Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi and Tenille Townes at DTE Energy Music Theatre

June 29th (DTE Energy Music Theatre – Clarkston, MI) – As I sat down to start writing this review a few things dawned on me almost instantly. First, not only was this my first outdoor country music event of the year, it was my first outdoor event of the year period. In Michigan, we had such a horrid spring filled with rain and colder temps that were much below normal. Between the start of May and the middle of June we had like 40 days out of 50 that had some sort of rainfall. That definitely put a damper on not only moods but attending outdoor events. The second thing that dawned on me was that I also realized that I hadn’t seen Dierks Bentley live in probably six or seven years. At least that part was going to change as of tonight.

The full lineup for the night’s concert was Dierks Bentley with special guests Jon Pardi, Tenille Townes and Hot Country Knights. Although I tried to get there in time to see all the acts, the normal traffic, in addition to the extra delays because of major construction on Sashabaw Road (the road that leads to the venue), that wasn’t happening. I pulled into the lot and parked next to a couple that looked like they’d be fun to hang out with and set up for some parking lot hangs. I had already missed the first act and Tenille was already playing so I figured I’d just listen to her from the parking lot and talk to some of the people hanging out and waiting for Jon and Dierks to start. From what I heard from Tenille she sounded great and the crowd applause was heard from outside so that’s always a good sign. Over the course of the evening I heard from several people that said she really did a great job and was very talented so give her a listen and check her out when you get the chance. Tenille ended her set and I then spent another thirty minutes or so hanging out with my new friends in the parking lot. It’s always a fun experience listening to people’s stories about the acts playing that night. It ranged from some of them seeing Dierks before, a few mentioning how excited they were to see him for the first time and those who were excited to check out Jon Pardi’s set as well. We started to pack things away, close up the cars, said our ‘nice to meet you’s and enjoy the show’s’ to those around us and headed in to catch Jon Pardi. 

As I entered DTE and started heading down to my seat I remembered noticing how good the seat was for the show. Now, as a reviewer, it’s obviously not important to be given a great seat. You just need to hear and see the show, it doesn’t have to be 20 or 30 feet in front of your face. I’m always honored and excited for any concert or event that I get to review, but when the PR person hooks you up with a great seat for the show, it’s definitely a bonus that is much appreciated and fully enjoyed. Jon sounded great as he went through his set for the evening. I was surprised at what a good entertainer he was being relatively newer to the big country scene. Jon has been around for a few years but really started to gain more attention in 2014 after doing tours with Alan Jackson and Dierks Bentley. His second album, California Sunrise, contained the hit songs ‘Head Over Boots’, ‘Heartache on the Dance Floor’ and ‘Dirt on my Boots’. All of those were played tonight, as well as a few of his other popular singles and favorites. Highlights for me from Jon’s set were his cover of Brooks and Dunn’s ‘Next Broken Heart’, his new track ‘Heartache Medication’ and when he brought this little guy from the crowd up onstage to hang out for a few minutes. This young man couldn’t have been more than four years old and he was totally decked out from head to toe. From professionally shaped cowboy hat, to country shirt, hat and boots. He even had his own little acoustic guitar and actually looked like he knew how to hold it and use it.

Even though he already played it earlier in the set, Jon and little man sang a few lines of ‘Night Shift’ and the excitement on the little guys face was priceless. Great set from Jon and I always enjoy music artists who give a crowd member some sort of unique experience. We’ll definitely be seeing and hearing a lot more about Jon Pardi in the years to come.

I met up with a few friends after Jon finished his set, grabbed one last drink to take back with me, and headed down to my seat to enjoy the rest of the show. As I’m walking down the pavilion stairs to my seat the sun is going down, the lights go out, and the crowd starts going crazy, which can only mean one thing tonight. It’s time for Dierks Bentley to take the stage. As I mentioned earlier, it’s probably been six or seven years since the last time I caught Dierks live, and I was looking forward to seeing how much he’s grown and perfected his live show. Many of us in attendance were surprised to see a cast on his arm when he came out on stage and we later found out that he had been in a mountain bike accident just a few days earlier. Luckily that didn’t cause Dierks to cancel the tour, or even the show, and he even joked about telling the doctors and nurses that they need to build a special cast so he could still do at least two things. Hold a beer and play some guitar.

The band was tight, Dierks sounded great and was so full of energy. He honestly seemed like he was extra fired up because of the hand injury as he and the boys belted out song after song. The hit songs went by one after the other as they ran through favorites like ‘Somewhere On A Beach’, ‘Black’, ‘5-1-5-0’, ‘Come A little Closer’ and ‘What Was I Thinking’. It was also a special treat to see Jon Pardi come out and join him for a song, have Tenille Townes make an appearance as she joined him for ‘Different For Girls’, and to watch him head deep into the crowd to interact with fans and grab a local guy to climb up and shotgun a few beers with him. In addition to being so impressed at how far Dierks had come as an entertainer and the great chemistry happening between him, the fans and his band, there came a time during the show that I was fortunate to be a part of that I’ll never forget. Between songs Dierks started talking about something that he had done prior to tonight’s show and that in particular it involved a soldier that was in attendance. A spotlight goes on and it’s literally hitting me, or at least my close area. Come to find that the soldier who had met with Dierks before the show was sitting two seats down from me and I actually had a few encounters with him over the last few hours before I knew who he was. Some very powerful words were spoken about him by Dierks, and a song was even dedicated to him as this little tribute came to an end. The crowd was so into the tribute and even gave the soldier a standing ovation. After that the set continued and the energy and chemistry between him, the band and the fans never lessened up. These people were definitely here to see Dierks and he was definitely in the mood to thank them the best way he knew how. I got up to leave as the encore was happening, I hugged his wife and her friend, hugged Captain Turnbull and gave him a thanks and headed out to go back to the car. Thank you Dierks for doing such an amazing thing, shout out to USA BMX for making it all happen and to Captain Jonathon Turnbull, it was an honor to meet you, your wife and friend and thank you for your service.

Overall what an amazing night it was despite it being so late in the year for a first summer concert. Great people, great music and definitely some great experiences. I came to the conclusion that this concert was a bit over sold because I hadn’t seen that many people at a DTE show in quite some time. I really enjoyed Jon Pardi, his energy and his live show and what can I say about Dierks. On one hand he’s still the same kind of guy doing the same style of country music that he’s always enjoyed but on the other hand he’s grown so much. He’s not only become a huge figure in country music and performs like the best of the best, you can still see the hunger and the pleasure to perform and entertain like he still has to prove something, that’s rare these days for someone who has been doing this for over 15 years. Thanks for a great night, Dierks, and thanks to Ansley at The Green Room for allowing me to come out and do the concert review.

Review compliments of Howie Herula.

Photos by Tony Patroske and Howie Herula

Dierks Bentley – www.dierks.com 

Jon Pardi – www.jonpardi.com

Tenille Townes – www.tenilletownes.com