Luke Bryan: What He Gets ‘Depressed’ About In The Business
Luke Bryan is knee-deep into his 2023 summer tour “Country On,” and he puts on quite the entertaining tour full of the fun and energy you would expect from him….
Luke Bryan is knee-deep into his 2023 summer tour "Country On," and he puts on quite the entertaining tour full of the fun and energy you would expect from him.
Luke signed on for Season 22 of American Idol with his friends and fellow judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. A few years back, Bryan told me about one of the few things that make him unhappy in the music business. He said, "The only time when I get depressed in this business or down is when I can't sing and do my job like I want to."
He added, "As long as I can get up there and sing like I feel like that people deserve, and I gave them my best, and that's a good feeling."
Luke recalled that years ago, he was opening shows for Tim McGraw and his buddy Jason Aldean. Now with ten years of headlining concerts under his belt, he has the headliner thing down. He said, "When you're out there opening for years, you know, you're doing 20 minutes. You're doing 40 minutes. And NOW, I do four or five shows in a row, and I'm doing almost two hours, and it's a different animal. So, just learning how to do all that and learning what it takes. I mean, I've even learned what time of the day is probably the best to work out, take care of my voice and be ready to sing."
RELATED: Luke Bryan Looks For Down Time in 'Rough Year'
Bryan recently told us of hitting the road again this summer, "I'm so excited about this year's summer tour, the Country On Tour. I've got a lot of new up-and-coming artists. Some of 'em have had a hit, and some of 'em are about to have a hit."
He added, "They're gonna be out there with me, and I'm so excited to be around young talent and watch them enjoy the summer tour. But, yeah, my favorite part about being out there on the Country On Tour is going town to town, and nothing is better than being out on the road in the summer."
Upcoming August Dates on Bryan's "Country On Tour:"
7/29/2023 Denver, CO Ball Arena
8/4/2023 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
8/5/2023 Boise, ID Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
8/6/2023 George, WA Watershed Festival*
8/10/2023 Rogers, AR Walmart AMP
8/12/2023 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
8/13/2023 Brandon, MS Brandon Amphitheater
8/17/2023 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
8/18/2023 Indianapolis, IN Ruoff Music Center
8/19/2023 Pittsburgh, PA The Pavilion at Star Lake
8/24/2023 Put In Bay, OH Bash on the Bay*
8/25/2023 Evansville, IN Ford Center
8/26/2023 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Luke Bryan is a superstar today with twenty-seven number-one country songs to his credit. He is also a TV star as he is placed firmly as a celebrated Judge along with Katy Perry and Lionel Richie on TV's American Idol.
Last month, Bryan was rehearsing for his "Country On Tour" in the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville during CMA Fest week. He had some of his people go out into the street, which was full of CMA Fest fans from all over the world, and gather about 30 of them inside for something unique. The fans did not know what or who to expect, and then Luke appeared. When he entered the room, he said, "Alright, you all ready?" The fans erupted into cheers and screams.
Bryan then sang his new song "Beer In My Hand" for the intimate crowd, walking around meeting the fans and taking selfies with them. Luke posted a video clip of what happened on Instagram; he captioned the post, "I've always wanted to do that. Anything can happen at #CMAfest! #BeerInMyHand."
As he currently tours the country on his summer dates for his "Country On Tour," he recently announced that he will headline his fourteenth "Farm Tour" this September during a break from his "Country On Tour." The Georgia native will set up stages in the fields of local farms from September 14-23, 2023.
Luke said of his Farm tradition, "One of the reasons we created these Farm Tour shows – to bring the big-city tour to the people. These nights are one-of-a-kind, and we really enjoy getting to know the farmers and their families; we love the whole atmosphere of playing on these incredible farms and watching entire communities come together and get excited about these shows."
FARM TOUR 2023
9/14 Shelbyville, KY Mulberry Orchard
9/15 Millersport, OH Miller Family Farm
9/21 Colfax, IA Schnell Family Farms
9/22 Brooklyn, WI Klondike Farms
9/23 Eyota, MN Gar-Lin Dairy LLC
Since 2009 when the Farm Tour began, Luke has granted 78 college scholarships to students from farming families to their local college or university near the tour stops. Over the years, event sponsors have donated money, food, and resources to the local communities and nationally.
Bryan celebrates his 47th birthday today (7/17), and to honor him, we ranked 17 of his finest songs.
RELATED: Luke Bryan Looks For Down Time in 'Rough Year'
17. "Rain Is a Good Thing" (2010)
UMGOkay, the lyrics to this song are quite simple and give a simple recipe for making whiskey, but it’s a catchy tune and infectious. Luke also released the song during Nashville’s huge 2010 flood. At the flood relief concert Bryan told the press, “Okay, rain is a good thing but maybe not 17 inches of it.”
16. "Drink a Beer" (2013)
UMGWritten by Jim Beavers and Chris Stapleton, the song tells the story of a character who honors the recent passing of a loved one by watching the sunset on the edge of a pier; he drinks a beer, which is something they would have done together. Luke lost two siblings, who each passed away at a tragically young age. So Luke brings a lot of gravitas to this song.
15. "Kick the Dust Up" (2015)
UMGAnother party song for Bryan and it is also his thirteenth number-one single and his tenth consecutive chart-topper.
14. "What She Wants Tonight" (2019)
UMGLuke was a co-writer on this song, which he felt would appeal to female listeners because the girl in the song “controls the dynamic of the situation." He added, "I've been wanting to get a big, rocking tempo out for some time, and this is certainly it."
13. "The Only Way I Know" with Jason Aldean and Eric Church (2012)
BBRThis collaborative song is about hard work, loyalty, small-town values, and southern work ethic. The singers explain that they were raised in a small-town southern atmosphere and were taught to work hard to earn a living.
12. "Huntin', Fishin' and Lovin' Every Day" (2015)
UMGThis song reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, giving Bryan his fourteenth number-one hit on that chart. Thematically, the song is about a rural lifestyle in Luke's home state of Georgia.
11. "This Is How We Roll" (2014)
BMLGA great collaboration. The final single from Florida Georgia Line's debut album. The video of the song shows a biker named Kenny losing a bet and having to jump a tree. He fails, resulting in his dirt bike being stuck in the tree. When he, Travis Pastrana (a professional motorsports competitor), and some other guys are found stranded by Hubbard, Kelley, and Bryan as a result of the failed dirt bike trick, Kelley invites them to a party in the back of their semi-truck, which is revealed throughout the video to consist of dancing women and beer.
10. "Crash My Party" (2013)
UMGLuke debuted the song at the Academy of Country Music Awards in April 2013, which he hosted with Blake Shelton. It was released the same month as the first single and title track from Bryan's fourth studio album of the same name.
9. "All My Friends Say" (2007)
UMGOur introduction to Luke when it was released in January 2007 as his debut single and the first for his 2007 debut album ‘I'll Stay Me.’ The song became Bryan's first chart entry, spending more than 30 weeks on US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, where it reached number 5.
8. "Someone Else Calling You Baby" (2010)
UMGIn the song, the male narrator sees his lover in someone else's truck and wonders if she has left him for someone else. The song became Bryan's second number one hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in February 2011.
7. "Drunk on You" (2012)
UMGIt was released in February 2012 as the third single from his album ‘Tailgates & Tanlines.’ It was also his first single that Luke did not have a hand in writing.
6. "Most People Are Good" (2017)
UMGIn the song, Bryan sings about making "uplifting" statements about positive things in the world. At the time, Luke said that he was "captivated" the first time he heard the song, and that "It was something that I felt like that people always need to be reassured that there's way more good going on than negative."
5. "One Margarita" (2020)
UMGThe song we all needed to hear during quarantine and what fun it brought to so many. Bryan’s wife Caroline and mother appeared with him in the video.
4. “Home Alone Tonight” with Karen Fairchild (2015)
UMGBryan and Karen Fairchild performed the song live at the 2015 American Music Awards. The song was a groovy kind of ballad in which a man and woman meet in a bar and plot revenge on their former lovers together.
3. "That's My Kind of Night" (2013)
UMGThis tune is all about the beat and has a great one talking about catfish dinners, the Flint River, and where the corn rows grow. Oh, and love.
2. "Play It Again" (2014)
UMGIn the song, Luke sings about approaching a girl at a tailgate party. Suddenly, the girl's favorite song comes on, causing her to ask the protagonist to dance with her, and they both exclaim "play it again" when the song is finished. He drives her home that night, when the song comes on the radio, triggering a similar reaction."
1."Country Girl (Shake It for Me)" (2011)
UMGRoy Acuff (Grand Ole Opry star and considered one of the fathers of country music) had a saying, “Dance with the one who brought ya.” Acuff told many artists on the Grand Ole Opry to do just that when they performed. And like it or hate this catchy song is the one that brought Luke to the country music dance.
