Joining the list of celebrities spotted in and around Columbus, country singer Dierks Bentley, dropped in at Bristol Republic in Dublin on Sept. 25, according to a member of Southern Summer, the band playing that night.
Guitarist and vocalist Denny Cottle said a group of people near the front of the stage told him that Bentley was in the house, but he assumed they'd had a few too many.
"I said, 'Everybody here looks like Dierks Bentley!'" Cottle said.
Still disbelieving, Cottle challenged Bentley: If he really was there, take the stage and perform with Southern Summer.
"By the end of the next song, there he was. It was a complete shock to see him on the side of the stage, on an off night," Cottle said.
Bentley joined the four-man band for an impromptu
cover of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads."
He was headed offstage afterward when Southern Summer launched into a familiar tune - his 2003 breakthrough hit, "What Was I Thinkin'."
"We're the only band crazy or dumb enough to do a Dierks Bentley song with Dierks Bentley in the audience," Cottle said. "He complimented the band - on the mic. That was a huge rub for us, just a bunch of Ohio guys."
The guitarist described Bentley as "super charming" and said he felt a good vibe from the 50-year-old singer.
"From the limited time we spoke, he seemed like a cool guy that you'd want to hang out with," Cottle said.
The reason for Bentley's visit to central Ohio was unknown.
Contact features and entertainment reporter Belinda M. Paschal at bpaschal@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Dierks Bentley at a Dublin, Ohio bar? See where the country star appeared
