Dierks Bentley might still have ‘a lot of leavin’ to do’, but not until he hits the stage Saturday night at Wild Adventures.

Bentley, who has performed at Wild Adventures twice before, is making Valdosta the third stop on his “Throttle Wide Open” tour.

Bentley, a native of Phoenix, AZ, jumped on the country charts in 2003 with his breakthrough single, “What Was I Thinkin’,” a song about a girl in a “little white tank top.” With the release of his second album in 2005, Bentley became a major star in country music with his hits like the sexy ballad “Come a Little Closer” and a song from his third album, “Every Mile a Memory.”

Opening for Bentley on his 2008 tour is American Idol alum Bucky Covington and South Georgia’s very own Luke Bryan.

Bryan, a native of nearby Leesburg, GA, is famous for his huge following here in his home state, but now he’s becoming famous with country fans around the country. His first single, “All My Friends Say,” peaked in the Top 5 on the Billboard Country charts.

But that almost didn’t happen.

After graduating high school, Bryan was preparing to move to Nashville when his brother, Chris, was killed in an automobile accident. Bryan was devastated and decided to remain at home, opting to work in the family business and attend college instead.

He enrolled in Georgia Southern University in Statesboro where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He continued playing music and after graduating with a degree in business management, he moved back home to Leesburg to work in the family business.

With the encouragement of his family, Bryan moved to Nashville, got a songwriting deal and the rest is history in the making.

Now that he’s a major recording artist and is traveling the country, he’s excited about coming back to South Georgia and performing.

“I go back home all the time and play shows in local bars and stuff,” Bryan said in an exclusive interview.

He even came back to Georgia to film his very first video for “All My Friends Say.” The video was shot at the University of Georgia’s Theta Chi fraternity house.

It was a comfortable environment for Bryan who has played the club and frat house circuit across Georgia.

His second single, “We Rode in Trucks,” is currently climbing the charts and has struck a chord with country fans all over the world, especially those that grew up in rural communities. With lyrics such as “Down where I was born was Heaven on Earth / That Flint River washes that red Georgia dirt / The sun sets slow and the stars shine bright / Where I grew up / We rode in truck,” Bryan connects with fans and he understands why.

“People relate to it because it’s like a page out of their life,” Bryan said. “You know, kind like their life story and every time people hear a song that tells their story, they gravitate to it and relate to it.”

Indeed, people are relating to Bryan’s southern charm style of songwriting and performing.

“Heck, it’s just kind of the way I am,” Bryan said, referring to his small town upbringing and how it has influenced his music. “Everything is about small town life and the songs, it’s really how I target fans.

Besides his own recording career success, Bryan has had success in songwriting, co-writing the number one hit, “Good Directions,” for fellow Georgian, Billy Currington.

Bryan, who is signed to Capitol Records Nashville along with Bentley, is excited about the upcoming tour, which kicks off tonight in Gainesville, Florida.

“[He’s] the best in the business,” Bryan said.

This is the concert preview (and Luke Bryan interview) that I wrote for the newspaper.