Dierks Bentley Throws a Beach Bash in Las Vegas

As part of the festivities leading up to the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday (April 3), Dierks Bentley threw a beach party on the sands of the Mandalay Bay Beach in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Kicking the evening off with a VIP party at 8:00 PM, Dierks followed with a rowdy set that kicked off with 'Feel That Fire' and 'Every Mile a Memory,' followed by his latest single, 'Am I the Only One.' The ACM nominee for Album of the Year (for his bluegrass-tinged 'Up on the Ridge') had the beach rocking with the fan favorite, 'Free and Easy,' as folks raised their drinks in the air and waded into the water in front of the stage.

At one point, someone handed Dierks a beer, from which he took a sip and then handed it right back to them, showing he is one of them, just wanting to have a good time in Sin City.

The Arizona native then launched into the sexy love song, 'I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes,' as couples swayed back and forth. He gave a nod to the crowd and said, "I hope that helps somebody get lucky tonight."

Dierks also ran through several more of his big hits, including 'Lot of Leavin' Left to Do,' 'What Was I Thinkin'' and 'Settle for a Slowdown,' as well as a few of his favorite cover songs, such as George Strait's 'Ocean Front Property' and 'All My Exes,' Waylon Jennings' 'Good Ole Boys' (the theme song from 'Dukes of Hazzard') and a bluegrass version of Billy Idol's 'Rebel Yell.' He presented even more of his hits, like 'Sideways,' before leaving the enthusiastic (and somewhat inebriated) crowd wanting more, more, more.

His tour openers, Miss Willie Brown and Josh Thompson, started the ball rolling on the party, with the spirited female duo laying the ground work for the rest of the evening. Josh performed his hits 'Beer on the Table' and 'Way Out Here,' as well as a couple of new songs from his forthcoming album and a cover of Billy Joel's 'You May be Right,' before clearing the way for Dierks.

Dierks, whose sixth studio album is due later this year, will perform on tonight's ACM Awards live broadcast. The show starts at 8:00 PM ET on CBS. His next stop on the Jagermeister Country tour is April 6 in Houston, Texas.

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