Dierks Bentley set to play Michie Stadium Friday

By Brandon OConnorOctober 17, 2019

Dierks Bentley
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Country music will take over Michie Stadium at West Point Friday evening as the Army West Point Football team hits the road to face Georgia State.

With the stadium vacated by the Black Knights for the weekend, the West Point Directorate of Morale, Welfare and Recreation is hosting country music superstars Dustin Lynch and Dierks Bentley.

The opening act will take the stage at 7 p.m. with Lynch and Bentley following soon after.

"Playing at West Point on the field of Michie Stadium, home of the Black Knights, it's a big deal," Bentley said. "There's an added feeling knowing we're playing for West Point and all the cadets, alum and a lot of folks in the military. It's a really special night for the guys."

The concert at West Point is an added stop on Bentley's Burning Man tour which crisscrossed the country for months before ending in September.

Bentley said he is happy the Corps of Cadets and the rest of the West Point community are getting a chance to see the show at the end of the touring schedule when it has become a well-oiled machine.

"We've been off the road, took a little break from the tour, so this is the first big show back in a while," Bentley said. "Everyone is just going to have great energy. Everyone is excited to get out there and do their thing. It's going to be a special night."

Friday night's show will mark Bentley's first ever trip to West Point. The bleachers will have a mix of West Point community members and visitors from the surrounding areas, but Blaik Field at Michie Stadium will be full of more than 1,000 members of the Corps of Cadets ready to watch Lynch and Bentley.

"It is one of those shows where you know your music is having a bigger impact," Bentley said. "It's a special audience and you get a chance to play an important role in helping folks have some fun and take a break from all the training and everything else. We don't take the role lightly and look forward to going out there and doing our thing."

Bentley, whose dad served in the Army and who has performed at USO events in the past, says he doesn't have any special tributes planned during the concert to honor the servicemembers in attendance, but that he just goes with the flow and is excited to see how the evening goes.

"A lot of what I do, it's not like Broadway theater that's overly planned," Bentley said. "I try to be in the moment and just really present where I am. A lot of my inspiration comes from that. It will be an amazing thing to look out and see all the Corps of Cadets and we'll see what happens."

Tickets are still on sale for the show and can be purchased at http://goarmywestpoint.com/tickets.