Friday night, all of us from CMTT along with some gal-pals headed to Nashville to see our favorite Country Man, Luke Bryan.  Knowing the concert would be outside at the Tin Roof, we came prepared with ponchos and umbrellas in hand, prepared to see Luke rain or shine.  Luckily for us, the rain held off.

The night started early, around 6pm, and there were a couple of new bands kickin-it-off before David Nail hit the stage.  And, even though I wasn’t in the most sober mindset at the time, I can tell you that KingBilly rocked!  They had the crowd pumped-up.  The guys had strong vocals and musicianship.  I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing them again.

Country Girl and I were lucky enough to have a meet n’greet with Luke…Unfortunately that meant we would miss a majority of David Nail’s set.  So, we’ll let Peggy Sue fill in the blanks there.  I can tell you that what I did hear of David, I LOVED!  I’m a huge fan of his album, and I was impressed by his live performance.  His voice is strong and he has a real emotional connection with the music.

The man of the hour was Luke Bryan.  While in line for the meet n’greet, we were informed that Luke would sign ANYTHING we wanted, please have our cameras ready…but NO TOUCHING HIS ASS.  What?!  That sorta put a damper on my meet n’greet plans for the evening, but I was willing to take what I could get.  The whole meet n’greet went way faster than normal and Luke wasn’t as talkative as he usually was.

All was explained when Luke took the stage.  About 2 songs in, Luke admitted he’s nearly lost his voice the night before and was sick.  He got a ‘big ole shot in the ass’ and was feelin much better.  You can tell the night was a struggle for him, downing a case of water instead of his signature Miller Lite.

Luke’s set was high-energy and ton’s of fun.  He rocked through some old favorites like “You Make Me Want To”, “We Rode in Trucks,” “Baby’s on the Way,” and “All My Friends Say.”  The highlight of the night for me, was “Do I.”  I just LOVE this song, and since I’ve been married to my middle school sweetheart for over 7 years…I obviously feel a connection to the song.  Luke powers through the song, and you can tell he’s feeling every word.  Stepping back from the microphone, Luke allowed the crowd to take over…And, I can honestly say, I’ve NEVER heard such a clear and loud crowd-sing-a-long before.

The one song absent from the set list that I was looking forward to was “Apologize.”  I can only imagine that Luke just wasn’t up to it vocally due to his illness.  I can tell you though, that was the ONLY thing missing from Friday nights show.  Sick and all, Luke ‘brought it.’  Singing, playing, and doin his signature booty-shake…Luke didn’t let a little ‘bug’ stop him from putting on a fantastic show.  In fact, even after the set was over, Luke walked the stage signing autographs for his adoring public.

I can’t wait for his 2nd album, Doin My Thing, to come out.  The album hits stores on October 6th, and I think it’s going to take Luke to a whole new level.  You can pre-order Doin My Thing here and receive it autographed.  Visit www.lukebryan.com for info on his album, tour dates, and all things Luke.

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale?  Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com