Dierks Bentley at the X/ Star Tribune photo by David Joles

At the Minnesota State Fair grandstand, Miranda Lambert opened for Dierks Bentley in 2008. Times change. They flipped the order Friday at the Xcel Energy Center.

As my review stated, Bentley proved to be more of a live wire than Lambert.

Dressed like half the guys in the arena with jeans, a plaid shirt and a backwards ball cap, Bentley worked the stage and the runway like an experienced headliner.

While he uttered pat lines like this was the best night of his life (he's said that at other shows), he did make spontaneous conversation about how he'd left the hospital in the morning (after his wife delivered their third child and first son) and still had the plastic ID band on his wrist.

And he declared how it wasn't cool how NHL star Ryan Suter left the Nashville Predators (Bentley's favorite team) for the Wild (though he didn't mention the Minnesota team by name). Boos greeted Bentley's comment.

There were plenty of cheers for his 65-minute, crowd-pleasing set. Here is what Bentley played:

Am I the Only One/ Free and Easy/ 5-1-5-0/ Every Mile a Memory/ Lot of Leavin Left to Do/ Come a Little Closer/ Feel That Fire/ Tip It on Back/ Up on the Ridge/ I Hold On/ How Am I Doin'/ What Was I Thinkin/ Sideways/ Home

Here is Lambert's set from Friday:

Fastest Girl in Town/ Only Prettier/ That's the Way the World Goes/ Heart Like Mine/ Girl Like Me/ Baggage Claim/Gimme Some Lovin' (Spencer Davis Group, with the line: "So glad y'all made it")/ Over You/ Me and Charlie Talking/ Dead Flowers/ Mama's Broken Heart/ Famous in a Small Town/ Get Back (Beatles)/ Kerosene/ All Kinds of Kinds/ House That Built Me/ Gunpowder and Lead ENCORE Up on Cripple Creek (the Band)/ White Liar