Luke Bryan connected with his hit single “Love You, Miss You, Mean It” the first time he heard it. The song tells the story of two high school sweethearts torn apart by college and distance, only to later reunite. Although he didn’t write it, Bryan has said “Love You, Miss You, Mean It” is reminiscent of his own love story with wife Caroline. The track struck a chord with fans as well, reaching a million streams on Spotify in no time. And the “Play It Again” singer got to see the song’s impact firsthand when he took the stage Friday (June 7) at CMA Fest.
Videos by American Songwriter
Luke Bryan Is No Stranger to CMA Fest
CMA Fest is old hat to Luke Bryan by now, but this year was a little different. Historically, country music’s five-time entertainer of the year has closed out the festival. This year, Bryan performed at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium Friday night (June 7.) With the pressure off, he was excited to “just get up there and sing and cut up and stuff.”
Bryan said in a pre-show interview that the best part of CMA Fest is looking out into the crowd and seeing fans responding to the music.
He added that he was looking forward to singing and cutting up during his 2024 CMA Fest performance.
Sing and cut up he most certainly did.
“Watching the fans dance… and watching them react to the songs, and watching them fall in love and just be a part of the musical journey,” Bryan added.
[RELATED: Watch Jelly Roll and Keith Urban Team Up for “Halfway to Hell” During CMA Fest]
Bryan Had to Hitch A Ride To His First CMA Fest
It may seem like Luke Bryan has been headlining the CMA Fest forever. However, there was a time he had to hitch a ride with complete strangers to attend the festival.
Back when Bryan was just a country music fan, he was hanging out at a Nashville bar when a couple of strangers approached him.
“They go, ‘Hey, we have an extra ticket to CMA Fest,’ and I was like, ‘Okay,'” Bryan told On the Red Carpet. “So, I get in the car.”
The crew stopped at a gas station for beers before arriving at the festival for tailgating. “These girls probably don’t even know it was me, and then we went into the stadium,” said the “Mind of a Country Boy” singer.
He continued, “We just rocked out at CMA Fest. Martina McBride was singing the biggest hits of that year and I was rocking out to Martina McBride, and now 20 years later, I’m telling the story.”
Featured image by Terry Wyatt/WireImage
