Students in flannel shirts, cowboy boots and hats stood in line for the Dierks Bentley concert sponsored by St. Thomas Activities and Recreation Saturday night in the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Center Field House.

The line reached from the AARC to the middle of the upper quad, and students began to stand in line around 7 p.m. for the 9:30 p.m. concert.

Sophomore Mark Dold came to the line early with a friend to get a good spot in line.

“I’ve been waiting for an hour now,” he said. “We’re trying to see Dierks Bentley and trying to get a good view.”

Sophomore Claire Choudek said she was looking forward to the song, “Sideways.”

“It’s a great song, and he’s smoking hot,” she said. “It was my alarm for awhile when it first came out.”

For junior Alex Gaustad, “Up on the Ridge” was the song he looked forward to and said he had a plan for what he would do when Dierks Bentley would get on stage.

“The hat will go up,” Gaustad said. “I’m going to wish him good luck, and then the hat’s going to go back on my head.”

When the doors opened students started screaming and chanting, “Dierks Bentley” as STAR checked student IDs.

STAR employees said around 2,200 students came to the concert, and they almost reached capacity.

“I’m so excited right now because I went to WEFEST this year, and Dierks Bentley was there,” Gaustad said.

Hannah Anderson can be reached at ande5385@stthomas.edu.