Luke Bryan
Is Luke Bryan country’s next stadium star? If the revved up crowd at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night (Oct. 19) is any indication, the answer is a roaring “yes.” The reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year had the room sizzling with energy during the second of two sold-out hometown shows.
Bryan’s Dirt Road Diaries Tour is a cowboy disco complete with neon lights and spinning mirror ball. He doesn’t need wall-to-wall production to be engaging—his Saturday show was fueled by the infallible mix of hit songs and dynamic performance. The only downside was that his dance moves swagger the line between sexy and silly (with a few too many tongue-rolling purrs thrown in).
He ushered the crowd through his catalog of hits crisscrossing from farm boy fare (“Country Man,” “Rain Is A Good Thing”) to dance-party primed (“That’s My Kind of Night,” “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)”). Along the way he performed “Crash My Party,” “Someone Else Calling You Baby,” “Drunk On You,” and “I Don’t Want This Night To End.” Midway through the show he and the band slowed the tempo and gathered around a piano. They picked up the pace again by bringing back opening acts Dierks Bentley and Cole Swindell for “The Only Way I Know.” Bryan even threw in a cover of the Metallica classic “Enter Sandman,” though the 1991 hit probably pre-dates his younger listeners.
Bryan’s connection to his fans is as tangible as the one staked by longtime stadium sell-out king Kenny Chesney. If the younger star can grow his repertoire by sprinkling in songs with a bit more substance, his career will continue to ripen.
At the industry-packed after party, UMG Nashville boss Mike Dungan presented a platinum plaque to Bryan for latest album Crash My Party, which moved a million units in just six weeks. The singer took the small stage in the arena’s Patron Lounge and recalled his early years driving on I-440 in Nashville and dreaming of sold out shows in Music City. This week that dream came true—twice.
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About the Author
Sarah Skates has worked in the music business for more than a decade and is a longtime contributor to MusicRow.View Author Profile
