For Dierks Bentley, Cole Swindell Is More Than Just Another Opening Act

Dierks Bentley, Cole Swindell and Jon Pardi will hit the road in January for the What the Hell Tour. The "Different for Girls" singer says touring with Swindell is especially meaningful because he's watched his friend work for it for so long.

“He’s told me so many times that I’m the reason why he moved to town to write songs, enough to where I semi-believe him," Bentley joked, talking to assorted media before a No. 1 party with Elle King. Everyone had gathered to celebrate "Different for Girls" reaching the top of the charts.

“I’ve known Cole for a long time, he’s still in my phone as C-O-A-L,” the 40-year-old says. “And then it says ‘Luke Bryan’ because he was Luke’s guy, selling T-shirts for Luke.”

The What the Hell Tour begins on Jan. 19 in Dayton, Ohio, but one of the first dates is a stop at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. That will be extra special for Bentley, as he played a number of the numerous bars and honky-tonks across the street from the Nashville Predators home arena, but hadn't headlined his own show. He recalled playing for steak at the Palm across the street one night as Kenny Chesney prepared to perform. That was as good as opening in his mind.

“If you play Bridgestone you get your picture on a big beam,” Bentley explains. “And I was like, I’d be happy with like a little urinal cake. That’s how much I love that building, love the Preds.”

“To actually have my own picture on a pillar … that would be amazing," he adds.

Pardi has toured with Bentley before. He was on the Riser Tour, so the "Somewhere on a Beach" singer knows what he can expect after shows finish.

“I’m feeling pretty good physically. My drinking game is pretty strong, but you (to Elle King) need to put me through a boot camp or something to get ready for those guys,” he said. The musical couple would go on to debate who could party harder, and King may have won. She does have an "I can hang" tattoo on her neck, after all.

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