Dierks Bentley is happy to be back on the road. The singer-songwriter is headlining his Gravel & Gold Tour this summer, joined on the road by Chase Rice or Lee Brice serving as his opening act for all dates.
“I’ve been doing it for a while. We still as a band love being on the road this summer,” Bentley says on Good Morning America. “It doesn’t get old, touring. It actually gets more exciting every year we get a chance to do it. I don’t take it for granted. I just love this time of year, love being out on the road. It’s so fun.”
The Arizona native spends a lot of time on the road year-round, but his favorite shows are the outdoor ones when the weather is warm.
“Summertime, playing music outside feels so good,” Bentley says, “And to see all those faces, a lot of them we recognize over the years, and hopefully some new ones as well. But just being a part of the whole circus on the road in the summer as a band, a crew, our fans — just the whole thing coming together every summer is pretty special.”
Bentley’s eponymous debut album came out in 2003. In the 21 years since then, Bentley has amassed more than 25 Top 20 singles, making it a happy challenge to choose which songs to perform night after night.
“We gotta do the hits. We gotta do ‘Drunk On a Plane.’ Fortunately, I love all the hits. I love singing all those songs,” the 48-year-old says, adding that they also add new songs to the setlist, including his current single, “American Girl.”
“We try to keep you guys on your toes a little bit,” he adds. “But of course, we want to get to all the songs we want to sing together.”
Bentley currently has the most-added single at radio with “American Girl.” The song. a Tom Petty classic, is part of the upcoming Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty album, scheduled to be released on June 21.
“What a great artist, what a great band,” Bentley boasts. “This song in particular is one I was hoping to get to do, and my buddy, [Big Machine Records CEO] Scott Borchetta, called me about this project. We gave it the rock feel.
“We added some Nashville to it,” he adds, praising his talented band members. “We got Charlie on the mandolin and Dan on the fiddle. Tim’s back there on the banjo. We gave it a little bit of that country and western feel.”
When announcing his Gravel & Gold Tour, Bentley said he was especially excited because of the artists he chose to open for him while on the raod.
“A big part of our tour is just who we’re touring with, and having Chase Rice out there this year as well as Lee Brice on some shows is gonna be so fun,” Bentley told UMG Nashville. “I love these guys. They’re just such great artists. They’re so fun to be around, [with] great songs. We’re gonna have fun on and off the stage.”
Bentley’s Gravel & Gold Tour kicks off on June 7 in Fort Worth, Texas. Find “American Girl” and all of Bentley’s music and tour dates at Dierks.com.