PHOENIX – Over 9.5 billion global streams… eight Number One albums… 22 Number One songs…15 Grammy nominations…membership in the historic Grand Ole Opry… Dierks Bentley is a superstar by any measure, but the much-loved singer-songwriter has always remained true to his roots. This was beautifully evident when he took his Broken Arrows tour to The Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in Phoenix earlier this summer.

This was plain for fans to see (and feel!) when Bentley reminisced about growing up in Phoenix and opening early in his career for George Strait at the venerable venue. “I don’t know what it’s called now anymore. I’ll always remember it as Desert Sky Pavilion,” the singer told the sellout crowd.

That kind of heartfelt celebration of roots, along with Bentley’s engaging stage presence, easy sense of humor, and snappy mix of old and new music ran through every stop on his 25-city tour, which ended August 30 in Detroit.   Setting an inviting tone on stage and reflecting the full range of eras that Bentley called forth in his show was a versatile production designed by Bruce Rodgers of Tribe, Inc. that features video content by Matthieu Larivee and the Luz Studio team, as well a beautifully balanced lighting design by Chris Reade that is connecting the country star to his loyal fans.

Reade drew on the 24 CHAUVET Professional STRIKE 1 fixtures in his rig, which were supplied by Christie Lites to engage fans and evoke the classic looks that are part of the tour’s theme.

“With Dierks, I usually try to meld old school and new school ideas together to create the vibe he wants,” explained Reade. “Using the STRIKE fixtures is a must for me in this respect.  They capture the old school essence of tungsten, and they look very similar to classic pars when you see their light, especially when they work with our LED pods with different round faced units. On top of that, of course, the STRIKE fixtures are very good at audience lighting, which is important to connecting Dierks and his fans.”

The STRIKE 1 lights were arranged to maximize the rig’s flexibility, being used for side lighting, uplighting, and backlighting depending on the mood of the song.  At some points, the high output fixtures Reader deepened those moods by using the STRIKE fixtures to create evocative silhouettes.

“Silhouettes are powerful,” declared Reade. “They project a type of strength that we think works well for Dierks and his music.  Depending on when we create silhouettes and how we use them, they can be a great way to add another dimension to the design.

Reade credits the tour’s widely acclaimed production designer with setting the stage for old and new school lighting effects to flourish. “Bruce Rodgers sets the tone with his vision,” he remarked.  “I just try to extend the architecture in the air above. This design feels like we are directing the eye towards the center, or Dierks specifically -- and it's quite powerful.”

Maintaining that focus, can be challenging as the “mostly shed, with some arena” tour deals with a variety of stages. “The ‘in use’ part of the stage has a footprint of 60' wide and 40' deep,” said Reade. “But trim heights work down from about a 40-foot max, depending on the venue. There is always a variety of configurations at amphitheaters.”

Regardless of any variations in stage configuration or city -- from Madison Square Garden in New York to the Coca Cola Amphitheatre in Birmingham, Alabama -- fans can see a show that warmly embraces all the various phases of Dierks Bentley’s music. Putting an exclamation point on this was the show’s encore, which had Bentley come out on stage as part of “Hot Country Knights,” his original pre-fame band.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Reade said of the closing. “It takes really great musicianship to recreate the '90s sound. I support it with classic hair metal type looks -- a lot of magentas, pinks, harsh yellows, green - the works. Lighting follows the music!”

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