Dierks Bentley’s Broken Branches Tour plants deep roots at Intuit Dome, blending heartland grit, Nashville polish, and a cause close to home.
On a cool summer night in Los Angeles, three huge concerts, Dierks Bentley, The Weeknd, and Pierce the Veil simultaneously occupied the same mega-entertainment complex. The glossy, just-opened Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA, saw its first country music concert, a rare blend of neon-lit spectacle and old-school storytelling as Dierks Bentley brought his Broken Branches Tour to a packed Southern California crowd. Bentley’s near two-hour set, crisp and charged with purpose, was both a career-spanning showcase and a rallying cry for the Broken Branches Fund, Bentley’s philanthropic initiative partnership with the Music Industry Mental Health Fund.
One of the most popular talents among young country music fans opened the night. Zach Top, the “Cold Beer and Country Music” rising star warmed up the arena with a clean-cut, ‘90s-informed sound that evoked early George Strait with a honky-tonk heart. Tracks like “Sounds Like the Radio,” “Beer for Breakfast,” and the aforementioned hit “Cold Beer and Country Music” revealed a steel-guitar shimmer that played well in the massive, modern venue. At just 25, Top’s lean, straightforward performance proved he’s more than nostalgia bait—he’s a torchbearer with range. As Bentley mentioned in his set after a duet with Top of “Freeborn Man,” “country music is in good hands”.
When Bentley took to the stage shortly after 9 PM, the transition was immediate and electric. The set began with “Well Well Whiskey,” a road-tested hit that paired rugged optimism with a radio-friendly sheen. Bentley wore his signature grin and button-up and rolled up sleeves like armor, but as the night unfolded, there was more vulnerability than bravado.
Still, this was a Dierks Bentley concert—there was no shortage of beer-raising, boots-stomping revelry. Tracks like “5-1-5-0” and “Am I the Only One” turned the gleaming new arena into a Friday night roadhouse, complete with high-tech seats that have synchronized colored armrest lights, and fans two-stepping in the aisles. A surprise was a hauntingly beautiful bluegrass/gospel breakdown midway through the set, which featured a cover of The Del McCoury Band’s “Get Down on Your Knees and Pray,” replete with a hellfire-red neon cross floating in the background. The entire arena was transported into a late-night Texas roadhouse revival service. The moment featured Bentley and The Band Loula, reminding the audience of his musical dexterity.
Bentley’s gift has always been balance: the ability to pivot from stadium anthems to stripped-down sincerity without losing credibility. Nowhere was that clearer than during “Living” and “Drunk on a Plane,” both of which had the crowd singing every word, but for very different reasons—one joyful, the other escapist, both honest.
The encore featured Bentley’s Hot Country Knights performing renditions of “Chattahochee,” “Trouble,” and a melody of pop country standards. Bentley’s performance was patriotic without being performative — an art Bentley has quietly mastered over two decades of touring.
By the time the final chords rang out, the message was clear: Broken branches don’t mean a fallen tree. Bentley, with his boots planted firmly in the red dirt and his eyes still scanning the horizon, reminded Los Angeles that country music—at its best—is about connection, resilience, cold beer, heartbreak, faith, and love of country.
Setlist Highlights: “She Hates Me,” “Riser,” “5-1-5-0,” “Freeborn Man” with Zach Top,” “Living,” “Drunk on a Plane,” “Home.”
Special mention: Zach Top’s “Cold Beer & Country Music” drew one of the night’s earliest singalongs.
