CONCERT REVIEW: LUKE BRYAN HFL TOUR

Luke Bryan: huntin', fishin' and lovin' everyday TOUR

9/8 - citizens bank park - Philadelphia

Today's blog post is all about the ELECTRIC Team's experience at the Luke Bryan: Huntin' Fishin' and Lovin' Everyday Tour in Philadelphia. A country concert is not what you would expect from ELECTRIC but as our motto goes: A Live Show Is The Best Research!

As the stadium lights go out, the stage in the outfield becomes suddenly alive, somehow pulled toward you now, with bright lights. The intro music to "Move" begins to play and the curtain quickly drops and there he is, Luke Bryan at the top of the stage, commanding the entire stadium. The second song's music starts, with Bryan delaying, hyping the crowd up for the night, but you're too eager for what you know is coming next. "That's My Kind Of Night" spirals you into an American party, the crowd full of fists holding beers and people waving the American flag - the spirit of our nation is in the air. Off he goes into "Kick The Dust Up" and "Rain Is A Good Thing" and before getting to "Crash My Party", Bryan takes a few minutes to acknowledge those in Houston and Florida affected by the hurricanes who are in need of some prayers and help. He then went on to salute the U.S. Military, along with police, firefighters, school teachers, nurses, and even plastic surgeons. Perhaps the most interesting part of the show as Bryan weaves in a few comedic one liners to keep the crowd alert and on their feet. The show continues with "Crash My Party" and rolls into hits "Light It Up", "Fast", "Drunk On You", "Roller Coaster" and "All My Friends Say/Country Man". Bryan rounds out the first half of the show with another fan-favorite, "Play It Again".

Bryan then brings back out Brett Eldredge and Craig Campbell for a collection of songs, set at a small piano, with accompanying guitars, banjos, and percussion. Luke, at the piano, leads the guys into covers of Alabama's "Mountain Man" and Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline". Yes, we know what you're thinking - how could the Philadelphia Phillies stadium possibly be belting out the Boston Red Sox them - but in that moment, it wasn't the theme of a rival, but a piece of American history. This was the song that had the entire crowd, from top to bottom, side to side, singing in unison, everyone dancing and smiling. Luke and the guys had even the likes of me, the ELECTRIC Team Member there to simply research and review, singing aloud. As the cover ended, Bryan then went into fan-favorite "Strip It Down", polishing it with an R&B style seduction. Next came the always emotional "Drink A Beer", written by Bryan about his late brother's tragic passing. It was during this performance that he took the time to acknowledge the sudden passing of country star Troy Gentry and the passing of country legend Don Williams, both leaving the world on the same day, just hours before the show.

The tour's namesake was up to bat next, "Huntin', Fishin', and Lovin' Everyday" and the crowd went wild! The band played an extended live version, simply just to keep the crowd hyped for the upcoming encore. Fireworks began to shoot into the late summer night sky, it was a sort of magical sight. Then came "I Don't Want This Night To End", which served as a unified sentiment among the fans, the band and Bryan. The best part about the entire performance is Bryan's handouts of beer cans to the crowd from a cooler his stage crew had brought out. Known as one of his live show rituals, the tradition shows just how in sync he is with his fans, just people, enjoying country music on a Friday night. Darkness fell with all of the stage and stadium lights out, the crowd, simultaneously chanting "U.S.A" and "E.A.G.L.E.S EAGLES", which is something to love about Philadelphia, because only in our city would a sports chant overtake an encore anticipation.

Suddenly, red and white lights appear, with the band rocking out to the intro of your favorite song. A woman's silhouette flashes on all of the screens and it is clear that "Country Girls (Shake It For Me)" is about to get the crowd going. Bryan races back out onto the stage, this time sporting a Phillies jersey, which only erupts the crowd into an even bigger frenzy. The crowd is deliriously thrilled that Luke is repping their hometown team, so much so that you can feel the vibrations of the crowd in the concrete floor. As the hit song finally winds down, the band then begins to play Guns N Roses "Paradise City". The song plays, as Bryan and the crowd sing along and he shakes hands of fans in the stage pit and takes a few selfies. The night has ended even though you wish it hadn't, but you're still so happy you had the chance to experience it all because you'll never forget it.

AUTHOR NOTE: I had been to a Luke Bryan show once before, a few years back with some friends who had insisted I didn't know what I was missing and as someone who has never been fully in tune with the country genre, I had a less then great experience. It was the middle of summer, a hundred degrees, beer spilled everywhere, in the GA pit, and in a football stadium - to say it was an experience would be an understatement. This time around, however, I came to the show better versed as a concert reviewer and much more welcoming to new live performance experiences. As for the show, the smaller scale of stage and stadium size (baseball field) gave the show a more intimate feel, with Bryan much more in sync with the crowd. There was a personal element given to this tour that I hadn't seen a few years back and it made all the difference.