August 2018 32 Sponsored by Cowtown Boots • Phoenix • Tempe • Tucson 96.3 Real Country Concert Page Venue: Ak-Chin Pavilion 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85035 (602) 254-7200, ak-chinpavilion.com DIERKS BENTLEY September 29, 2018 Country music singer. Born November 20, 1975, in Phoenix, Arizona. Inheriting a love of music from his father, Bentley picked up his first instrument, an electric guitar, at age 13. After graduating from a prestigious East Coast prep school and attending Vanderbilt University, Bentley dropped out of college to pursue a career in music. Bentley became the youngest member of the Grand Ole Opry when he was inducted on October 1, 2005. That year, he won the CMA Horizon Award. His first DVD, The Dierks Bentley Experience, was filmed in 2006 in Denver, Colorado. In 2009, Bentley released another hit album, Feel That Fire. He had two number one hits from the recording: the title track and "Sideways." His musical style has been compared to such country legends as Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard. Bentley's sixth album, Home, released in 2012, featured a dozen new songs that the singer road-tested on tour. It was an eclectic and varied affair, with guest spots from Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild as well as Tim O'Brien and Sam Bush, among others. Capitol issued his self-funded EP, Country and Cold Cans, that summer, and before long he had begun sessions for what would be his seventh full-length release for the label in 11 years. "Bourbon in Kentucky," a duet with Kacey Musgraves, was the first single from the sessions, but it flopped upon its June 2013 release, going no further than number 40 on the Billboard Venue: Comerica Theatre 400 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85003 (602) 379-2800; comericatheatre.com DWIGHT YOAKAM August 4, 2018 Dwight David Yoakam is an American singer- songwriter, musician and actor, known for his pioneering- style of country music. His popularity starting in the mid-1980s, Yoakam has recorded more than twenty albums and compilations, charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and sold more than 25 million records. He has recorded five Billboard #1 albums, twelve gold albums, and nine platinum albums, including the triple-platinum This Time. Venue: Ak-Chin Pavilion 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85035 (602) 254-7200, ak-chinpavilion.com LADY ANTEBELLUM & DARIUS RUCKER August 23, 2018 Since teaming up in 2006, Lady Antebellum has sold over 18 million units and had nine No. 1 singles on the country charts. They have won seven Grammy awards (including both Record and Song of the Year for “Need You Now” in 2010), and they were the first artists in the history of the CMA Awards to win Single of the Year in back-to-back years. All of this making music country music that Kelley describes as “a little bit rock and roll, a little bit of pop, a little bit of R&B thrown in, just because that’s what we love—Dave and I grew up in Augusta, Georgia, the home of James Brown, and Hillary grew up in Nashville, and we just kind of mix it all together.” When it came time to incorporate that sound for Heart Break, another key element was producer busbee, whose previous work with Lady A includes the No. 1 hit “Our Kind of Love,” and who has recently collaborated with the likes of Maren Morris and Keith Urban. “busbee pushed us into a really neat place and he’s such an integral part of this new chapter for us,” says Haywood. “He challenged us, pushed us, he never settled for just an ‘ok' vocal performance in the studio....or a mediocre lyric. Having known him for nearly eight years really made us all comfortable enough with each other to be open and say exactly what we felt." Country charts. A second single, "I Hold On," quickly followed and went into the Top Ten, but the lack of success of "Bourbon in Kentucky" was a factor in pushing back the release of Riser; it didn't appear until February 2014. Bentley rebounded with Riser, however. The album debuted at number one on Billboard's Country charts -- it went to six on the Top 200 -- and generated three major hits: "I Hold On" and "Drunk on a Plane," which both peaked at three on the U.S. Hot Country chart and went platinum, and "Say You Do" which topped out at five. The title track sustained momentum on radio in 2015, and in early 2016, he returned with "Somewhere on a Beach," the first single from his eighth album, Black. Both the single and subsequent album topped Billboard's country charts with Black also landing the number two spot on the Top 200. Bentley returned in early 2018 with "Women, Amen," the lead single from his forthcoming album The Mountain. Venue: T-Mobile Arena 3780 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89158 (702) 692-1600, t-mobilearena.com GEORGE STRAIT December 7 & 8, 2018 The success attained by the legendary George Strait has been virtually endless, and rightfully so. Affectionately known as the “King of Country,” Strait’s legacy is one that will be tough to top, as his long-running reign over the genre has resulted in insurmountable accomplishments that include numerous CMA Entertainer of the Year honors, a record-setting number of chart-topping albums and songs, induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and he has been certified as one of the best-selling artists in the history of American music. Though George Strait claimed he would retire in 2017, he still tours and plays shows for his residency in Las Vegas.