Every mile(stone) was a memory in 2018! Here are the highlights:
January 10
Dierks started the year in epic fashion. After two months of silence on his social media channels, clues finally started to be leaked, resulting in what we’ve all been waiting for: a new album! This social media campaign revealed the title, logo, preorder information (including the beloved keys!), a live interview, and the announcement of the first single off the album: “Woman, Amen.”
January 16
Located on the corner of 4th Avenue and Broadway in Nashville, the long-anticipated Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row restaurant finally opened!
January 17
“Woman, Amen” was officially released as the first single off the anticipated album The Mountain. Throughout the year, the song made it to number one in just a few months!
January 18
Dierks and the guys had the opportunity to perform "Woman, Amen" on Ellen, where she introduced him as "one of the biggest names in country music."
January 23
The Mountain High Tour was announced in a very unique way, pulling in tour mates Brothers Osborne and LANCO. The tour kicked off in Columbia, Md., on May 18 and stopped at more than 30 cities, including the sold out Madison Square Garden in September.
February 5
As stated on The Boot, "Dierks Bentley received the 2018 CRS Artist Humanitarian Award in a special ceremony. The award was given in recognition of Bentley's substantial charitable work, including his Miles & Music for Kids concert and motorcycle ride, which occurred annually over the span of 10 years and raised over $4 million to benefit children's hospitals across the country, and the Country Cares concert he organized and hosted in support of those affected by wildfires in his home state, Arizona." Watch his full acceptance speech here.
February 10
As if we didn’t already feel like we were shouting from the top of a mountain with the excitement of the year so far, Dierks announced he has partnered up with Flag & Anthem to create a new clothing line, Desert Son. Fit for a son of the Arizona desert, this “authentic” clothing line is truly a representation of the desert son himself.
April 5
Dierks revealed the Seven Peaks Music Festival would be held over Labor Day weekend in Buena Vista, Colo. Guest artists already announced included Miranda Lambert, Brothers Osborne, LANCO, Elle King, Del McCoury, Sam Bush and The Cadillac Three, with more announced in the coming months.
April 10
In the style of his “Riser” music video, Dierks used this medium to share a real story of a mother-daughter super duo with the hope of inspiring others to action in "Woman, Amen" music video.
April 12
We finally received a release date for The Mountain! The album will be released June 8. This announcement included a downloadable track and the entire track list of the album. Dierks wrote 10 of the 13 new tracks “that are unified by themes of presence and positivity, and range in style from textured rock to acoustic folk, feeling both rooted and expansive at the same time.”
April 15
Dierks’ “Black” music video was nominated for Video of the Year at the ACM Awards where he had the opportunity to perform “Woman, Amen." This performance earned solid airtime through various platforms because of the kiss he gave his wife, Cassidy, at the end! This was also the evening where #WomanAmenACM submissions were featured during the performance (and those same photos have been used on tour ever since!).
April/May
Dierks created four "Mountain" music videos, sharing stories of people overcoming their personal mountains. Teaming up with Apple Music, these videos highlight “fans’ stories of resilience, perseverance and hope set to picturesque performance footage shot in Colorado.” Songs include "Woman, Amen," (see April 10) “The Mountain,” “Living,” and “You Can’t Bring Me Down.”
May 20
The Mountain High Tour kicks off in Columbia, Md., with many DBCers in attendance! It was clear Dierks hadn’t been on the road for a while--he was so excited, he didn’t even stop to talk until he was nine songs into the night! With tight transitions and a stellar setlist, it was the perfect opener for the six-month tour!
June 7
In the hours leading up to the long-awaited album release of midnight on June 8, Dierks and the guys performed the entire album top to bottom at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. He also included a couple extra recent hits along with older country covers.
June 8
The album has arrived! “The Mountain just might be Dierks at his strongest—this just might be the summit of the mountain of a career he’s been climbing. … [It’s] inherently Dierks. It’s rugged and rock-tinged, but still undeniably country. It has a heart.”
June/July
The law enforcement lip sync battle that took over the country has gone, well, country. A chance to show these men and women in uniform are real people, they took the opportunity to lip sync to whatever songs inspired them … and Dierks’ “5-1-5-0” naturally was a perfect fit for many.
July 2
A personal message from Dierks arrived exclusively for the DB Congress. “I cannot even think of where to start when it comes to thanking you guys for, man, all the support all you guys do, all your enthusiasm … especially with the new album release, and just playing new songs and knowing that you guys are gonna be down front supporting us means so much to me and the guys in the band.”
August 22
As stated in Rolling Stone, Dierks received "the ACM Merle Haggard Spirit Award in recognition of a career that has spanned eight albums and blazed a unique trail with his artistry, just as the award’s namesake did during his lifetime."
August 31 - September 2
Dierks hosted his first-ever music festival, Seven Peaks! Drawing thousands to Buena Vista, Colo. (including many DBCers), Dierks took the time to walk through the camp to ensure he had the chance to meet everyone in attendance. Save the date for next year-there's no way he'd miss doing this again!
October 14
The “Burning Man” music video, featuring Brothers Osborne, was released, and it’s pure fire! Though a few team members actually experienced a heat stroke from the literal heat when filming, the result was perfection. “Dierks’ heart, passion, contemplation, and joy radiate throughout the video, continuing the 2018 trend we’ve seen from Dierks in his introspective year.”
October 22
Though we do not yet know the title or even the air date, we do know Dierks is slated to produce a new comedy show on Fox along with his manager, Mary Hilliard Harrington. This dynamic duo has teamed up with Jack Burditt, best known as the creator of the hit shows Last Man Standing and Modern Family. “The untitled series is set in a Nashville bar, where singers and songwriters go to chase their dreams, or maybe just to fall in love if only for a night.”
October 26
The Burning Man Tour will be hitting cities in the U.S. and Canada in 2019! This time, Dierks will welcome back Jon Pardi, and is adding Tenille Townes to the team (with the Hot Country Knights kicking it all off for each show!). Tickets are on sale now (if you haven't snagged them already!).
November 14
Dierks performed “Burning Man” live on Good Morning America ahead of the CMA Awards later that evening. From where did he perform? His own Whiskey Row in Nashville, naturally! That evening, he was nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year (The Mountain), and Musical Event of the Year ("Burning Man" with Brothers Osborne).
Also November 14
It was announced that Dierks stepped down from the Metro Nashville Airport Authority Board of Directors, citing work being more time consuming than he anticipated, resulting in him not contributing as much as he would have liked. He was appointed in April 2017.
November-December
Those visiting Dierks' Whiskey Row in Nashville (along with other Lower Broadway restaurants) between Thanksgiving and Christmas had the opportunity to purchase items off the menu with a percentage benefitting Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital in Vanderbilt. For WR, if you purchased their legendary mac and cheese, some of the proceeds would have been donated on your behalf. A win-win!
December
Through the month of December--well, 12 days of it--DB Congress held a unique Twitter campaign: The 12 Days of Dierksmas Giveaways! For those who retweeted the 12 daily tweets (well, there were actually 13 because we were quite excited!), their name was entered to win the item of the day, ranging anywhere from beer koozies to meet and greets! Special thanks to BubbleUp, Dierks.com, Red Light Management, and Flag & Anthem for providing the giveaways!
December 1
This day saw gifts aplenty for Dierks and DBCers! In the last show of 2018, Dierks brought 10-year-old daughter, Evie, on stage to perform “My Religion” together. This was a priceless moment that many will remember for years to come! Also, before the show, Dierks had the chance to open his belated birthday gift from dozens of DB Congress reps, which included a customized guitar strap, giant fold-out birthday card, and a donation made to Jumbled Dreams on his behalf … to which he replied, “Best fans ever!”
December 5
In true Dierks fashion, he took the time to handwrite notes to his team, giving personal thank yous to the band and crew.
December 10
A favorite tradition for Dierks and Cassidy, the couple attended the Safe Haven Family Shelter annual fundraiser and joined a team to match 100 percent of all proceeds. With their contributions, the event raised more than $56,000 for the shelter—one very near and dear to the Bentley family.
December 18
Dierks had the opportunity to perform on the season 15 finale of The Voice, bringing “country to L.A. with a rendition of his hit, Burning Man.” Everyone agrees, it was an incredible performance! Even his family got to attend.
We simply cannot wait to see what 2019 has in store for Dierks and DB Congress! Let's climb that mountain!
