Country and Cold Cans Tour feat. Dierks Bentley – REVIEW

The Country and Cold Cans feat. Dierks Bentley came rolling to Joe’s Bar in Chicago. With him came Jerrod Niemann and Eli Young Band. You can check out our review after the break.

The Country and Cold Cans tour shut down Weed Street for a country block party this past Sunday as part of Dierks Bentley’s Miles and Music for Kids charity event sponsored by Nationwide. The concert was preceded by a motorcycle ride throughout the Chicagoland area, both of which raised money to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network and the Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. This event is one of many Bentley has hosted over the past six years in various cities to aid children’s hospitals across the nation. US99’s Lisa Dent was the day’s emcee and another visitor to the stage was Hannah, a young girl receiving treatment, who shared her own experience with the Children’s Memorial Hospital. Enthusiastically she explained it as “a place where miracles happen.”

Food and beverage tents were set up along the street for grazing. Some country music fans gathered closely around the stage set up outside of Joe’s Bar, while others listened from a distance on Joe’s patio. You couldn’t ask for more beautiful weather. One of the performers commented on the unseasonably warm fall day—it was hotter in Chicago than it was in the south—and frankly the music was just as hot.

Tyler Reeve provided some pre-show entertainment followed by CMT’s Next Superstar Matt Mason. Both performers kept it simple on stage. Neither of them was backed by a band, just themselves and another guitarist. Mason entertained the crowd with covers like Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” and original songs he looks forward to taking in to the studio with him.

Quite the contrast from the artists prior, Eli Young Band’s full band burst through the speakers and filled the crowd with excitement. The Texas natives opened with “Small Town Kid.” Their feel good songs like “When It Rains” and “Oklahoma Girl” were fun to groove along to. Before playing Guinevere, Mike Eli, the band’s lead singer, told the audience that it was one of his favorite songs he had ever been a part of writing. After his confession, they played the song and, understandably so, it embodied much emotion. Then, Dierks Bentley joined Eli Young Band for a special version of Lynryd Skynrd’s “Gimme Three Steps” and the crowd loved it. The wildly popular song “Crazy Girl” closed their set. As Eli sang the chorus the audience swayed from side to side and sang along. The band, like the other acts on this tour, sounded very tight and together. With a music industry relying more and more heavily on autotune, it’s refreshing when truly talented performers can rock out shows as good or better as their studio albums.

The next supporting act, Jerrod Niemann, took the stage with his band and good timing songs about drinking, girlfriends and living life. Niemann worked the stage, revving the crowd and made fans crazy with radio hits “One More Drinkin’ Song” and “Lover, Lover.” After he gave everyone his two cents on exes and the three reasons you hear from them post-breakup, he delivered a gorgeous performance of another country smash “What Do You Want From Me.” Less serious, up tempo songs like “Buckin’ Song” and “For Everclear” made the crowd smile and got everyone moving, however, during the slower ballads where instruments were sparse and Niemann’s vocals were exposed, you better realize his raw talent. He also played covers from country’s legendary artists like “Good Ride Cowboy” by Garth Brooks (a song Niemann wrote) and Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” (without a fiddle but with his “terminator” of a guitarist). His last song “Louisiana Saturday Night” by Don Williams caused some partner-dancing throughout the audience and left everyone with big smiles.

In between Jerrod Niemann and Dierks Bentley, Lisa Dent reappeared to auction off a one-of-a-kind guitar signed by all of the performers. It was sold to a lucky audience member for $10,500 and the profits went directly to the event’s cause.
Deafening screams ensued as Dierks Bentley and his band took the stage. As the sun started to set on Chicago he opened with a new song bearing the same name as the tour, “Country and Cold Cans.” The familiar song “Feel That Fire” followed. Then Bentley began chanting the “come on, come on” line before diving into “Am I The Only One.” The party anthem recently hit #1 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, which isn’t surprising given the crowd’s overwhelmingly positive reaction. Mid-song he talked about how appreciative he was of all the fans’ support to his Miles and Music cause, then continued with a special third verse made up for the event. It’s treats like these that make seeing live performances especially awesome.

He bounced around stage while playing fan favorites like “Every Mile A Memory” and “Trying To Stop Your Leaving.” When he played “Sideways” it was almost hard to hear Bentley over the audience singing along, and people were dancing all around me. Another new high-energy track entitled “5150” came next and seemed well-received by the audience. He dedicated the ever-more romantic love song “I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes” to all the “Chicago country girls”, his deep voice serenading them, and after losing his pearl snap shirt he went into a slightly slower version of “Settle for a Slowdown.” “How Am I Doing” brought the tempo back up and in true Bentley-fashion he stopped the song to ask where the after party was. Engaging and interacting with the crowd is something Bentley does extremely well.

“Up On The Ridge” showcased his band’s talent with guitar, bass, banjo, fiddle, drums all played with intensity. It’s amazing that they can jam out so in sync the way they do. Next, Bentley sang his newest single “Home” which seemed very personal. Smiling, everyone watched him intently as he belted out the unifying lyrics and the repetitive drum beats hypnotized the crowd. Later, an oversized check was presented on stage revealing that the Chicago fundraiser’s grand total exceeded an impressive $140,000—a record amount since the event started. After the big announcement he ended the evening with “Free and Easy” and finally “What Was I Thinking.”

Every time I’ve seen Bentley it’s a totally different show. There are the standby songs that you can count on hearing, but he always has tricks up his sleeve. He feeds off the crowd and caters each show to them. There is an electric feeling that pulsates through the crowd as Bentley performs is unlike any other live show I’ve attended.

Country music truly has a lot of heart and soul. Watching these artists pour it out on stage is really an unforgettable experience. The Country and Cold Cans Tour continues through mid-November, and Nashville is the next site for Miles and Music for Kids.

Information about the review…
Tour: Country and Cold Cans Tour feat. Dierks Bentley
Artists: Dierks Bentley, Jerrod Niemann and Eli Young Band
Reviewer: Alexandra McMillin
Date: October 9, 2011
Venue: Joe’s Bar in Chicago, IL