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| Valley native returns as Country Thunder USA headliner | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Chris Hansen Orf, Get Out | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| April 17, 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
“I try to get back (to the Valley) every now and again to catch a Suns game,” says Bentley, calling in before stepping on a tour bus to make a show in Jackson, Tenn. “When I found out we picked up Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) I booked tickets to come watch them play the Spurs (last month) and we dominated them. Check out our blog for videos, photos, reviews and info “Well, it was a tough battle, but I like to say we dominated them,” Bentley adds with a laugh. “They’re rocking right now.” The Suns aren’t the only thing born in the Valley that’s rocking right now: The 32-year-old Bentley, who headlines Country Thunder USA on Saturday, has scored five No. 1 singles in five years and two of his albums, his 2003 self-titled debut disc and “Modern Day Drifter” (2005) have gone platinum and a third, “Long Trip Alone” (2006), has gone gold. Just as Jimmy Buffett might credit sunny, tropical Florida for his musical direction or Black Sabbath’s cold and rainy Birmingham, England, may account for theirs, Bentley credits the hot and sunny Valley, a huge country music stronghold, for his love of the genre. “The reason I’m in country music is because of growing up in Phoenix and listening to KNIX (102.5 FM) and KMLE (107.9 FM),” Bentley says. “Those two radio stations were the biggest influence on me — I listened to them all the time, and it was just a huge influence.” Bentley, who moved to Nashville at 19 and slugged it out in the clubs before landing a major label deal with Capitol Nashville, has gone from playing club shows to being the opening act on major country tours with superstars George Strait and Kenny Chesney to headlining Country Thunder USA. Bentley says his approach to performing has changed over the years, from playing guitar onstage to now often eschewing a six-string to free himself up for some fan interaction. “I love George Strait — he’s my hero and everyone’s hero and I love what he does (onstage) and what he does works really well for him,” Bentley says of the old-school Texan who rarely moves onstage. “My approach is a little different — I’m always looking for new sounds, new ideas, new ways to do what I do better and interact with the crowd and make that connection stronger every night, so if there’s a song where I feel like I’m just not contributing to the track (by playing guitar), I’m not just gonna sit there and hold a guitar, I’m gonna use that opportunity to get out and try to reach some folks.” The singer will release a greatest-hits CD later this year and took the unusual step of letting his fans pick the 10 songs and the artwork for the disc, listing more than 3,000 fans as executive producers — it takes six pages — in the album’s liner notes. As Bentley’s career enters its second phase — he’s working on a new disc of originals set for release early next year — the singer has a new set of goals. “I’m trying to get better and do different things,” Bentley says. “Hopefully I can look back over my career and be able to see different phases of things I was trying to do, and hopefully getting better at it all the time.” Country Thunder USA When: Gates open 3 p.m. Thursday, April 17; 12:30 p.m. Friday, April 18 and Saturday, April 19; noon Sunday, April 19Where: 20585 E. Price Station Road, outside Florence How much: $35-$500 Info: (520) 868-9711 or countrythunder.com. Contact Chris Hansen Orf by email, or phone (480) 898-5684 |
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