Concert Preview: @DierksBentley (Interview) #SoundsofSummerTour

If you want to be in total surprise about a certain guest star during Dierks Bentley’s upcoming Sounds of Summer Tour, do not read any more.

Now, if you happened to be in attendance for any of the dates on the tour – which begins this Friday in Raleigh, NC, you just might see a familiar face – and car at the show. The singer recently traveled to John Schneider’s Louisiana home to record an introduction to his classic hit “What Was I Thinkin?”

The single – which started off Bentley’s career in 2002 – featured a memorable line “Hood Slidin’ Like Bo Duke,” so, Bentley thought that having the actor make an appearance on screen before the song might be a good idea.

“We were in rehearsals, and thought it would be great to have someone else introduce ‘What Was I Thinkin?’ besides me. So, in my head, I thought of John Schneider. I called Mary, my manager, and she said he was available and living in Louisiana. So, we went down to his place, and he could not have been nicer. For one of your childhood heroes to be so cool, it was really great, and so down to earth.”

Of course, Schneider didn’t appear alone. He drives up in the iconic 1969 Dodge Charger known as “The General Lee,” from the classic Dukes Of Hazzard series. Bentley says it was a day he will forever remember.

“It was one of those days that just happened that I couldn’t believe. We did some hood sliding, and he could not have been nicer, and I got to climb in and drive the General Lee a little bit!”

Preparing to go on tour is a stressful experience for most artists, but Bentley says it’s not a feeling he shares, because until this year…he hasn’t taken a lot of time off.

“In country music, we’re always talking about starting another tour. Until a few years ago, my response to that was ‘How do you start one when you never end one?’ We do that all the time. This is the first year that I actually returned the bus to the bus company. We had to get our stuff off the bus. That hasn’t happened since ‘What Was I Thinkin.’ It’s actually been cool to stop a tour and work on new music.”

To say that the singer is excited about hitting the stage this Friday at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre is definitely an understatement. Dierks Bentley is a man who loves his job.

“I get so lost up there. I enjoy walking on stage so much, no matter where I’m coming from. The second I walk on stage, it’s such a great feeling. I feel really loose up there, and connected with the crowd. I’m the guy who’s willing to shotgun a beer with a fan, or jump off the stage if I need to. I love walking out and getting up as close as I can to the people in the grass. The biggest blessing for me throughout my whole career is that I have never had a bad show. I always enjoy it. I just feel really free up there, the same way NASCAR drivers feel when they put their helmets on. That’s the feeling, because you’re in your spot.”

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