At P&L, it's a (nearly) free country

Above: A huge crowd poured itself into the pavilion in the Power & Light District on Thursday. The main attraction: Dierks Bentley. Photos by Timothy Finn.

If you open it, they will show up. And if it's free, even more will show up.

Thursday night, the restaurant/bar/club district across the street from the Sprint Center was crowded and rowdy. About 7,000 people showed up to see/hear Dierks Bentley perform. And unless they paid to park, it didn't cost anyone a dime, until they paid for their first drink.

Dierks is a man's man who also makes the ladies go jelly in the knees.

Bentley, 32, just released a greatest-hits collection, which might seem a little premature for a guy with only three albums on his resume.

According to this crowd, however, he has enough hits to justify the anthology. Lots of people (especially the many ladies in the crowd) sang-along to songs like "Lot of Leavin' Left to Do," "So So Long," "Domestic Light and Cold" and "What Was I Thinking," his first hit.

They weren't partial to the fast-and-happy songs. A few of his slower songs ("Settle for a Slowdown" and "Come a Little Closer") prompted some joining-in, too.

The rest of his setlist included "Long Trip Alone," "Soon As You Can," "Distant Shore," "How Am I Doin'," "Good Man Like Me," "My Last Name," "Every Mile a Memory," "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)."

Bentley writes and co-writes songs that bop around the country palette, from neo-trad ballads to honky-tonk rockers to country/rockabilly and bluegrass. He writes about the usual -- girls, love, girls, trucks, drinking, girls and heartache -- so his style isn't  inventive but it's well-crafted and, at times, clever. It's also a welcome departure from the compromised country-pop and rock that flooded the airwaves in the 1990s, when he was schooling himself in country's traditions.

His versatile sound also allows him to tour with a range of openers and headliners, from George Strait and Kenny Chesney to Cross Canadian Ragweed. Thursday, his opener was Steve Richard, who infuses his country with a heavy dose of classic and Southern rock. By the time he hit the stage, the crowd was large and receptive, all the way up and back to the balconies and stairs.

The sound was good, though it was better in some places than others (like up high and in the back). Whether you snag a seat in the furnished "living room" or stake out a spot on walkway, this is a nice venue for shows, especially when the weather cooperates, as it did Thursday. Plus, you can't beat the price of admission.

P.S. But mind the dress code. I didn't see it but a friend reports that the gatekeepers turned away men with sleeveless shirts. I guess it's not a completely free country.

| Timothy Finn, The Star

Comments

[The Big Lead]

What's a Dierks Bentley???

Actually, really good review. Descriptive but to the point, told me everything I needed to know even though I'm not a fan.

[Keith in KC]

7,000 people showed up for Dierks Bentley, but I'm glad I was one of the mere 20 or so people that showed up at Knuckleheads last night for the wonderful performance by North Carolina Rock/Folk newbies, Bombadil. It was one of those shows that everyone who attended won't soon forget. I gotta say that it seems like there are more live music choices on any given night in KC than ever, and that's a great thing!

[Scorp]

Dierks ROCKED. I won passes from Q104 and was able to meet him before the concert. I gave him a bottle of Gates. Hey it's Kansas City. Was in front of his bass player in the second row. Halfway through the concert the lady on the rail left so we moved up. Saw Dierks last year at Yallapalooza and he was good then, last night was even better. I agree about this might not be the time for a greatest hits record, to me it's charging us to buy a cd, just to get 2 new songs. Croud was loud and proud. Can't wait untill he makes it back again.

[Scorp]

and the crowd was too

[Scorp]

correction ~ crowd

[Scorp]

couple of other things real quick. Power & Light District kicks serious ass. Several types of bars and restaurants. 2 dollar beers, cold, mixed drinks like 3 bucks.
I made some videos, I just bought my camera so you will see a rookie made them. They are at YouTube.com look up EStTramp and I have like 5 now and trying to figure out to resize a few more. If I get it figured out I will add them later.

[SidTripp]

This was my second show that I have seen down at the P&L, folks it is just one big party. Great atomosphere, plenty of bars to pick where you get your drinks from and the ability to take your drinks outside to the see the show is great. Not really a Bentley fan but he put on a great show and you could feel the electricty in the air.

[smartman]

When something is free that means it's not worth anything,zero, nada,zip,value. Free dumb's, (pun intended) just another word for nothin' left to lose...nothin' aint worth nothin' but it's free.

[RaiderHawk]

Smartman: Then you may send your economic stimulus check my way.

[proxy list]

You just copied someone else's story