Dierks Bentley to Headline Unplugged Benefit

Since moving from October to June in 2012, the Stars for Second Harvest concert has become a summertime tradition in Nashville. This year, Dierks Bentley will headline the intimate songwriters’ night at the Ryman Auditorium.

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Set for June 9th — the unofficial kickoff to CMA Music Festival week — the Stars for Second Harvest benefit features some of Music Row’s most gifted writers playing their popular hits. As he’s done for the past 10 years, Craig Wiseman, the Grammy-winning songwriter behind 21 Number Ones, including Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying,” hosts the evening. Along with Bentley, Nashville star Charles Esten and young sister duo (and Esten’s TV costars) Lennon and Maisy Stella will also perform.

Wiseman says the timing is perfect for Bentley to headline — especially in light of his performance of “Riser” on the recent Academy of Country Music Awards. “On the heels of Dierks’ emotional performance at the ACMs, we’re thrilled that he’s agreed to headline our show for the first time this year,” he says. “The talent that takes the stage in support of Stars for Second Harvest continues to inspire and excite me and this year might be our best yet.”

It’s a bold statement for the famously outsized Wiseman, who is known in Nashville as much for his sartorial flair and one-liners as he is for his hits. Past Stars for Second Harvest lineups have included Florida Georgia Line, Jake Owen and rapper Nelly, who, coincidentally, is currently working on a country EP.

Tickets for the event, which range from $35 to a special “VIP Experience” for $250, are currently on sale. Proceeds from the show go to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. So far, Wiseman’s concert has raised $750,000 for the charity.

Bentley, who launches his summer tour June 5th in Raleigh, is slated to perform at LP Field during CMA Music Fest.