Dierks Bentley is taking care of all kinds of business in the bathroom.

During his recent appearance on the Friday Night Takeover with Audacy’s Rob + Holly, Dierks shared he was in the bathroom “maybe somewhere in Mississippi” when he started the creative process for “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go),” which he released in June 2007 as the third single from his 2006 album 'Long Trip Alone.'

“I was in the bathroom — not that actual bathroom [stall], but I was in a backstage bathroom because the acoustics are so good in there, [and I] was working on songs,” he told Rob + Holly. “I remember I was kind of pounding on the sink there, getting that kind of kick drum sound.”

He continued, “This was back when I was doing like 300 [show] dates a year… I was thinking I wanted an up-tempo song about my life at that point… a lot of your writing comes from where you are and for me, I was on the road, which had been my dream since day one. It’s not a song that’s gonna be in the hall of fame for songwriting quality, but it certainly is a huge hit and people relate to it.”

Taking care of business in the bathroom did lead Bentley to great success for that particular song as it eventually marked his fifth #1 single and is arguably one of the most recognized tracks of his career to date.

In addition to his creative space, Bentley also disclosed his pre-show drink of choice from back in the day and he says it’s all thanks to Kenny Chesney. “Before Chesney, it was whiskey, and then Kenny turned me on to Red Bull and Malibu. Ugh!” He said wincing his face at the thought of the taste.

“I’d never had Red Bull in my life before I met Kenny Chesney,” he disclosed. “It’s like a dog whistle… If I drink a Red Bull now, I’m immediately ready to go on stage. Like, ‘Where’s my guitar? Where’s the stage? Must go play show. Must play music.' I don’t even touch that stuff away from the show because it messes with my mind.”

He laughed, “Kenny ruined me, once you have one taste of that, it gets you right ready to go on stage.”

Hear more about Dierks’ creative flow, upcoming 'Broken Branches Tour' and what he’s doing to support up and coming songwriters in Nashville by checking out his entire conversation with Audacy’s Rob + Holly above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Rob + Holly

Kenny Chesney is taking fans to new dimensions with his recently revealed 12-day residency at Sphere Las Vegas and that includes a brand new, VIP experience.

During his appearance on the Friday Night Takeover with Audacy’s Rob + Holly, the Country superstar shared his big plans for fans who opt for the VIP experience at his upcoming shows at Sphere Las Vegas.

“There’s a whole experience aside from the Sphere experience called the Vibe Room,” Chesney shared. “It’s kind of a museum of my journey. It’s 3,000 square feet — there’s going to be a bar in there, there’s going to be just a lot going on.” The inspiration for the Vibe Room for Vegas came from Chesney’s earlier days on tour where he and his crew would have a space to unwind after shows which quickly became known as the Vibe Room, and now, Chesney is ready to share that experience with most loyal fans.

“I feel very fortunate to be in this spot. To be able to have the vibe room and to be able to show everybody my journey and to take the music I’ve made over the years — basically my life’s work up to this moment — and the present it in a completely different way.”

His plan to go above and beyond for fans will span far past the VIP experience as Chesney shares the residency is a refreshing change of events that is allowing him to present his music to fans like never before. “The thing that makes this exciting for me me is that… already there are four songs in the set that we have never done just because I feel like in a stadium setting or in an arena setting, it just didn’t fit,” he shared.

“It’s deeper cuts. And knowing what’s around us and what we’re creating… it’s allowing us to do a lot of different things and that’s exciting for me and I think the people that have been coming to our shows for awhile — I think that’s exciting for them too.”

For more info on the show, how it came to be and what Kenny is looking forward to most, check out his entire conversation with Audacy’s Rob + Holly above. Plus, find tickets for his residency here and a full list of show dates below.

Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere Las Vegas Dates: Thursday, May 22 Saturday, May 24 Sunday, May 25 Wednesday, May 28 Friday, May 30 Saturday, May 31

Words by Monica Rivera, Interview by Rob + Holly