The award-winning and chart-topping country artist heats up the weekend with a pair of sold-out shows in Indiana as part of his Kill The Lights 2016 tour.
08-Jul-2016 With crowds nearing 26,000 each night, Klipsch Music Center in Noblesville played host to Luke Bryan and his tour over the weekend. Noblesville is in central Indiana, as a northern suburb of Indianapolis.
The sweltering summer temperatures in the mid-90s and high humidity didn’t shy away the fans as they arrived early to enjoy the opening act, Dustin Lynch. The band entered the stage with Dustin running out onto the catwalk to spark the crowd enthusiasm.
Dustin’s half-hour set included songs from his two albums, Dustin Lynch (2012) and Where It’s At (2014), including his first number one hit, “Cowboys And Angels,” and his new single, “Seein’ Red,” from a forthcoming album. Dustin finished up his evening with two of his guitar players joining him at the front of the catwalk for his personal description of the tour, “Hell Of A Night.”
Little Big Town was next to the stage as they charmed the crowds with their four-part harmonies. LBT, as they are also known as consist of members Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook and Philip Sweet. LBT are also the CMA Vocal Group Of The Year from 2012 to 2015.
The band kept the crowd captivated with performances by all the members, as each took their turn singing lead in songs while harmonizing in others.
Entertaining with their crowd favorites, “Pontoon” and “Day Drinking,” Little Big Town also added favorites by Dolly Parton (“Jolene”), John Cougar Mellencamp (“Ain’t That America”), and Fleetwood Mac (“The Chain”).
Off their recently released seventh album, Wanderlust, LBT sang a song that written and produced by Grammy Award winner, Pharell Williams.
Highlighting the show was Karen Fairchild as she stood at the thrust of the stage, hypnotizing the crowd with her performance of “Girl Crush” as a sparkling disco ball lit up the amphitheater.
Luke Bryan, the recently awarded ACM and CMA Entertainer Of The Year was next to take the stage as he entered from a rising platform at the back of the stage.
Also beginning his performance at the thrust of the stage, Luke started the evening off with “Rain Is A Good Thing.” Women on either side of pit cheered as 40-year-old country star danced back and forth across the catwalk engaging fans with his rugged charm.
Luke performed hits from his five studio albums – I’ll Stay Me (2007), Doin’ My Thing (2009), Tailgates and Tanlines (2011), Crash My Party (2013), and Kill The Lights (2015) – keeping the crowd attentive and on their feet. He also added “This Is How We Roll,” the number in which he sang backup vocals with his friends, Florida Georgia Line.
A benefit of touring with a duet partner, Luke called Karen Fairchild (from Little Big Town) back to the stage for their composition of “Home Alone Tonight.”
Afterward, Luke called the remaining members of Little Big Town to the stage to assist in harmonizing with him in the Ed Sheeran cover of “Thinking Of You.” As the song was ending, Luke called for some Tequila shots to the stage. After a round of toasts to the fine folks of Indiana, Luke warned the crowd to allow him to get sexual in here one time by saying “hide your kids and hide your wife, it’s gonna get sexual.” With the crowd cheered with approval, Luke along with Little Big Town played their rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” During the performance, Luke continued to prank with Jimi of LBT as they sang.
As Little Big Town left the stage, Dustin Lynch joined Luke on stage for the Brooks and Dunn cover of “Play Something Country” while sharing a couple of beers.
With Luke’s hit “All My Friends Say,” Dustin and Luke tossed cans of beer out to the crowd from a large cooler at the front of the stage.
Talking to the crowd, he told them that he was just like them. He offered “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’,” his current single from Kill The Lights as proof.
Luke slowed the pace down by dedicating “Drink A Beer” to anyone who may have lost someone. During the song, Luke asked to have the house and stage lights turned down so that the lights from cell phones would light up the theater.
Luke picked the pace back up with “That’s My Kind Of Night” before ending with “I Don’t Want This Night To End.”
After stepping off stage for a moment, Luke returned to shake it up one last time for the evening with the crowd with an encore performance of “Country Girl (Shake It For Me).”
With the attitude and energy given from both Luke and the crowd, there is no question why Luke loves Indiana and Indiana loves Luke. Performances like this are also reasons why Luke has clearly been labeled as Entertainer Of The Year and able to sell out a single venue two nights in a row.
Luke Bryan
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Little Big Town
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Dustin Lynch
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Klipsch Music Center
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Luke Bryan setlist:
1. Rain Is A Good Thing; 2. Kick Up The Dust; 3. I See You; 4. This Is How We Roll; 5. Drunk On You; 6. Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye; 7. Move; 8. Crash My Party; 9. Play It Again; 10. Roller Coaster; 11. Strip It Down; 12. Home Alone Tonight (w/Karen Fairchild); 13. Thinking Out Loud (w/Little Big Town); 14. Let’s Get It On (w/Little Big Town); 15. Play Something Country (w/Dustin Lynch); 16. All My Friends Say (w/Dustin Lynch); 17. Country Man; 18. Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’; 19. Drink A Beer; 20. Fishin’ In The Dark/Let Your Light Shine Down/Hillbilly Deluxe; 21. That’s My Kind Of Night; 22. I Don’t Want This Night To End; 23. Encore – Country Girl (Shake It For Me)