BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
Forget the sold-out stadium dates, the new No. 1 album for (likely) two weeks running and the shelf full of trophies that’s probably ready to collapse.
When a guy gets his own candle scent , well, that's a whole other level of success.
Luke Bryan is still a year away from 40 and his accomplishments are mind-boggling.
He really is selling out stadiums on this "Kick the Dust Up" tour and while Friday's crowd – which included Braves Hall of Famer Bobby Cox – filled about three-quarters of Philips Arena, Bryan will return for a second performance on Saturday ( a few tickets remain ).
Even more impressive is that he’s become the willing representative of bro-country with a decent, if unspectacular, voice and an arsenal of generically catchy songs.
But as he strolled the round stage at the end of a catwalk on Friday night in dark jeans and his trademark backward baseball cap, Bryan displayed the easygoing charm that has helped catapult him to a level of stardom that warrants entry into the home décor market.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
His toothpaste-model good looks and aw-shucks demeanor give him an edge on the competition and no doubt, fans worship the Leesburg native; there were more homemade poster board signs being waved than at the last One Direction concert.
Of course, his swiveling hips don’t hurt when courting the female demographic, either.
“This is my song! This is YOUR song!” Bryan yelled at the start of “Play It Again,” one of many moments in the nearly two-hour show that demonstrated how effortlessly he connects with his followers.
His six-piece band, including Sylvester native Michael Carter on sizzling electric guitar, incorporated banjo, fiddle, pedal steel and mandolin – all of the necessary ingredients to keep Bryan away from Taylor Swift Street.
But he makes no secret of his love of rock and rap, evidenced by the (excessively loud) pre-show songs spun by a DJ and Bryan’s goofing around at the piano with show openers Dustin Lynch and Randy Houser on Nelly’s “Country Grammar” before the trio slugged shots of tequila and unveiled a solid cover of Maroon 5’s “Sugar.”
That he paired it with another cover, a tightly coiled run-through of Alabama’s “Mountain Music,” perfectly epitomized Bryan’s diametric tastes.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
While the generous set list included the requisite hits “All My Friends Say,” “Drunk on You” and “Rain is a Good Thing,” Bryan also used the spotlight to share some of the songs from “Kill the Lights,” his fifth studio album currently sitting atop the Billboard charts.
Displaying his ample skills as a pianist, Bryan sat at the upright in the middle of arena floor for the seductive ballad “Strip It Down” and later strapped on a guitar for the song he said is one of his favorites, “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day,” a gentle thumper that built to an explosive coda.
A fervent sing-along and spinning lights above the handsome stage – a clean, open space with a curved video screen framing the top – accompanied “Crash My Party” and the pop anthem “Someone Else Calling.”
But before Bryan uncorked the party tunes about country girls shaking it and his jacked-up truck, he tended to the only moment of his show that truly evoked any emotion other than, "Whoo-hooooo!"
Sitting on a wooden structure modeled to look like a pier, Bryan strummed his acoustic guitar as he sang the poignant “Drink a Beer.” The moment was elevated when the houselights were kicked off so fans could wave their cell phones and sing along with the lump-in-throat-inducing song, which Bryan capped by popping a beer.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
With so much of his music and, by extension, his live performance centered on the holy trinity of country music – trucks, chicks and booze – it was refreshing to see something deeper behind that grin, even if just for a few minutes.
Prior to Bryan’s 9:30 p.m. arrival, Lynch and Houser warmed up the crowd.
The burly and bearded Houser offered a particularly meaty set of country rock provided by his five-piece band, many of whom apparently think they’re in Van Halen or Guns ‘N’ Roses with their rock star shades and top hats.
Houser is a fine guitarist who tossed out plenty of serrated licks. From the opening “Boots On” to a searing “How Country Feels” to his recent concert staple, a cover of Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me,” he suitably amped up a crowd that needed very little prompting.
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