Dierks Bentley would rather play concerts than accept awards

That Dierks Bentley will be closing out his current Somewhere on a Beach Tour Friday night at Rupp Arena might seem a cause for reflection, an opportunity to take stock of a year that saw the release of his highest-charting album (“Black”), his 15th No. 1 country hit (“Different for Girls,” a duet with pop princess Elle King) and a trio of nominations at next week’s Country Music Association Awards that could earn the singer even more attention (including possible honors for Album of the Year).

Bentley won’t be reflecting all that long, though. Another entire concert trek, dubbed matter-of-factly the What the Hell Tour (the name is taken from the “Black” song “What the Hell Did I Say” rather than any nonchalant attitude on the singer’s part) is lined up and ready to start in January. For an arena-level artist, that would seem to constitute a pretty brief layover. But for Bentley, whose ascent to stardom has been a gradual one over the past 13 years, the abbreviated break is very much a reward. That’s because he remembers the times when touring — for him, at least — was unending.

“It’s nice to be in a place where you can actually have tours,” Bentley says. “People used to ask me, ‘When do you go on tour?’ My answer was, ‘We’re always on tour.’ We were never not on tour. We were just always on the road. These last couple of years, though, we would make music, go on the road, come back off of it, record and have actual, distinct tours. So when this tour ends, it really is the end of a tour and it’s been great. It’s been the most fun I’ve had on the road. It has to do with the crowd, the setlist, the songs that we have and the time we have onstage.”

Lexington has been able to watch much of Bentley’s artistic and commercial growth since his self-titled debut album was released in 2003. He has played Rupp several times as an opening act (for Montgomery Gentry and twice for Kenny Chesney) and once as a headliner in 2009. But perhaps his most curious visit came in 2004 when we ventured onto Main Street to play the long-since-demolished Dame. Take your pick as to which fact was more intriguing: That Bentley was playing a rock club with Cross Canadian Ragweed or that the singer was still performing in clubs at all at that point.

“I’ve built a lot of my audience one fan at a time at rock bars like The Dame,” Bentley said. “You make fans for life that way. It’s a slower go, but for me, it was the right way to go as far as looking at the big picture long term. I learned a lot from those bars and clubs. I try to use that now, playing these arenas and amphitheatres. I try to bring that spirit of playing a rock bar, playing a club into a bigger room. Now you have help from video, obviously, and production. But I try to attack the stage the same way you would if you were walking into a rock bar like The Dame.

“You throw yourself at those fans and let them know you’re there to make a difference. You’re there to rock and have fun. That’s the way I do it. It takes a lot of energy. And Red Bull. And some vodka. I’m exhausted for the rest of the week, but by the time Thursday rolls around, I’m ready to hit it again. But it takes a lot out of you, for sure.”

As for the impending CMA awards, Bentley is keeping a modest distance in terms of anticipation. He is appreciative of the nominations, but any wins he might pick up next week take a back seat to the thrill he experiences on a concert stage.

“I’ve been nominated a few times and it can be a real rollercoaster ride,” he said. “But what I tell myself now, and what I tell all the new artists out there is, ‘Look, 615 is the area code for Nashville. But I spend very little time in 615. I’m out there playing for people.’

“To me, the most important thing is the show every night and respecting the fact that people spent a lot of money to come out and see it. I know what my job is, and I really like my job. I like going out there and creating a good time. There is no way stepping up to a podium to accept an award would ever be better that stepping up to a microphone at a show.

“Of course, I’m honored by all this. It’s awesome. I would love to win something and am humbled even to be nominated considering there are so many talented people. But there are also so many people in Nashville out on Lower Broadway in honky tonks right now just trying to get a gig. So it’s an honor for me to be one of five of anything. That’s an honor I don’t take lightly, either. But at the same time, I keep the focus on what I do in the show every night.”

This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 1:44 PM with the headline "Dierks Bentley would rather play concerts than accept awards."