Dierks Bentley announced his 2018 "Mountain High Tour" this week in a unique way--by channeling his inner Billy Bob Marley, yet another persona to add to his growing repertoire of characters. (Remember Captain Holden Johnson of Drunk On A Plane fame, and Big Rhythm Doug Douglason from 90's country band, Hot Country Knights? And then there's the 2017 bluegrass jokester, Dirty Doug, where Dierks opened for himself on the What The Hell Tour!)
Supporting acts on the Mountain High Tour, Brothers Osborne and LANCO, played along. How did they all keep a straight face? Looks like this tour will be full of awesome "mountain" music, on a path to enlightenment!
The tour kicks off in Columbia, Maryland, May 18 and presale for fan club (DB Congress) starts tomorrow, 1/24 at 10am eastern! Take a look at the rest of the cities so far and start thinking about your DRTs (Dierks Road Trips). You're gonna want to see this tour more than once!
As soon as we know more dates, we will update the list! *All dates below aretentative (except 5/18), based on Country Megaticket website--they are NOT official yet!
Join The Congress today at dierks.com to get access to fan club presale tickets and Meet & Greet opportunities!
Columbia, MD - 5/18
Holmdel, NJ - 5/19
Philadelphia, PA
Cincinnati, OH -
5/31 (Megaticket)*
Detroit, MI
St. Louis, MO
- 6/2 (Megaticket)*
Kansas City, MO
- 6/9 (Megaticket)*
Pittsburgh, PA - 6/15
Indianapolis, IN
- 7/21(Megaticket)*
Bethel, NY
- 8/3 (Megaticket)*
Darien Center, NY 8/4
Saratoga Springs, NY
- 8/5 (Megaticket)*
Raleigh, NC
- 8/9 (Megaticket)*
Charlotte, NC
- 8/10 (Megaticket)*
Alpharetta, GA
- 8/11 (Megaticket)*
Salt Lake City, UT
- 8/30 (Megaticket)*
Virginia Beach, VA
Bristow, VA
New York City, NY
Jacksonville, FL
West Palm Beach, FL
- 9/14 (Megaticket)*
Tampa, FL
- 9/15 (Possible)*
Austin, TX
Houston, TX
Dallas, TX
- 9/22 (Megaticket)
Albuquerque, NM
Phoenix, AZ
- 9/29 (Megaticket)*
Mountain View, CA
- 10/5 (Megaticket)*
Sacramento, CA
- 10/6(Megaticket)*
San Diego, CA
-10/12 (Megaticket)*
Los Angeles, CA
THE MEANING
For those who have gotten to know Dierks over the years, "Woman, Amen" is clearly a reflection of who he is and where he stands in his priorities. For those who don't know him as well as we do, there will be no doubt now how much he loves his bride.
In an interview with Billboard, Dierks said, “I feel like it all starts at home with my wife. She is who grounds me; she is also the one who has helped me to grow as a person over all these years, so I feel if I’m going to tell these stories [on this album] right, I need to start with her."
"Our journey together has made me the man I am today. I doubt my heart would even recognize the old me,” shared Bentley. "This song addresses that in the most direct possible way. The personal gratitude expressed in the lyrics, mixed with a track that leans heavily on some bigger sounds, is the perfect way to introduce the album.”
And the drums. Let's take a moment to talk about that drumline. In what has been described as mountainous, propulsive or even tribal, the drums that carry "Woman, Amen" through the full three minutes have potential to take over but always seem to find the perfect balance with the rest of the band. Drummer Matt Chamberlain--who has worked with Pearl Jam and Soundgarden--played with this beat when they were recording. "We all just sat in the control room watching him play," Dierks recalls. It was a bucket list for some to watch that control room magic. And the magic continues every time we click "play."
THE CHARTS
"[Woman, Amen is] relatable, even though it's such a different title," he said to Rolling Stone. "It's so different than what I had envisioned this record might be, or the lead single might be, but you have to go where the music leads you."
We're so glad the music led him this way. This song--and what we can assume for the entire album at this point--will be a standout among current country tracks. For those who have been dreaming of more classic country, it looks as if Dierks will deliver. As of the first day of release, "Woman, Amen" is #1 on Spotify Hot Country, #6 on the iTunes Country Chart, and is on the Hot Tracks on Apple Music. A well-deserved start for what we "pray" is recognized as an award-winning album across the board. How can it get to #1? Call or tweet your local radio stations and request this track!
You can see Dierks perform this live on The Ellen Show tomorrow (check your local listings for show times).
In the meantime, don't forget to purchase your "key to The Mountain" at dierks.com and use your code to download this single for free! (Now we know the meaning behind the "keys to The Mountain" Faith, Grace, Hope and Strength!) You can also purchase the song on iTunes, Amazon and other music channels.
THE VIDEO
DB Congress reps anticipate the music video will be available in the next month. Stay tuned! In the meantime, enjoy this behind-the-scenes imagery audio version his team released today:
THE LYRICS I'd lose my way, yeah I'd lose my mind If I faced one day on my own I know I was saved The night that she gave This drifter’s heart a home Every night I should be on my knees Lord knows how lucky I am I never say it near enough Thank God for this woman, amen This world has a way of shaking your faith I’ve been broken again and again But I need all the cracks In my shattered heart Cause that’s where her love gets in Every night I should be on my knees Lord knows how lucky I am I never say it near enough Thank God for this woman, amen She gives me faith She gives me grace She gives me hope She gives me strength She gives me love, love without end Thank God for this woman, amen Thanks for the moon and the stars up above Forgiveness of sin and your undying love Every twist every turn for the way you made sure All my roads lead to her So tonight I will fall down on my knees 'Cause Lord knows how lucky I am I’m going to shout at the top of my lungs Thank God for this woman, amen Yeah thank God for this woman, amen She gives me faith She gives me grace She gives me hope She gives me strength She gives me love, love without end Thank God for this woman, amen
Jessica Borrelli and Ronna Clark
DB Congress Reps, WA and FL
@AllTheWayToMe @RonnaFL
If this week is any indication of how 2018 with Dierks Bentley will be, we're all on the ultimate ride!
After almost two rare months of silence on his social media channels, and a very sad, blank space where his profile photos used to reside, fans and media channels started to notice something was going on. Even his website, dierks.com, went blank except for the tour date listings.
Then the clues (and subsequent social media frenzy) began.
Jan. 2, fans caught a--no kidding--6-second clip of clouds.
Jan. 5, a 9-second clip of Dierks' feet and backside hiking up some rocks.
Jan. 7, almost 12 seconds of forrest ... and Dierks hiking through it.
Jan. 8, just shy of three seconds of Dierks at the top of a mountain, taking a moment.
Jan. 9, 11 glorious seconds of Dierks hiking once again, but this time, with one of the best shots I've ever seen (anyone else with me?) of him taking it all in. Seriously. This has album cover written all over it.
Was this teasing a new album? (It has been almost two years since the release of Black, so that made sense. Plus we knew he was recently writing in Colorado.) Was there a new single coming out? What was going on?
Then Jan. 10 hit. And what a day it was!
The following clip (with a minute and a half teaser of the title track) was released with a note that you can now preorder The Mountain at dierks.com:
Does anyone else have chills?
At the same time, all profile photos switched to a nature-inspired logo, confirming the title of the upcoming album, The Mountain.
Thankfully we didn't have to wait long for more. Just 30 minutes later, his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram announced he would be live in two hours and would be collecting questions for the following hour using #TheMountain. There's no doubt why the hashtag was trending by the end of the day.
As hundreds flooded the platforms with their questions, hundreds more rushed to dierks.com to pre-order their copy, only to find a unique, iconically Dierks, surprise. You can order "a key to The Mountain." It's not just the key code to download your copy of The Mountain when it is available (plus enhanced features and content), but you'll get a literal key necklace engraved with words inspired by the album itself. You can pick between Strength, Humble, Freedom, Grateful, Believe, Hope, Faith and Grace. (Some have questioned where Congress is, but that's for another blog!)
These positive, uplifting, full-of-heart words all describe the man behind the music. If these are words inspired by the album, this could very well be the most self-reflective album yet. #humble
(A bonus for those who have ordered their key--you can use the emailed code to watch a video message from Dierks and see a handwritten copy of the lyrics to the title track! Which lyrics resonate most with you?)
He confirmed the album concepts in the live interview (where he answered a dozen questions, a couple of them we know were from DBC reps!).
In this interview, while we don't get an album release date, he does confirm the first single, "Woman, Amen," will be out Jan. 17. Thank goodness we don't have to wait long! #grateful
"Family has always inspired me. I think the first single shows that. Life. Living. Just that feeling of not just being alive but of living, going for stuff. That's probably more of what the whole album is about. My family is obviously the core to that."
His absence, he notes, is because he's been busy #living the music. We can get on board with that.
As for his inspiration for the album, the same day, Dierks' team put out an incredible behind-the-scenes QnA article, fully diving into the making of The Mountain. It's definitely worth a read, DBC.
In the live interview, he adds this descriptor: "I'm trying to take a lot of sounds from Up on the Ridge and blend them with the sounds from Black. 'Mixing the bluegrass with the kick ass.'"
Don't wake me. I must be dreaming.
To sum up, here's what we know:
Now--You can pre-order The Mountain, and pick out your "key to The Mountain." (Bonus: you'll see the extra Dierks video and handwritten lyrics.)
Jan. 17--The first single, "Woman, Amen," will be released. (Which means call/message/tweet your local radio stations to request this song starting that day!)
Jan. 18--Tune in, as Dierks will perform the new single on Ellen.
April?--The Mountain is released. #hope
May--The tour will kick off, though we don't yet know dates or cities. #believe
We know of four new songs (all presumably on this album): Woman, Amen; The Mountain; Burning Man; and Living
"I've never cared less in my career, and at the same time, I've never cared more. I don't care about the success of the album as much as I care about it just has to be right."
We're ready to climb The Mountain with you, Dierks.
