloves, and a scarf; I brought along two umbrellas; he bought an 8x10 tarp (at my request; I learned the tarp trick when I saw Garbage at Wolf Trap in the rain last summer). I was surprised how many women and girls were wearing cut-off denim shorts and tank tops, like they were hoping the rain would let up that night (newsflash: it had rained all week long and the weekend forecast was no better). But we made the best of it, and the rain may have actually made it more of an adventure!

Lanco was the opener, and I didn't know much about them. So when a group of six guys walked on stage in denim overalls and sunglasses, I just thought, "Huh, there are more singers in Lanco than a thought, and they need a better wardrobe." They sang a few bluegrass song, which also took me aback. But afterward they introduced themselves as the Marilyn Monroe Boys, and introduced the other performers by the wrong name, like Derek Bentley. At that point I realized they weren't a real group, but just all of the performers in disguise (including Bentley, who was wearing a long wig to REALLY hide his identity).

After that, the real Lanco came on stage. The lead singer, Brandon Lancaster, seemed stoned out of his mind, and I was distracted by his denim jacket with a HUGE yellow rose decal sewn on the back (and are those his real teeth? They're almost too perfect...). I didn't know most of their songs, and I was kinda ready for them to be done as soon as they started.

Here a few of their songs:

Trouble Maker

Born to Love You

Long Live Tonight

 Greatest Love Story (This was the only song I recognized.)

Later on the lead singer came out to perform with Bentley, but again, because he was under the influence, he didn't know the words. Instead he sang John Michael Montgomery's Sold. He did a pretty good job, but afterwards Bentley told Lancaster to stop drinking all of the whiskey.

Just for fun, here's the original song:

Then Brothers Osborne came on stage. My friend and I had seem them live before in 2016, but we didn't mind seeing them again. They play a lot of extra instrumental bits at the end of each of their songs, and John Osbborne (the one with the big beard) can REALLY play; he is SO good! I had forgotten that they are originally from Maryland, so it was cool when they each brought out a Maryland flag after their set.

There are some of songs they sang:

It Ain't My Fault

Shoot Me Straight

Stay a Little Longer (This one is still my favorite.)

Finally it was Dierks Bentley's turn. His beard is a lot bigger than in the past! He looked like a mountain man, which I suppose it appropriate for this Mountain High Tour (His new album is called "The Mountain," and he claimed Lanco brought the "high" part.). Throughout his set the background images reflected not only mountains but also other beautiful shots of nature: the stars, lava, fire, ice crystals, etc. I liked that these beautiful parts of nature also have a religious quality about them: the stars are not just outer space but Heaven, and fire represents the spirit of a Burning Man. So I was just as entranced by the background videos as I was by his singing.

He played a lot of songs from his newer album, but I think I'll always like his older stuff better. Here's a taste of his more familiar songs:

I Hold On

Am I the Only One

Somewhere on a Beach

Different for Girls (I was disappointed that there wasn't a woman on tour who could sing this duet with him. Plus, I find it very odd for a man to sing this song. What does he know?! Same with Keith Urban's Female.)

Black (one of the sexiest songs in country music)

What Was I Thinkin' (Classic Dierks)

Sideways

Say You Do

5-1-5-0

Woman, Amen

Riser

Dierks sang "Drunk on a Plane" as his encore song. Plane and uniform were included in the performance!

 Drunk on a Plane

He didn't sing some of his older hits that I thought for sure would be part of his set list:

Come a Little Closer (I love this song!)

Settle for a Slowdown

Lot of Leavin' Left to Do

This was a fun concert, especially when you consider how horrible the weather was (the lawn was a mud pit by the end of the night; so squishy!). But since it was quite the experience, I think I can check Dierks Bentley off my "seen" list and not see him again. This was a once in a lifetime experience!

*Even though we were in the "front row" on the lawn, the band still was pretty far away, so all of my pictures are from the screens, hence why they may look pixelated.