Dierks Bentley Concert, Houston Rodeo
I recently went to a Dierks Bentley concert at the Houston livestock show and Rodeo in NRG Stadium. 
I also recently went to an Eric Church concert at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. While I loved both concerts there was a major difference between the two; the venues they were performed at. The one I enjoyed the most was the Eric Church Concert for one I was a lot closer to the stage than I was at the Rodeo. I also enjoy the Artists performance and the choice in songs. The one thing i disliked most about Dierks Bentley’s Concert was the Distance between the fans and the stage which created this impersonal feeling for me.
Eric Church Concert, Frank Erwin Center
I have gone to several concerts at the Rodeo I never felt a void between me and the artist while they were performing in concert until I attended the Eric Church concert at the Frank Erwin Center then I began to realize the drastic difference in my experiences between the two concert in which size does matter. Which it truly did because I wasn’t able to feel the connection with the artist like i did at Eric Church. Something I found interesting was even Dierks Bentley even felt that being so far away was weird. So much so that he walked off the stage and climbed over the Rodeo Fence to get into the crowd to sing and socialize with his fans.
After both experience, I found different views for the Artist and the venues themselves. 
With Eric Church and the Frank Erwin Center, I was really impressed with how close in contact I was with Eric and I felt connected with the audience in sharing a great memory for the books. When it came to Dierks Bentley, I did not feel the same I felt distracted and didn’t enjoy it as much because I felt to distant from Dierks and the crowd, they never seemed to get into the concert by like singing along with the songs. Even though Dierks tried to achieve that connection with his fans, I believe that the venue didn’t allow him to do that successfully because the distance was to big to let him reach out and grasp the hands of his fans, like Eric’s concert allowed him to do. In conclusion I think that having small, more intimate setting which allows for a more connected crowd that interacts with the artist, makes for a better experience for not only the fans but also the artist themselves.
I totally agree with you. While I wasn’t at the Eric Church or Dierks Bently concerts you were, I’ve been to several concerts where the crowd was separated from the artist and several where the crowd was right against the stage. By far the better of those two were the concerts where the crowd is right next to the stage. I agree that it’s definitely more of an intimate setting between the artist and their fans. It allows for a lot of interaction between the two, and I think that sort of allows the artist to be more relaxed and put on a better performance. I also think being up close and being able to have a sort of connection with the performers allows for a more enjoyable and memorable concert for the fans too.
I definitely agree with you that the venue has something to do with how the performance comes across. I’ve gone to many Houston Rodeo performances, and like what you described, artists often try to interact with the crowd by getting off of the rotating stage. I remember Jake Owen doing the same thing several years ago, running around the crowd and taking selfies with people in the chute seats. I think that even though Reliant is such a bug stadium, artists can often find ways to make the concert feel more personal, like what Dierks Bentley or Jake Owen did. You can’t replace the atmosphere of seeing someone at a county fair, but the performer can definitely make a large venue feel smaller.
I had the same experience when I went to see Brad Paisley at the San Antonio Rodeo. Brad Paisley was so far away and he didn’t have time to connect with the audience because they had him on a set schedule. I always love going to the Erwin Center because it does feel more personal for such a large venue. My favorite venue in Austin would have to be the ACL Moody Theatre because the seats can’t get any closer and there is no one blocking your view. I love Rodeos because they are a great way to see your favorite artists, but I always have to remember that it is a Rodeo first and a concert second.