'Godfather of Country Fest.' Dierks Bentley returns to annual event in Stark County
LAWRENCE TWP. ‑ Aaron Green and Joel Beichler were scrambling to start a country music festival from the ground up in 2010 and needed a big act to get them started.
After weeks of waiting, confirmation finally came in with a phone call to their living room-turned-makeshift-office. And it was a bona fide country music star: Dierks Bentley.
Green and Beichler lost their minds in celebration before reality sunk in. And pressure mounted because they realized if they didn't pull off their first try at Country Fest it would be the last.
"I remember being really excited, and then that only lasted a minute because neither one of us had a clue and didn't know what we were doing," Green said with laughter. "And we didn't know what we were doing or knew how we were going to make it happen."
Fast forward to this week when Bentley returns as a headliner during the four-day festival. He's considered Country Fest royalty.
"Dierks is an all-time favorite of ours, and he really was the first act we ever confirmed on any date," Green said. "And we always jokingly called him the godfather of Country Fest.
"He was the first act that kind of gave us a shot, and his show put us on the map that first year 16 years ago," Green added. "It's always great to have him back. He's an awesome dude."
Green said Bentley's return is also affirmation that Country Fest remains a well-run, top-tier event. Bentley will be tied with Thomas Rhett for having played Country Fest the most times, he noted.
With a sprawling song catalog that includes "Burnin' Man," "Gone" and "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)," Bentley will headline the event June 13.
Bentley, who will release his new album, "Broken Branches" the day he performs, will be the fourth act of the day, which begins with Stark County native and Nashville-based country music artist Karissa Ella taking the stage at 4 p.m.
Country Fest also has one of the newest country stars in 27-year-old Zach Top, who performs the same day as Bentley. Another hot draw is Bailey Zimmerman, who headlines June 12.
Other headliners are Warren Zieders on June 11 and Hardy June 14. Supporting artists include Niko Moon, Dylan Marlowe, Cameron Marlowe, Chase Rice, Tyler Braden and Ashely Cooke.
For anyone doubting Bentley's enduring star status, look no further than his June 8 performance at CMA Fest 2025 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, where he performed before 50,000 fans on the main stage in a lineup that also included Luke Bryan and Ashley McBryde, along with Top and Zimmerman.
Top joined the 49-year-old Bentley on stage at CMA Fest for a rendition of Alabama's classic, "Mountain Magic."
During the televised performance, he wrapped his arm around the 27-year-old Top and said, "Let me tell you something about this guy… This is the future of country music right here, Zach Top."
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Country Fest clearly hasn't lost its mojo and ability to mine prime country talent.
And for opening acts like Ella, it remains a plum gig and career highlight.
"It means the world to me," she said. "Just to give other people perspective, every artist in Nashville knows what Country Fest is − that's how big of a deal it is. And any artist, any big artist, everyone knows Country Fest in Ohio."
Green said it's clearly easier to book big acts at Country Fest compared to those early days.
"We have systems in place − all the difficult things that have taken years to build, to get things honed in just right, to make sure the show goes easiest," he said.
But that doesn't mean it's a breeze by any stretch.
"There's maybe only 18 really strong headliners we can consider, and it's always changing because sometimes acts will take off a week or take a month off or not work Father's Day weekend this year," Green said. "So, it's really a narrow group of artists we can book."
But could Country Fest get the biggest acts in country if they wanted? The answer is yes ... and no.
"We could book Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan and Jelly Roll and all the biggest names out there, but it would be way too expensive and out of the norm for us (regarding ticket prices)," Green explained. "So, we have to find a good middle, and I think that's what we're good at."
Strategy also comes into play, Green said. Especially since talent is booked up to 16 months in advance. Sometimes that means forecasting whether a Nashville prospect could be a future star.
Look at Top, who graduated from the platform stage in 2024 at CMA Fest to the main stage at the June 8 edition.
Propelling his popularity has been his 2024 hit album, "Cold Beer and Country Music," which features the songs, "Sounds Like The Radio" and "I Never Lie."
Top also announced a new album, "Ain't In It For My Health," which is set for release later this summer. And he performed his new single, "Good Times & Tan Lines."
Zimmerman also has been on the ascent, charting the 2022 singles, "Fall in Love" and "Rock and a Hard Place."
He's remained hot, performing at the recent CMA Fest, including the rap-country fusion hit, "All The Way," featuring BigXthaPlug.
Country Fest also has hit the jackpot with rising acts in past years like Kane Brown, who gained a large online following before breaking through commercially. Last year's big get was Lainey Wilson, 33, who was already established but got red hot by the time she arrived at Clay's Resort.
"Headliners are headliners for that reason," Green said. "They're a lot of money. They have proven track records, but kind of our favorite thing to do is really to research artists and follow them on social media and get a good vibe for them.
"It's kind of our magic sauce is to have really strong headliners but pick out these undercards that are maybe currently undervalued but in the long run, (concertgoers are) going to remember we had them ... when they're at the next level and come up."
Country Fest has come a long way since Florida Georgia Line performed on what Green described as a "little hay wagon thing" in the parking lot. That was the inaugural festival.
Green had to clear the laughter from his throat before he could continue the story.
"Most people didn't even know they were here, but they were here," Green said of Florida Georgia Line.
"They played like at 2 p.m.," he recalled. "There were probably 25 people there, and then they blew up (and became famous)."
Green hopes Country Fest can boost the profile of Ella, the former North Canton resident who said the music festival was on her bucket list.
"It's really cool for us from the festival side," he said of Ella's first Country Fest appearance. "Having this opportunity is really special. I'm really hoping that a lot of people come out and support her and we have a really big crowd. I think that would be really neat to see."
Reputation alone, however, isn't enough to pull off another year of Country Fest, Green said.
Challenges persist in a highly competitive industry while striving to keep ticket prices as low as possible amid inflationary pressures, he said.
For example, concert production has increased in rental cost from around $100,000 to $200,000, Green said. That includes a stage and roof and audio, lighting and sound equipment.
"It's a very expensive rig," he said. "It's about eight tractor-trailers of gear."
"We can pretty much accommodate any tour in the world essentially now," Green said. "They would have to scale down their production to fit us right now. It's just hard because every act is bringing more and more gear, and that makes it a better show for the fans, but when they bring more gear, they bring more trucks, so we're starting to run out of room, (and) we're going to have to plan how we're going to make some more room back there (in the loading dock area)."
What: The Country Fest
Where: Clay's Resort Jellystone Park, 12951 Patterson Road NW in Lawrence Township.
What: Country musical festival, featuring headliners Warren Zeiders, Bailey Zimmerman, Dierks Bentley and Hardy, as well as Zach Top and Stark County native Karissa Ella.
When: June 11-14. Ella, a 2014 Hoover High School grad, performs at 4 p.m. June 13.
Tickets: Single day admission costs $84.99 Wednesday, and $129.99 daily Thursday through Saturday. Two-day commuter tickets cost $217.88; three-day commuter, $238.87; and four-day, $259.87. Commuter passes include admission to Clay's Resort Adventure Waterpark. To purchase tickets and for information about camping, go to https://www.thecountryfest.com.
More details: www.thecountryfest.com
Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com. Follow on X @ebalintREP and TikTok @edwardbalint.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Dierks Bentley and Zach Top lead hot lineup at Ohio's Country Fest
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