Luke Bryan makes it all look easy at show
Country crooner wins with the audience even when he slips up and forgets some lyrics
Luke Bryan, by now, has most of RodeoHouston down to a science.
His seventh consecutive appearance inside NRG Stadium hit all the signature marks. He swiveled his hips. He flipped his ball cap backward. He flashed that spark-ling smile and purred suggestively.
It’s to Bryan’s credit, then, that he still makes it all feel fresh. And he still makes for one of the rowdiest, and biggest, RodeoHouston crowds of the year.
Even when he slips up a bit.
Just as he was about to launch into power ballad “Crash My Party,” Bryan took a pause.
“I forgot the words. Y’all help me out,” he said before glancing over at the lyrics in closed captioning. “Hold on, I gotta read ’em.” Bryan is one of RodeoHouston’s biggest draws. Four of his previous shows are among the top 20 all-time paid attendance. Thursday night’s performance drew 72,177 paid attendance.
“This is my favorite night of the year,” he repeatedly told the crowd.
His everyman appeal is apparent in his songs: “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day,” “I Don’t Want This Night to End,” “Someone Else Calling You Baby,” “Play it Again.” It’s rural romance that guys and girls can get behind — and frequently sang along with.
“Light it Up” boosted thousands of cellphones into the air. “What Makes You Country” rode a wave of revved-up guitars.
Bryan has evolved as a vocalist since his first rodeo, now imbuing much of his material with nuance and power that previously wasn’t there. (He’ll bring that experience to the rebooted “American Idol,” premiering Sunday on ABC.)
It was apparent during “Drink a Beer,” a Chris Stapleton co-write about a deceased friend. Bryan closed his eyes, grabbed the mic and let the lyrics pour out of him.
The crowd took up the lyrics near the end as Bryan popped a top, took a sip, then finished the song. It was as heartfelt a moment as there’s been on the RodeoHouston stage.