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Dierks Bentley Goes Big With Riser Tour

He'll Unveil New Staging When Tour Launches Friday in North Carolina

Ah, boys and their toys. That's the perfect sentiment to describe Dierks Bentley's incredible new Riser tour kicking off Friday night (May 9) in Charlotte, N.C.

This is not your mama's regular ol' Bentley show. This is Dierks 2.0 -- the biggest production he's ever had. And that's exactly what Bentley wanted -- a good old time with all the bells and whistles of a brand spankin' new show.

"I've always been the guy that designed sets on cocktail napkins in the back of the bus," he admitted to reporters during an exclusive tour preview held in Nashville earlier this week.

When the time came to set the production wheels in motion for the new tour, Bentley was ready with his creative vision.

"When we first started off, it was figuring out how we were gonna build a stage," he said. "Usually it's been gear. A lot of amplifiers have been a big part of our production, our set, our stage and our look. These last couple of years have been afforded the chance to kinda step it up a little bit."

And by "step it up," he means lots of impressive lighting and video technology, cool effects and an opening segment that will have you checking your rearview mirror for the blue lights of the law.

"I've gotten a couple phone calls from my business manager about this particular setup, informing me, 'Don't be surprised at the end of the year how much your production cut into costs!'" Bentley laughed.

But he's willing to spare no expense.

"The older you get, the more you have a chance to do this, the less you take it for granted," he admitted. "You never know what tomorrow is gonna bring."

But by all indications, Bentley's career shows no signs of slowing down, especially with the success of his latest album, Riser, and his current single, "Drunk on a Plane."

"I feel like we're in a really sweet spot here with Riser going over so well with fans," he said. "The record and the single are doing so well. And the chance to go out and play these amphitheaters with great support, it's like, 'Man, let's just go big!' I told everyone, 'Let's just put together a show like it is the last show we're ever gonna do, like it's the last tour we're ever gonna do. That's what I wanted it to be like."

Go big or go home. Right, Dierks?

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