Dierks Bentley’s got a new venue for Seven Peaks, and it’s making the festival feel all shiny and new

ABC/Robby Klein

Dierks Bentley is headed back to Colorado for the 2022 installment of his Seven Peaks festival this Labor Day weekend, but there will be a big difference between this year and the last time Seven Peaks hit the stage: It’s a brand-new location.

“It’s about 30 minutes down the road from the previous location in Buena Vista. So, there’s gonna be little surprises for all of us, you know?” Dierks says.

The singer doesn’t mind being kept on his toes. On the contrary, he says preserving the newness is a key part of longevity in the music business.

“Although I’ve played this venue probably six or seven times, I want to walk out there — one of the reasons why I don’t soundcheck is I want to walk out there feeling the joy and wonder of, ‘Whoa, look at this place,’” Dierks explains.

“That feeling, you can’t fake that,” he continues. “People can tell when you’re just, you know, going through the motions. But when you really walk out there and you’re like, ‘This is so cool, wow,’ — that’s kind of a neat thing.”

Dierks is always chasing that first-time feeling, and not just in his show venues — he tries to find it in his song releases, too. That’s why he’s so excited about his new single, “Gold.”

“‘Gold’ almost feels like a first single off my first-ever record in some way,” he explains. “And this festival, even though we’ve done it for a few years now, it’s going to feel like a brand-new festival because it’s a brand-new location. So it’s all kind of new to us again, which is a great feeling.”

Seven Peaks Festival is set for September 3-5.

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