Dierks Bentley Says He Has to ‘Be Cautious’ While Playing Certain Songs Live

Dierks Bentley is known almost as much for his energetic concerts as he his for his chart-topping music. But the singer, who wrapped up his Riser Tour this year, says he still gets emotional performing certain songs from stage, including his 2012 hit, 'Home.'

"There's certain ones I have to be cautious of," he explains to Radio.com. "If I sing the song the right way, the way I wrote it, I've got to go back to that particular time that it came from. So, a lot of the earlier stuff, come from particular relationships that didn't work out too well."

The Arizona native also says thinking about his father, who passed away in 2012, can make it difficult to finish some songs.

"But, the ones about my dad, or 'I Hold On,' there's times I look out, and I'll see someone crying, or getting emotional," Bentley says. "I'll have to zone away or look behind, so I can finish the song."

Bentley pours just as much work into his live shows as he does his albums, which he says should be a priority of every country artist.

"I'm reading Ricky Skaggs' book ['Kentucky Traveler: My Life in Music'] right now," Bentley explains. "There's this saying in country music, 'Don't get above your raising.' You can't forget what you're there to do on a Friday and Saturday night. People worked hard all week, they spent this money for your show. You're there to have a good time, and not get too outside yourself."

Even though the Riser Tour has wrapped, fans will still get plenty of chances to hear Bentley perform in the New Year. He will head to his home state for a pre-Super Bowl concert on Jan. 31, along with Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line. He'll also head to New Orleans on Feb. 16 to perform for the 2015 Endymion Extravaganza at Mardi Gras. See his complete tour schedule here.

Bentley's fourth single, 'Say You Do,' from his 'Riser' album, is in the Top 30 and climbing. Download the entire record here.

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