Dierks Bentley Chasing ‘First-Time Feeling’ With New Seven Peaks Music Festival
While still on the road for his 2018 Mountain High Tour in support of his most recent studio album, The Mountain, country star Dierks Bentley is hard at work planning his first-ever festival. The Seven Peaks Music Festival, which Bentley first announced in April, is set to take place on Labor Day Weekend, Aug. 31-Sept. 2, in Buena Vista, Colo.
Planning a festival is no small feat, but, as Bentley recently explained to The Boot and other media, with a decade and a half of making country music under his belt, Seven Peaks represents an important new adventure for the singer.
"We've never done it before, so there's an element of risk. It's like making an album for the first time," he explains. "There's a chance -- not a good chance, but a chance -- of failure, which is exciting. It's a feeling you're kind of chasing your whole life, out there on the road, that first-time feeling."
That "first-time feeling" is, to a certain degree, something Bentley also chased when he was recording The Mountain. Although he has plenty of experience making albums, the country singer tried something new this time around, moving much of the songwriting and recording processes to Colorado. Bentley says his focus on the landscape of the West reflects another aspect of his personality, and pays homage to his roots.
"I've got a foot in Nashville and more than a foot out west, which is where I'm from," says Bentley, who originally hails from Arizona. "I've been [in Nashville] for 25 years, and I love it [here], and I love all the changes that are happening, but I'm definitely from the West.
"I've always felt that all [my] other albums have a real recognition of that, that I'm not from here," he adds. "I'm not from the South. There's times when you're worried about even saying that, because you're trying to make it ... So yeah, I love it here, but I feel like this album is really more of a chance to reflect on the mountains."
By locating his upcoming festival in Buena Vista, Bentley is offering fans the chance to experience those same mountains -- the landscape that helped shape The Mountain -- as they listen to the music. However, although music is clearly a critical part of the festival, the country singer insists that what will make his festival stand out will be in the details. As far as Bentley is concerned, the measure of whether or not the festival has been a success will be what the fans have to say about their experience there.
"Will they walk away saying that we put the fan experience at a premium?" he continues. "Obviously the music and all that is important, but it will all come down to location, access to ice, making sure there's more porta-potties for girls than for guys, that kind of thing. I think that's a pretty good sign that you're thinking about your fans out there."
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