Dierks Bentley is coming to town, and he’s bringing his country twang, bluegrass tunes, and a little bit of honky-tonk with him.
SCOPE and First Avenue Productions will present Dierks Bentley, along with 8 Seconds and Jedd Hughes, on April 23 in the IMU Main Lounge. Students can buy tickets at the University Box Office starting March 9, with a limit of four tickets per student. Tickets will be available to the public on March 10 through Ticketmaster locations. Tickets are $32 for both students and the public.
“It was really important for us to bring a concert to the Main Lounge in the IMU after the flood closed the union last fall,” said SCOPE marketing director Shannon Boshart. “We thought Dierks Bentley was going to be a great artist to both get people to that building and to put on a phenomenal show.”
The native Arizonan has pushed the boundaries of country music since he joined Capitol Records in 2003. Since his début, he has hit numerous Billboard Country charts, with 10 of his singles breaking into the top 10 and five others making it to No. 1. His tunes have even earned him honors at the Country Music Awards, winning the Breakthrough Video and Top New Artist awards in 2004 and the Horizon Award in 2005.
Bentley is known for going beyond conventional country music with his rock and roll side, which gives him a sound that appeals to fans all over the United States. His latest album, Feel That Fire, was released in February. He has taken over the No. 1 spot the country charts, not only for his latest album, but also for its title-track “Feel That Fire.”
Boshart said SCOPE started planning for the concert a few weeks ago. As soon as the group members found out it could be a possibility, they jumped at the chance to have the country star sing in the IMU.
“We try to diversify the lineup as much as possible,” she said.
Because of Bentley’s popularity, SCOPE urges students to grab their tickets fast.
“We are anticipating this show to sell out on Wednesday when it goes public,” Boshart said. “If students want tickets, I would recommend getting to the box office early on Monday.”
— by Rachael Lander