15 October 2023
Has Luke Bryan peaked?
Judging by his concert Saturday night at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center, it seems like a real possibility.
Bryan, 47, is one of the most successful country acts of his generation and enjoyed a 28-song run of Top 10 singles, nearly all of which landed in the Top 5, with many topping the chart. He was the first musical act to play U.S. Bank Stadium when it opened in 2016 and he’s the only person to have headlined all three metro stadiums (USBS, Target Field and the former TCF Bank Stadium).
Yet after playing the biggest stages in the metro, Bryan returned to the much-smaller Xcel Energy Center and drew a crowd roughly half the size of his 2018 Target Field show, with pockets of empty seats in the 200 section. In 2021, his single “Up” was his first in a dozen years to miss the Top 10 and his latest effort “But I Got a Beer in My Hand” also faltered at radio.
To be sure, the guy is still popular. Nearly selling out the X is no small feat. But perhaps audiences are more interested in fresher faces like Luke Combs, Zach Bryan and Morgan Wallen. Combs filled USBS in May, Wallen’s got a pair of shows booked there in June and Bryan will make his Vikings stadium debut in August. It’s also worth noting Combs and Bryan (but not Wallen) have a more grounded, emotional approach to making music.
Luke Bryan, of course, is the king of bro country and specializes in sound-alike songs about partying, pickup trucks, boots and beer. Among the numbers Bryan played Saturday night: “Kick the Dust Up,” “Drink a Beer,” “Drunk on You,” “Crash My Party,” “One Margarita,” “Light it Up,” “Strip it Down,” “But I Got a Beer in My Hand,” the shameless Shania Twain ripoff “Knockin’ Boots” and “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day.” Sense a trend there?
The massive stage, clearly made for stadiums, often felt empty as Bryan was far less animated and physical than previous shows. At times, he was aimlessly wandering on it, whereas in years past he sprinted across it.
Bryan also took a few lengthy breaks where he rambled at the crowd, broke into an impromptu a cappella “Greatest Love of All” and poked fun at the “car dealership owners” in the front row and the poor quality of a fan’s homemade sign. He also declared it was already winter in Minnesota: “How do you all do this? How do you all live up here?” (It was 49 degrees at the time.)
The momentum noticeably fell off a dozen songs into his set, when Bryan struggled on some notes of his 2007 debut single “All My Friends Say.” He also came across as distracted — listless, even — during the stretch of slower songs that followed. Hailey Whitters, one of three openers, brought some much-needed energy to the proceedings when she joined Bryan to belt her way through Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.” To follow that, Bryan turned in an embarrassing cover of Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion.” It was nice knowing you, Luke.
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