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Review: Luke Bryan spectacular at Irving Plaza show in New York for Citi (Includes first-hand account)

Bryan opened his set with the upbeat and fun “Kick the Dust Up,” where he had the fans stomping their feet on the ground, while he was shaking his hips. “New York City,” Bryan yelled, prior to singing “Play It Again,” where he had the audience singing along. Most impressive is the fact that he sang the entire last verse of “Play It Again” a cappella, which resonated well with his New York fans. “One more time,” he said. “Thank you so much for making this possible.”

He continued with the charming ballad “Roller Coaster,” as he accompanied himself on acoustic guitar. “I want to thank each and every one of you for your unbelievable support,” he said, graciously.

Country superstar Luke Bryan performs for CITI

Country superstar Luke Bryan performs for CITI
Getty Images for CITI

Bryan went on to sing his new single, the smooth ballad “Strip It Down” and he noted that this marked either his third of fourth time performing the song live. He played the piano on this tune, as the stage was graced in yellow lights. “Who is making out tonight?” he asked, jokingly.

He displayed his country-rock side on the title track “Kill The Lights,” which was a high-energy performance that was coupled with vibrant stage lights and strong harmony vocals from his band. Towards the end of this song, an audience member handed the country heartthrob an FDNY T-Shirt, which he enjoyed. “That’s why we got new music for you,” he told the crowd.

After a sip of water, Bryan introduced the up-tempo and fun, “Move,” as his next “Country Girl (Shake It For Me),” and he delivered on the soaring tune. He adjusted his black cap and went on to sing “I See You,” prior to changing the pace of his show with the melancholic ballad “Drink A Beer,” which he performed on his acoustic guitar, that included a neat fiddle solo. This was the point where he invited his fans to raise their beer glasses up in the air, in an effort to “sing it one more time,” in memory of a person that they used to drink beer with. The finale of this performance was quite moving, especially since he had the lights dimmed down, and he sang a refrain of the last verse solo, with the audience as his background singers.

Country superstar Luke Bryan performs for CITI

Country superstar Luke Bryan performs for CITI
Getty Images for CITI

He picked up the pace with “Rain Is a Good Thing,” which consisted of a neat drum solo. “Who is feeling lucky on a Friday night?” Bryan asked. He went on to acknowledge his band members and introduced all of them, prior to singing a medley of Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” juxtaposed with “I Don’t Want This Night To End” and a cover of Taio Cruz’ “Dynamite.”

Bryan returned for a two-song encore that included “That’s My Kind of Night” and his signature tune, “Country Girl (Shake It For Me),” which featured his shaking his hips yet again. “This is unbelievable. Thank you so much New York,” he concluded.

It was evident that Bryan had one of the most loyal fan-bases in the music industry. One of his fans, in particular, Natalia Astorga, was there from 8:45 a.m. waiting well over 12 hours, for Bryan to take the Irving Plaza stage, and for her, it was well worth it.

The Verdict

Overall, Luke Bryan was fantastic at Irving Plaza in New York City, for his exclusive concert, which was presented by Citi, for Citi cardmembers. He has an exceptional stage presence and he was able to bring all of his songs to life, during his energetic and entertaining set. He proved that his recent wins for “Entertainer of the Year” by both the Academy of Country Music (ACM) and the Country Music Association (CMA) were both based on merit and sheer talent. His live show at Irving Plaza in New York garnered 5 out of 5 stars.

Markos Papadatos
Written By

Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 20,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.

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