Texan belle Miranda Lambert is hitting the ice with hockey fanatic Dierks Bentley this month, but sadly, they won’t be wearing skates.
The country hit makers are set to serve as entertainment for the NHL’s annual Stadium Series outdoor game in Nashville February 26, and will just be expected to represent Music City with a few songs — although Bentley might still try to suit up.
Taking over Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, this year’s 2022 NHL Stadium Series game will pit the hometown Predators against the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s one of only a few outdoor games held each year, and always draws a big TV audience. So this year, the intermission show will honor Music City’s broadway honky tonk scene, located just across the river.
According to the Tennessean, Bentley and Lambert will each get to play multiple songs, and their stage will be done up Nashville-style in neon signs and more, all to reflect the city’s most famous tourist attraction.
“We’re gonna play off Broadway and Nashville and the colors”, NHL chief content officer Steve Mayer explained. “For us it’s so important that you show off the city to everyone [who] tunes into the hockey game.”
Maybe they should make the zamboni into a party tractor.
Anyway, the gig seems like a natural one for Bentley, since the “Beers On Me” singer has long been associated with hockey and the NHL. A major fan of the sport, Bentley does regular events with the Nashville Predators and is friends with many NHL players, and he also plays pickup games whenever he gets the chance on tour. At one point Bentley even had a team called the Nashville Ice Holes, but lately it seems like he’s focused on introducing his kids to the sport he loves. Meanwhile, Lambert recently opened up her own honky tonk on the strip — a multi-level Tex Mex music joint called Casa Rosa. It’s right down the street from Bentley’s Whiskey Row.