Dierks Bentley is having a blast as headliner on his 2014 Riser Tour. In addition to his fans, he owes a lot of that enjoyment to his opening acts – Jon Pardi, Chris Young and Chase Rice.

“I think back to when I was opening for Kenny [Chesney], and Keith Urban was the middle act, and I was the beginning act, and what that felt like just to have that camaraderie of guys, you know, and to be able to talk about things,” says Dierks. “Now I got one step further. Now I got three other guys out there with me. So, just great guys at all different levels in their career. Jon Pardi…reminds me a lot of myself back in those days. He’s just running wide open and just [a] great Honky Tonk singer, funny guy, just makin’ the most of this time out there. And then getting to know Chase, who’s just a really great guy as well, too. You know, he’s kinda forged his own path through, really through social media, I guess; and then, Chris Young just one of the best singers in this town and a great guy. So, we have a lot of fun. They’re all great hangs, and I’m having the best time of my life out there.”

Dierks is currently charging up the charts with “Drunk on a Plane,” which he’s performing on tour. His next stop is Thursday (June 19th) in Newport, Rhode Island. On Saturday (June 21^st), he joins pal Luke Bryan at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the first of Luke’s stadium shows.

Dierks Bentley (tour is a blast) OC: … total blast. :55
“It’s really fun. It’s everything I would’ve ever hoped that getting a chance to headline a tour would be. I think back to when I was opening for Kenny, and Keith Urban was the middle act, and I was the beginning act, and what that felt like just to have that camaraderie of guys, you know, and to be able to talk about things, and now, I got one step further. Now I got three other guys out there with me. So, just great guys at all different levels in their career. Jon Pardi, you know, just real… reminds me a lot of myself back in those days. He’s just running wide open and just [a] great Honky Tonk singer, funny guy, just makin’ the most of this time out there. And then getting to know Chase, who’s just a really great guy as well, too. You know, he’s kinda forged his own path through, really through social media, I guess. And then, Chris Young just one of  the best singers in this town and a great guy. So, we have a lot of fun, you know. They’re all great hangs, and I’m having the best time of my life out there. It’s been a total blast.”