Dierks Bentley Announces Sounds of Summer Tour — By Taking a Polar Plunge (original) (raw)
It might still be winter, but Dierks Bentley already has his mind on summer. The Capitol Nashville superstar is one step ahead of the curve, announcing his upcoming 2015 Sounds of Summer tour on…
It might still be winter, but Dierks Bentley already has his mind on summer.
The Capitol Nashville superstar is one step ahead of the curve, announcing his upcoming 2015 Sounds of Summer tour on Monday (Jan. 12), which will kick off June 5 in Raleigh, N.C. Fans can purchase tickets beginning Jan. 26 for first cities as part of Live Nation’s Country Megaticket at Megaticket.com, with additional ticket info for each market available in the weeks ahead at Dierks.com.
So what’s the best way to announce a summer tour? With a polar plunge, of course! Watch Bentley dive in a freezing river below:
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The singer told Billboard that he’s counting down the months until he goes back out on tour, following the success of his 2014 Riser tour. “I feel like of all the years I’ve been doing this, last year was the first one that we did it on the level that I’ve always dreamed of doing it on. To finally put my name at the top of the ticket, and play these amphitheaters and arenas, and to have the acts that we had out there with us like Randy Houser, Chris Young and Jon Pardi — it was a great group of people to have out on the road. I really enjoyed the role of being the headliner and all the aspects of it, from hanging out with the other bands backstage, or the interaction with the fans. Last year was just the best year of my life, as far as touring goes.”
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For 2015, he feels that he has once again put together a winning lineup that fans will appreciate. “I feel that this year the template is in place with great acts like Kip Moore, Maddie & Tae and Canaan Smith. We’ve great some great venues lined up, and the songs are on the radio. It feels pretty good. I can’t wait to get out there.”
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All three of Bentley’s 2014 opening acts have had nothing but praise for the way he treats his opening acts, something that the singer takes a great deal of pride in. “I appreciate them saying that. That means the world to me. I’m just trying to pass on what I’ve learned on the road, and the way I feel about life in general – you’ve got to pass it down and be encouraging, and give them what they need to, maybe one day surpass you. I do feel like those guys learned from what we did just like we watched theirs. I picked up things from them, too. I wish I could pick up Randy Houser’s voice,” he jokes, “but that’s one thing that can’t be acquired, unfortunately. But, I think we learned from each other, just like I did from Kenny Chesney.”
Bentley went on to say that he feels it’s his job to keep everyone happy – from the opening acts to his own crew. After all, everyone is in it together. “For better or worse, personally, I have to know what’s going on – not just with my band, but my crew. That’s one of the reasons I sleep in a bunk with the band. I need to be in the mix. When you walk on stage, it can’t be the first time I’ve seen those guys all day long. A lot of times, we’ll still be laughing about some joke that somebody told that morning. Our stage performance is a continuation of the story, or of the day. Some fans pick up on that, and maybe some don’t, but for our performance to be as good as it can be, it has to be real. It just makes it a lot more fun for all of us when everyone is having a good time. I’ve known a lot of the guys on the crew for a long time, and I know their families. They sacrifice so much of their time being away from them, missing their wives and kids, and life events. It’s important for me to know what’s going on with them, so we are there for each other.”
In what has become a yearly tradition, Bentley gathered his opening acts this morning for a quick dip into the chilly waters of Percy Priest Lake near Nashville. “Actually, it’s a great way to start a tour,” he says. “It’s something I’ve done every year, so I think they were kind of suspicious that we were meeting at Percy Priest Lake. We’re not going on tour until June, so it allowed us to have that bonding experience. I had never met Maddie and Tae before, and now I feel I know them pretty well. Kip is a great guy who just got back from surfing in Costa Rica in 80 degree weather, and made him jump in the water at about 30 degrees. He might still be a little mad at me, but he loves it. Caanan is so excited to be out on the tour, so he’s up for anything. It’s a good way to get the New Year started.”
First announced cities on the 2015 Sounds of Summer tour:
Raleigh, NC
Cleveland, OH
Buffalo, NY
Lansing, MI
St. Louis, MO
Chicago, IL
Pittsburgh, PA
New York, NY
Boston, MA
Philadelphia, PA
Tampa, FL
West Palm Beach, FL
Virginia Beach, VA
Washington, DC
Schaghticoke, NY
Morristown, OH
Charlotte, NC
Birmingham, AL
Oshkosh, WI
Twin Lakes, WI
Ft. Wayne, IN
Sweet Home, OR
Merritt, BC, CA
Quincy, WA
Detroit Lakes, MN
Prairie du Chien, WI
Norfolk, NE
Denver, CO
Albuquerque, NM
Phoenix, AZ
San Diego, CA
Fresno, CA
Mt. View, CA
Sacramento, CA
Corpus Christi, TX
Austin, TX
Dallas, TX
Cincinnati, OH
Indianapolis, IN
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