(Photo : Universal Nashville)
Dierks Bentley
Last night, Dierks Bentley kicked off the biggest stage show in the history of his career in Charlotte, North Carolina. Much more than just a big stage with a bunch of amps, the production behind the Riser Tour is over the top!

This is a new thing for Bentley. As he said during an exclusive tour preview held in Nashville for media earlier this week, "I've always been the guy that designed sets on cocktail napkins in the back of the bus. When we first started off, it was figuring out how we were gonna build a stage. Usually it's been gear. A lot of amplifiers have been a big part of our production, our set, our stage and our look. These last couple of years have been afforded the chance to kinda step it up a little bit."

Stepping it up, in Dierks' world, apparently means special effects, video technology and out of this world lighting. While not cheap, the cool factor is enough to make it worth the cost for the singer. He said, "I've gotten a couple phone calls from my business manager about this particular setup, informing me, 'Don't be surprised at the end of the year how much your production cut into costs!'"

The company behind the design is none other than Tribe, inc., the company behind the design/direction of: the last 8 Super Bowl Halftime Shows; 2013 Country Music Awards (Tribe's eighth CMA production design credit); The Olympics; iTunes Festival – London & Austin; The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony; and tours for Andrea Bocelli; Beyonce; Bruce Springsteen; Dave Matthews; Jay-Z; Johnny Cash; Kanye West; Leonard Cohen; Madonna; Paramore; and The Black Eyed Peas.

You can check out the new production and, of course, hear great music from Dierks, Chris Young, Chase Rice and Jon Pardi, between now and late September.

Dierks Bentley Riser Tour Dates:

May 10 - Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek Amphitheater
May 16 - Virginia Beach, VA - Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
May 17 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
May 18 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
May 24 - Bossier City, LA - Horseshoe Bossier City - Riverdome
May 25 - Tunica Resorts, MS - Delta Country Jam
May 30 - Detroit, MI - Comerica Park (WYCD Hoedown)
May 31 - Philadelphia, PA - WXTU 30th Anniversary Show - Susquehanna Bank Center
June 1 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion
June 5 - Nashville, TN - CMA Fest - LP Field
June 6 - Chillicothe, IL - 3 Sisters Park
June 7 - Martin, MI - B-93 Birthday Bash - US 131 Motorsports Park
June 12 - Portland, ME - Maine State Pier
June 13 - Hunter, NY - Taste Of Country Music Festival
June 14 - Thornville, OH - WCOL Country Jam 2014
June 15 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
June 19 - Newport, RI - Newport Yachting Center
June 20 - Canandaigua, NY - CMAC
June 21 - Pittsburgh, PA - Heinz Field (with Luke Bryan - That’s My Kind Of Night tour)
June 27 - Oklahoma City, OK - OKCFEST
June 28 - Rogers, AR - Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion
July 4 - Fort Worth, TX - Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic
July 9 - LaPorte, IN - Laporte County Fair
July 12 - Craven, SK - Craven Country Jamboree
July 18 - Eu Claire, WI - Country Jam USA
July 19 - Council Bluffs, IA - Stir Concert Cove
July 20 - St. Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
July 23 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
July 24 - Park City, UT - Deer Valley Ski Resort – Snow Park Amphitheater
July 25 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
July 26 - Phoenix, AZ - AK- Chin Pavilion
July 27 - San Diego, CA - Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
July 31 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
August 1 - Las Vegas, NV - The Axis at Planet Hollywood
August 3 - Sixes, OR - Cape Blanco Country Music Festival
August 10 - Boston, MA - Gillette Stadium
August 11 - Hamburg, NY - Erie County Fair
August 16 - Ontario, Canada - Havelock Country Jamboree
August 22 - Essex Junction, VT - Champlain Valley Expo
August 23 - Huron-Kinloss, Ontario, Canada - Music in the Fields Festival
August 30 - Panama City Beach, FL - Pepsi Gulf Coast Jan
August 31 - Chicago, IL - Soldier Field (with Luke Bryan - That’s My Kind Of Night tour)
September 11 - Glen Allen, VA - Innsbrook Pavilion
September 20 - Hunstville, TN - Brimstone Recreation
September 25 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
September 26 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
September 27 - Indianapolis, IN - Klipsch Music Center

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