Ladies love outlaws, Waylon told us, but they also love Dierks Bentley, that curly haired, high-energy dude from Arizona. He knows how to work a crowd, and his easy baritone is one of the most distinctive voices on the radio.

However, for me, his material is hit-and-miss. Really didn’t like the new “Sweet and Wild,” which sounded like Tom Petty with more range on Monday at the grandstand. Appreciated his plug for the Grascals, who recorded with him and were appearing elsewhere on the fairgrounds; too bad they didn’t join him. And I wonder if he was playing “Folsom Prison Blues” about the same time Brandi Carlile was covering it at the bandshell. (btw, Big Head Todd did it on Sunday at the grandstand, too.)

Miranda Lambert was much more convincing as a headliner at Mystic Lake in Feb. than she was as opener at the grandstand. She rightly chided the State Fair crowd for being too quiet and then got things turned around with “Dry Town.” She could learn a thing or two about stagecraft from Dierks but she has stronger material.

Here’s a stab at a set list for Bentley’s show:

1. Got a Lot of Leavin Left to Do 2. Trying to Stop Your Leaving 3. Can’t Live It Down  4. So So Long 5.  Domestic Light and Cold/Tear in My Beer 6. Long Trip Alone 7. How Am I Doin 8. Sweet and Wild 9. Settle Down for a Slowdown 10. Soon as You Can 11. Come a Little Closer 12. My Last Name 13. Every Mile a Memory 14. Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go) 15. What Was I Thinkin 16. Folsom Prison Blues.

What did you think of the show? Please post your comments here:

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