Luke Bryan has been headlining arenas for decades, but he’s been enamored by the magic of Las Vegas. Bryan was one of the first artists to host a residency at Resorts World in 2022. That residency is set to come to a close in the new year. “Vegas has been amazing for me, I love that I’ve done it,” he tells American Songwriter and other media at a Nashville press conference.
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Bryan says the experience has helped him grow as a performer, particularly when it comes to his musicianship. He admits that while he doesn’t expect to be a “virtuoso” piano or guitar player, the Vegas show has proven his power over the audience. One of his favorite moments in the show is when he plays piano, performing such songs as the Commodores’ “Sail On” which was penned by his fellow American Idol judge Lionel Richie.
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“What I’ve really enjoyed about Vegas is the ability to be in an intimate theater,” he explains. “I learned that I can hold the room with a piano and a guitar and I think I’ve done that by incorporating it in my live show through the year.” When he’s not headlining Vegas, Bryan can be found on his Country On Tour or embarking on his Farm Tour, where he performs at various farms all over the U.S., in addition to sitting on the judging panel on American Idol.
Of all the venues he’s played, Bryan says that the audiences who come to his shows in Vegas are the most present and allow him the opportunity to lean more into conversation and storytelling. “The attentiveness of your crowd in Vegas is really fun to be a part of because when you tell a joke, when you tell a story about a song, if you’re in a 25,000 people amphitheater, you can’t do that, you’ve got to do the music, have fun,” he observes, adding that fans will “always reference the piano moment.”
Bryan’s Vegas residency has only a handful of dates left in 2023. He’ll perform on December 29, 30 and 31 and three shows in 2024 on January 3, 5 and 6. The country superstar hints that he may return to Vegas with a new show that’s a more “acoustic, stripped-down thing.” “It’s coming to an end,” he says. “It’s been amazing.”
Photo by Terry Wyatt/WireImage
