Dierks Bentley's "Beers on Me" Tour marked the first country show at FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine since lockdowns began last year, and the sold-out crowd made it clear that music has been missed.
It was the same for Dierks, who noted, "I love seeing you, but I love hearing you more," as he implored the crowd to sing along. And sing along they did, his set comprised vastly of his biggest hits, the familiarity bringing comfort to an outside world still fraught with uncertainty. A moment of silence was held (as best possible) before "Riser," and his latest single "Beers on Me," before he welcomed opening acts Riley Green and Parker McCollum back to the stage as the party returned to high-gear.
Dierks came out into the audience for an intimate version of "I Hold On," and Riley joined him once again for a cover of Joe Diffie's "John Deere Green."
For Dierks, the star of the show is the music, not the production, at least not until the end-of-show surprise set from his '90s country tribute band, Hot Country Knights, who brought humor and some fine neon fashion and crop-top shirts to the stage. Among the many songs they purported to have written ("on the setlist!"), they also included a medley of '90s country hits, including Trisha Yearwood's "She's in Love with the Boy," Toby Keith's "Should've Been a Cowboy," the Chicks' "Cowboy Take Me Away," LeAnn Rimes' "Blue," George Strait's "Blue Clear Sky," John Michael Montgomery's "I Swear," Brooks & Dunn's "Hard Workin' Man," Tracy Lawrence's "Paint Me a Birmingham" (controversially in the set as it is a 2000s, post-mustache song), JoDee Messina's "Bye Bye," Garth Brooks' "The Dance," Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance," and Alan Jackson's "Chattahoochie."
Setlist:
Dierks Bentley:
1. Gone
2. Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)
3. Am I the Only One
4. Burning Man
5. Woman, Amen
6. Black
7. Up on the Ridge
8. The Devil Went Down to Georgia (Charlie Daniels Band cover)
9. Somewhere on a Beach
10. Lot of Leaving Left to Do
11. Riser
12. Beers on Me
13. 5-1-5-0
14. I Hold On
15. John Deere Greene (Joe Diffie cover)
16. Living
17. What Was I Thinking
18. Sideways
19. Drunk on a Plane
Hot Country Knights:
1. T-R-O-U-B-L-E (Travis Tritt cover)
2. Medley
3. Some Girls Do (Sawyer Brown cover)
4. Riser (tribute to Pfizer)
5. Sold (John Michael Montgomery cover)
