Dierks Bentley promised fans attending his inaugural Seven Peaks Music Festival that there would be collaborations, and he wasn't joking! One of the highlights of the weekend was a tribute to Merle Haggard, performed by Bentley himself and Cody Canada, frontman for The Departed. Readers can press play above to watch the duet of Haggard's 1967 hit, "I'm a Lonesome Fugitive."

Canada and Bentley tag-teamed the lyrics, encouraging the cheering audience to join in on the chorus on Sunday night (Sept. 2) at the Whiskey Row Stage, a smaller and more intimate venue than the headliner stages at the festival. An echo of Bentley's chain of gastropubs, Whiskey Row was like a little piece of Nashville in the Rocky Mountains, featuring smaller local bands and up-close-and-personal performances with legends such as Canada, who also fronted red-dirt country pioneer band Cross Canadian Ragweed in the late '90s.

The crowd received the rowdy tribute with great enthusiasm, singing along with Haggard's classic lyrics, accented by a musical bridge of Canada's trademark guitar styling. "We've got some hardcore country fans in here!" Bentley congratulated the audience after the tune.

Seven Peaks Music Festival kicked off it's first year in Buena Vista, Colo., from Aug. 31 through Sept. 2,  fulfilling Bentley's vision of the ideal music fest.

"It’s selfish. I’m picking the bands I want to be here. I’m picking the location" Bentley told Taste of Country in an interview over the weekend, "and in a way, kind of picking the fans, picking the people that want to travel and are passionate about music and community and that’s who you have here."

Dierks Bentley's Best Live Shots

How Well Do You Know Dierks Bentley?

More From Kicker 102.5