related items
Country music stars Keith Urban and Taylor Swift filled...
McGraw launches in Omaha, books Feb. 13 at the Well
Dierks Bentley puts a lot of faith in his fans. Last year for the release of "Greatest Hits: Every Mile a Memory 2003-2008," the country star turned to fans to select cover art and five live tracks for the album. In the liner notes, he credited 3,000 of them as executive producers.
"The label wanted to put something together, but I wanted to make it more of a fan appreciation album," said Bentley, who performs Thursday at Val Air Ballroom. Bentley said his fans chose some songs that weren't singles, like "Wish It Would Break." "They love a lot of album cuts, and are always yelling songs like that out in shows," he said. "I just let majority rule."
Recently, Bentley started making some changes to his life as a performer. Gone are the 300-day-a-year tours, similar to other country stars. Now he's looking to focus more on performing in support of an album, tailoring the live show to match the latest release - more in line with rock bands. This also gives Bentley more time to write and record at home instead of on the road.
"When I look at the way rock bands do it, it makes more sense to me," he said. "Not trying to cram in a record while touring, they take time away. I will still write sometimes on the road, but I want to try to give each phase some better attention."
Another motivator for less time on the road is Bentley's daughter, Evalyn Day, who recently celebrated her first birthday. Bentley wrote the song "Beautiful World" with his then-unborn child in mind, and thinks fatherhood will likely have an influence on his songwriting.
"I just don't want to get stuck writing one thing. Having a child allows you to grow as a human being and experience life in a different way than you did before," he said. "I still get to go out on the road, act like a little kid and stomp around and play video games. But then I get to come home and experience fatherhood, which is one of the greatest joys I've known in my entire life."
Bentley's 34th birthday hits about a week after his show in Des Moines, but he doesn't have any dramatic b-day plans, other than a live show that night. But that doesn't mean celebrations aren't happening.
"For my wife, it's a birthday month," he said. "For me, I'd rather just play a gig."
