Luke Bryan knows how to make a memorable exit. The country music star closed the sold-out opening night of his new Las Vegas residency by soaring 45 feet in the air on a catwalk at Resorts World Theatre.
The stunning final moments of the 100-minute performance on Friday night (Feb. 11) brought Bryan eye-to-eye with the 5,000-person crowd as he ascended the levels of the AEG/Concerts West venue. The singer appeared to be feeling the good vibes — and in a particularly cheeky moment, he allowed an audience member to as well, with a butt grab — before throwing on a sequin-adorned jacket and making an ascent to the top levels of the theater.
Heavy on the booty shaking for which he is known, Bryan literally rocked the hydraulic walkway with an avalanche of hip gyrations during “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” before appropriately ending the night with “Don’t Want This Night to End.” Then, he tore off his jacket and ripped into a margarita.
Matching Bryan’s vibe, the celebratory mood of the audience heightened Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak recently dropping the statewide mask mandate, which allowed the crowd to attend without restrictions.
“I’d like to take some personal credit in getting rid of the mask mandate,” Bryan told the crowd. “I really appreciate that. I feel like the governor saw that we’re all coming here and he’s just like, ‘Oh now, just f— it.’ It happened on my weekend.”
Although Carrie Underwood and Katy Perry might have taken their residency turns first in the recently debuted Resorts World Theatre, Bryan pushed it full throttle with an electric show that showed what the Scéno Plus venue can do. The spatial audio experience showcased through the state-of-the-art speakers and sound technology delivered Bryan’s pristine, crisp vocals.
Matching the energy of the crowd from the first note and bringing his A-game, the American Idol judge electrified with a generous amount of pyrotechnics through the kick-off song “That’s My Kind of Night,” continuing into “All My Friends Say,” taking an early walk around the audience to hype everyone up. The multilevel LED-fronted set raised and lowered to the music, transforming the entire stage into a captivating video production. The massive proscenium filled with sounds, sights and Bryan’s “man in black” presence along with his band.
Then came the tequila, thanks to several margaritas Bryan consumed onstage, apropos for the country star who’s song “One Margarita” graduated to exalted status as a carefree summer anthem. “Let’s drink some margaritas tonight,” he said. “I’m not really sure how good I’ll be having a residency in Vegas.”
It is impossible to not have fun at a Bryan show, as the performer, infectiously, is having the most fun of all. “This is an amazing night,” he shared. “This is an amazing situation to have a place here in Las Vegas to call home.”
Unlike most residency performers, Bryan maintained a continuously uncanned dialogue with the audience, showcasing his endearing humor, as he fired off close to two dozen hit songs. Throughout, he shared his love of the casino action.
“I have already lost my ass this week on blackjack,” he said. “Which made me double my typical NFL bets. Raise your hand if you are up out there tonight? Raise your hand if you are down … it is always more.”
But when the jokes cooled off, the music heated up. During the staging of “Waves,” the set undulated to the song, encapsulating Bryan in cascades of digital waterfalls. The new country classic “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day” prompted a five-person guitar jam session. More pyro rained during “Kick Up the Dust,” and he took to the piano to sing “Strip it Down” and “Do I” against a backdrop of lights.
“I’ve been waiting for this all night,” Bryan commented as he took a sip of his margarita to deliver the song as if the audience was in his living room.
One thing Bryan couldn’t deliver was all of 29 of his No. 1 songs. “I can’t sing all my hits,” he said. “Can someone google how many No. 1’s Blake Shelton had? Don’t be screwing up my damn Yelp review, I don’t need a three star … I’m working my ass off.”
The show was directed by Strip royalty Brian Burke, whose credits include Las Vegas residencies by Pitbull, Celine Dion and Keith Urban, among many others. Brian Burke Creative and Tom Sutherland from DX7 Design designed the production.
AEG Presents announced nine more dates for Bryan’s run after the debut. The newly announced shows begin in mid-June and run through early September.
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Tagged: Country, entertainment blog, Las Vegas Residency, music, music blog