Dierks Bentley, The War and Treaty and Larkin Poe Perform Powerful Rendition of ‘Pride (In The Name Of Love)’ at 2021 ACM Awards
What a beautiful moment...
Dierks Bentley was joined by The War and Treaty and Larkin Poe for a powerful performance of U2’s “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” at the 2021 ACM Awards on Sunday, April 18th. The performance took place at the famed Station Inn bluegrass venue in Nashville, TN and served to pay special tribute to the Station Inn’s late owner, Earl JT Gray. Prior to the performance, Bentley spoke about the late venue owner and mentioned his own experience attending shows at the Station Inn when he was just 19 years old.
Bentley then launched into the performance which featured instrumentals and vocals from Larkin Poe and The War and Treaty. During the powerful song, which was written about Martin Luther King Jr., Bentley tossed vocals to The War and Treaty, a duo made up of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Blount, who showcased their diverse vocals. A standout moment in the rendition came when Trotter Jr. and Blount proudly sang the lines describing MLK’s death: “Early evening, April four / A shot rings out in the Memphis sky / Free at last, they took your life/ They could not take your pride.”
The performance also fittingly included bluegrass instrumentation, featuring banjo, mandolin, and a strong dobro solo from Larkin Poe. The commanding performance ended with a long outro with all the bluegrass elements coming together. The ACM Performance was not the first time Bentley has performed the song; a rendition of the tune originally appeared on his 2010 bluegrass album, Up On The Ridge.
Gray passed away in March at the age of 75, just weeks after presenting the Country Album of the Year award at the GRAMMYs to Miranda Lambert. He is partly to thank for inspiring Bentley to record his Up On The Ridge album.
The 2021 ACM Awards, hosted by Keith Urban and Mickey Guyton, broadcast live on Sunday, April 18 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
See all of our ACM coverage right here.
