LEWISTON  — Grammy nominee Dierks Bentley is coming to Lewiston.

The country music star known for hits “What Was I Thinkin'” and “Band of Brothers”  has scheduled a March 24 concert at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 28.

Local music fans are due for a concert, promoter Alex Gray said Thursday. He’s been trying to land a country act for the Lewiston arena since the fall, and it has been a long winter already.

“We’re going to call it a ‘cabin fever’-style show for us because, by then, people are going to be ready to eat their arms off,” he joked.

Tickets are $35.50 for the arena floor and $29.50 for the seats along the sides.

Bentley is riding the crest of a critical wave behind his last album, “Up on the Ridge.”

The album released last summer represents a kind of crossover for Bentley, who sold millions of records in recent years that were squarely in the mainstream of country music. This album, nominated for a best country album Grammy, took the Arizona native into the hills of Kentucky for a bluegrass sound.

The album included songs about coal mines, gamblers and salvation. There was also a cover of U2’s “Pride (In the Name of Love).”

It’s the kind of combination Bentley described to the Sun Journal in an interview before he played the Colisee in November 2006.

Bentley talked about bending musical genres and finding a mix of the rural country crooning of George Jones and the stadium rock sound of U2.

“My music has never been tied to a place,” he said.

Gray believes Bentley’s changes are becoming part of a wave in every genre of music. Some bands are switching categories, he said. Others are dabbling in different markets by issuing pop mixes, which has helped Taylor Swift and Uncle Kracker, among others.

Bentley seems to approach traditional styles honestly. Before he broke out as a performer, he worked for Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame. His band features several well-known bluegrass players.

It’s uncertain who will accompany the 35-year-old singer for the upcoming tour, sponsored by Jagermeister. However, he is scheduled to have two opening acts: new duo Miss Willie Brown and Josh Thompson, who has a hit with the song “Way Out Here.” 

The last time Bentley came to Lewiston, he was on his first tour as a headliner. Miranda Lambert, now one of the biggest names in country music, opened the show for him.

At the time, Bentley said his primary aim was getting people off their feet and having fun.

“When I am on stage, that’s my turn to party,” he said. “I want to move people. And I want to raise some hell.”

dhartill@sunjournal.com