Dierks Bentley Releases Live ‘Riser’ Video

Dierks Bentley has released the video for his latest single, "Riser."

The Arizona native chose to use his emotional performance at the 2015 ACM Awards as the official video for the hit song, which is also the title track of his latest album.

“It’s a big song,” Bentley tells The Boot. “It takes different meanings as it goes on.

"It’s one of those songs that will always have various meanings," he adds. "I certainly think about my fans, and people out there, looking out at a crowd of 20,000 people, everyone has some story they’re struggling with, whether it’s bills or their kids, and they’re finding a way to make it happen.”

The 39-year-old performed "Riser" last month on Good Morning America, dedicating the song to the residents of Charleston, S.C., who are mourning the nine lives lost in the tragic shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 17.

“I can’t think of any group in our nation right now that’s facing more difficulties, and if there are any ‘risers’ out there, they’re out there leading the way," Bentley said before his performance. "So this song is definitely for them.”

Bentley found it fitting to release the 2015 ACM Awards performance as the tune's official video because it was a powerful moment for him.

“It was really hard for me not to get emotional that night at the ACMs at [AT&T] Stadium,” the singer tells Entertainment Weekly. “I really wanted to keep the production simple and make the performance all about the arrangement and the lyrics. The reaction that night and now when we perform it on tour has already been so gratifying. People just relate to the message in that song ... we’ve all lived it in one way or another.”

Purchase Riser on iTunes or Amazon.

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