DIERKS BENTLEY IS “LOCKED & LOADED” THIS FALL WITH A HEADLINING TOUR SPONSORED BY BUD LIGHT AND HIS THIRD ALBUM RELEASE OCT. 17
Bentley Joins the Ranks of Megastars George Strait and Tim McGraw as Bud Light’s Newly Sponsored National Tour
NASHVILLE, TN – Aug. 14, 2006 – Country music star and 2006 CMA “Male Vocalist Of The Year” nominee Dierks Bentley will kick off his Bud Light-sponsored “Locked & Loaded” tour on Oct. 4, 2006 in Auburn, Ala. The tour will feature over three hours of unbridled live music by the multi-platinum singer/songwriter and his friends and openers CMA Horizon Award nominee Miranda Lambert, whose debut album “Kerosene” was recently certified GOLD, and introducing the Randy Rogers Band, whose debut album on Mercury Records hits stores this Sept.
Bentley, who has logged over 180,000 miles and over 300 days on the road this past year, has played everything from small rock clubs to sold-out stadiums. This next move to headlining his own tour of small arenas is the logical next step in a career that has been built on touring non-traditional country venues.
By issuing general admission tickets on the floor of most venues, Bentley hopes to recreate the intimate feeling of the smaller club shows he has played over the last four years. Some reserved seating will also be available in each venue.
“I’ve really shaped my career around my live show because that’s where it started for me…playing for nothing but tip jars and alcohol,” says Bentley. “If we do it right, the fans won’t even notice we are in a bigger venue this time around.”
Bentley becomes the third country artist ever to be sponsored by Bud Light, the No. 1 beer in the United States and the best-selling light beer in the world.
“I think they are just trying to help me recoup all the money I’ve spent on beer in my life, ” laughs Bentley. “It really is pretty cool to be aligned with such a well known brand, and one that has been involved in the careers of a couple of guys I look up to, Strait and McGraw.”
Bentley will also release his third studio album on Oct. 17. The album titled “Long Trip Alone” follows on the heels of his first two Platinum-selling releases, the self-titled debut and “Modern Day Drifter.” The lead single “Every Mile A Memory” has been burning up the charts. The single, written by Bentley, Brett Beavers and Steve Bogard, is sitting at No. 11 on the R&R chart (formerly Billboard) and at No. 9 on the Mediabase chart (USA TODAY) just six weeks after its release to radio.
Dierks Bentley fans will have the opportunity to hear some of the highly-anticipated new tracks off the upcoming album, as well as his hits on the Bud Light sponsored “Locked & Loaded” national tour in the following cities:
Auburn, AL
Asheville, NC
Chattanooga, TN
North Charleston, SC
*Salem, VA
Winston-Salem, NC
New York City
Elmira, NY
Lewiston, ME
*Bangor, ME
Bowling Green, KY
Bloomington,IL
Lexington, KY
Canton, OH
Johnson City, TN
Starkeville, MS
*Valdosta, GA
*Tyler, TX
Dallas, TX
Belton, TX
Corpus Christi, TX
Dayton, OH
Lacrosse, WI
Dekalb, IL
Dubuque, IA
St. Paul, MN
Sioux Falls, ND
Missoula, MT
Nampa, ID (Boise)
Portland, OR
Everett, WA (Seattle)
*Kennewick, WA
*Medford, OR
Oakland, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Phoenix, AZ
Las Vegas, NV
* Bud Light sponsorship of events in these markets TBD
Contact:
Mary Hilliard Harrington
The Greenroom
(615) 327-3887
maryhilliard@thegreenroompr.com