He shared the stage with such opening acts as Jon Langston and Cole Swindell, who were both awesome in their own right.
Bryan, who commands the stage like no other, kicked off his set with “What Makes You Country,” which was a great deal of fun, and he immediately broke into the outdoor anthem “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day” and the sassy “Kick the Dust Up.”
He gave his New Jersey fans a spelling lesson with “Move” and slowed down the tempo with such tunes as “I See You” and “Roller Coaster,” the latter of which was sheer bliss (this journalist’s personal favorite Luke Bryan song that was co-penned by Cole Swindell).
The tour’s namesake single “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset” was equally uplifting, as the summer of 2019 is coming to a close, and “Most People Are Good” was an ode to kindness, grace, and humility. “Do I” will always be a special song for Bryan since it was his first-ever No. 1 single, while “Rain Is a Good Thing” was one big party tune.
At this show, Bryan found out that his latest radio single “Knockin’ Boots” reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country songs, as his newest No. 1 single.
Other feel-good songs included “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” and “Crash My Party,” while he was able to make people feel lumps in their throats during the melancholic “Drink a Beer,” which he sang beautifully in an acoustic fashion. “Strip It Down” was more bluesy and soulful and “Drunk on You” was the quintessential singalong.
Equally fun songs were “That’s My Kind of Night,” “Country Girl (Shake It for Me),” and he rounded out his impressive set with Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” which was quite fitting since he was in Bon Jovi’s home state of New Jersey.
The Verdict
Overall, Luke Bryan put on a superb concert at the PNC Bank Arts Center in New Jersey. It was high-energy and upbeat. Bryan is certainly one of the most charismatic live country performers in the contemporary music scene. Well done.
