Bryan starts sold-out tour
Wednesday, January 23, 2013 – Luke Bryan launched his headline tour, the Dirt Road Diaries Tour, over the weekend with the first dates of sold-out shows in Evansville, Ind., Huntsville, Ala. and Memphis.
The tour, which has sold-out all concerts on the first leg, will resume this weekend with shows in Estero and Orlando, Fla. and features opening acts Florida Georgia Line and Thompson Square.
Feb. 7 Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum
Feb. 8 State College, PA Bryce Jordan Center
Feb. 9 Charleston, WV Charleston Civic Center Coliseum
Feb. 15 Toledo, OH Huntington Center
Feb. 16 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
Feb. 17 Bloomington, IL US Cellular Center
Feb. 18 Bloomington, IL US Cellular Center ****added
Feb. 21 Ft Wayne, IN Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
Feb. 22 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
Feb. 23 Columbia, MO Mizzou Arena
Feb. 28 Green Bay, WI Resch Center
March 1 Sioux City, IA Tyson Events Center
March 2 Moline, IL i wireless Center
March 14 Orange Beach, AL Amphitheatre at the Wharf
March 21 Florence, SC Florence Civic Center
March 22 Fayetteville, NC Crown Center
March 23 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena
Tour dates for the second leg are:
May 17 Virginia Beach, VA Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
May 18 Washington, DC Jiffy Lube Live
May 31 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre
June 1 Philadelphia Susquehanna Bank Center
June 2 Boston Comcast Center
June 13 Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center
June 14 St. Louis Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
June 15 Chicago First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
July 11 Birmingham, AL Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
July 12 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
July 13 Raleigh, NC Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion
July 14 Atlanta Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood
July 20 Detroit DTE Energy Music Theatre
July 21 Indianapolis, IN Klipsch Music Center
July 26 Albuquerque, NM Isleta Amphitheatre
July 27 Phoenix Desert Sky Pavilion
Aug. 8 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre
Aug. 9 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
Aug. 10 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Aug. 11 San Diego Sleep Train Amphitheatre formerly Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
Aug. 23 Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Aug. 24 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug. 25 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Sept. 12 Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena
Sept. 14 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
Sept. 20 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
Sept. 21 Denver Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
Sept. 26 Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center
Sept. 27 Cleveland Blossom Music Center
Sept. 28 Pittsburgh First Niagara Pavilion
Oct. 17 Little Rock, AR Verizon Arena
Oct. 18 Nashville Bridgestone Arena
Oct. 19 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena
Oct. 25 Tampa 800-ASK GARY Amphitheatre
Oct. 26 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre
More news for Luke Bryan
CD reviews for Luke Bryan
Spring Break 4: Suntan City - EP
Luke Bryan's annual spring break EPs are innocuous distractions in a fairly decent discography. The Leesburg, Ga. Native's fourth and latest, is no exception. The songwriting is an exercise in vapidity with clichéd themes like partying and teenage breakups. The timing couldn't be more ironic.
This four-song bubble gum pop tribute to the young and overserved was put out shortly after his latest full length release, "tailgates & tanlines," garnered some critical »»» |
tailgates & tanlines
By now Luke Bryan has established his defining sound, and he chooses comfort over exploration on his third CD, "tailgates & tanlines." The only major change is his songwriting contributions. Bryan co-wrote most of the songs on his first two albums, but stepped back here with his name on 8 or the 13 songs. To be fair, this doesn't really have any effect on the overall sound.
The disc starts off with what may have been the worst song of 2011, Country Girl (Shake It for Me). »»» |
Doin' My Thing
"Do I turn you on and on when I kiss you baby? Does the sight of me wanting you drive you crazy?" Luke Bryan's debut single off his sophomore album, Do I is narrated from a point of insecurity, but it comes from a voice that's potentially watching a relationship collapse before his very eyes. It's the stage where one doesn't want to admit that the fire and passion are gone, so just the fact that he's asking all of these questions should tell us that it's over. »»» |
Editorial: Walking the talk –
When names like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon and the Hag are invoked, you're talking hard core country. These are the touchstones of country , the guys who made country music what it was and still is (or maybe can be). When these folks would sing about being down-and-out and the rough-and-tumble, they knew of what they were singing about. Fast forward a few years to the country singers of today. »»»
Concert Review: McGraw has plenty of fight left –
Despite the fact that Tim McGraw is five years sober, fit as a triathlete and touring behind a number one album, he is still in an unenviable position. As he approaches 50, McGraw has to stay a step ahead of the current crop of young country hunks with TV shows, cross format radio airplay and wider appeal. But as he proved at First Niagara's... »»»
Concert Review: Steve Earle doesn't rest (on laurels) –
If you didn't realize Steve Earle had a new disc out, "The Low Highway," it would have been no problem realizing that quite and quickly.
That was because Earle started the two-hour show with three straight tracks from "The Low Highway," and he would not be done for the night. The title track of was a midtempo effort... »»»
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Wilderness
"Wilderness" is another twisted menagerie of The Handsome Family songs. Once again, husband Brett Sparks sings their songs, sometimes in a bellowing gravedigger voice, after adding music to wife Rennie's lyrics. This time out, each and every tune is named after an animal, insect or other such nature creature. However, Rennie studies animals the way Flannery O'Connor wrote about humans, which is with the weirdness and character flaws in primary focus. »»» |
Love Is Everything
George Strait may have reached his seventh decade, but he shows zero signs of slowing down. In fact, Strait seems to be getting even more consistent as he gets older. Strait doesn't stray all that far from the formula that has resulted in superstar status. First and foremost, that means his sonorous voice is mixed far above the music, a very good thing. »»» |
Dark Dirty Mile
Jason Boland and the Stragglers have released a new country album that sounds old. This isn't to imply that the sound is aged in a negative way; they have a classic country maturity that isn't heard too much these days with the exception of Jamey Johnson. For those not familiar with the music of Boland, the first track is a great way to decide whether this is your kind of country music. The title track is a mid tempo country song reminiscent of the late Waylon Jennings. »»» |
Golden
Lady Antebellum probably needed a change in direction after "Own the Night" dropped in 2011. The material was overly geared towards taking dead aim at the radio jugular. That isn't the case this time out on the trio's fifth release because most of the songs veer away from being obviously radio fodder (except for the current single Downtown with its soulful beginning and strong vocals from Hillary Scott), but that also doesn't man that this was the right change. »»» |
Annie Up
For those who thought "Hell on Heels" was a one-off side project for Miranda Lambert (along with sidekicks Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe), think again. The Annies, aka "Lonestar Annie" (Lambert), "Hippie Annie" (Monroe), and "Holler Annie" (Presley), are no novelty act. Instead, they tackle material that you just are unlikely to hear on mainstream country radio both in subject matter and sonics. »»» |
Never Regret
Chances are good people will think they've heard an unknown Dierks Bentley song on the radio, when in fact it was actually a Craig Campbell tune. That's because Campbell sounds a whole lot like Bentley during "Never Regret." About the only chief difference between Campbell and Bentley songs, however, is how Bentley adds so much humor to his tunes. He also has a far more expressive singing voice. »»»
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