Dierks Bentley gives a crowd-pleasing country show as Indy 500 Legends Day concert returns
INDIANAPOLIS – Dierks Bentley led the return of the Indy 500 Firestone Legends Day concert Saturday night with some straightforward country music in near-perfect weather at TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park.
After two years of cancellations because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the concert shifted downtown for its return. A handful of Indianapolis Motor Speedway shirts, jerseys and hats – as well as a few out-of-towners complaining the venue had more security rules than the airport – seemed to indicate the show traveled well.
In a tweet on Saturday, TCU noted it expected a sold-out crowd for Bentley's second Indianapolis stop in seven months. It was a decent crowd and may well have officially sold out, but both the seated area and lawn were not quite full.
'I feel it's meant to be': Dierks Bentley adopts a dog he met on live 'Today' segment
After 90 minutes of opening acts Dillon Carmichael and Ashley McBryde, I was a little concerned the audience wasn't going to bring it. We were seated throughout and only about halfway full.
This was my second of three consecutive days of concert coverage, and I had to be at the Speedway in a few hours, so I was all right with the "conserve your energy" approach.
But Bentley, perhaps aided slightly by the sunset and hundreds of tall cans meeting their end, brought the audience to its feet, where it stayed for the rest of the night.
It was a solid country show.
Bentley came out in the standard uniform: jeans, a flannel shirt, a trucker hat and an acoustic guitar in hand. He sang and worked the crowd well, and his band was tight behind him.
Early on, he thanked the racing-hungry crowd.
"You could be anywhere tonight, but you spent your time and your money to be here with us," Bentley said.
'Greatest night of my life': Carrie Underwood rocks Stagecoach with Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses
There didn't seem to be any glaring weaknesses, problems or major surprises in Bentley's performance. It was good, but I doubt I'll recall much of it in a week. And I took notes.
That's not a knock on the show. In fact, it seemed to be exactly what the audience wanted: Beer, country music and maybe a little cowboy-boot dancing in the aisles on race day's eve.
Bentley gave us a few minutes of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" that drew a little extra from the crowd, then brought Carmichael and McBryde up for a solid rendition of "Bad Angel."
"I see some faces I haven't seen since I played the free stage at the (Indiana) State Fair in '03? '04? It was one of the aughts," Bentley said.
'You guys are small, but you are mighty': Garth Brooks electrifies small concert crowd in Ohio
During "Beers on Me," also the name of his ongoing tour that stopped at Ruoff Music Center in October, Bentley caught and distributed cans of beer while singing. He didn't drop one that I saw, but some poor soul in about the third row missed two chances at the Bentley-tossed libation.
There were some lines to get into TCU and, occasionally, at the bathrooms, but they moved quickly, and it seemed like the show and its new location avoided any serious problems.
A parting shout-out to the weather: It was about 70 degrees with a light breeze. Two hours of rain and mud dampened Friday's rock-heavy Carb Day concert at the Speedway, so the universe must be a country fan.
Kenny Chesney's new stadium tour: Country music star wants fans to know 'I gave them every cell of my body'