Hard-touring country star Dierks Bentley [ tickets ] is just wrapping his North American summer trek, and his fall dates have already been announced.

The next leg of the Throttle Wide Open tour, which features opener Jack Ingram, will roll through 28 cities across the eastern half of the US beginning Oct. 4 in Rome, GA. This time, Bentley will primarily play in arenas, so he'll focus his energy on connecting with fans in larger venues.

"Our show is all about making a real connection with our fans every night ... not through high-def video screens or pyro or some crazy light show but through the music and interaction, both verbal and physical," Bentley said in a statement. "I like to leave the door open for spontaneous moments every night, and sometimes that results in me leaving the stage to sing to the folks in the nosebleeds, or pulling a girl up on stage to dance ... you never know ... but we always connect."

The Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter/guitarist has been playing a slew of fairs and festivals on his summer tour, which continues through the end of this month. Bentley also has a one-off date Sept. 30 in Nashville. His full itinerary is listed below.

Earlier this year, the Phoenix native launched a major promotional blitz upon releasing his first concert DVD, "Live and Loud at the Fillmore." The 90-minute film, shot last year at Denver's Fillmore Auditorium, features Bentley performing some of his biggest hits along with tracks from his October release, "Long Trip Alone," his second set to top Billboard's country album chart.

"Long Trip Alone," which follows 2005's platinum-selling "Modern Day Drifter," has spawned hit singles "Every Mile A Memory," the title track and "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)," all of which are streaming at Bentley's MySpace page.