LUKE BRYAN WRAPS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CMT TOURS
IN TEN-YEAR HISTORY
NASHVILLE – (November 21, 2011) – Luke Bryan wrapped his first major headlining tour over the weekend – “CMT ON TOUR: Luke Bryan Tailgates & Tanlines” – performing in 22 cities with opening acts Lee Brice, Josh Thompson and CMT’s New Superstar winner Matt Mason. The 2011 tour has become one of the most successful to date.
“This year, we witnessed one of the most successful tours in the now 10-year history of CMT ON TOUR, with Luke playing to packed houses every night,” said Leslie Fram, senior vice president of music strategy, CMT. “He is an undeniable talent and over-delivered on his promise to entertain, evident by watching the crowd dance and sing along to every song.”
To get a glimpse of behind the scenes action on the tour as well as Luke performing his current smash hit single “I Don’t Want This Night To End” from his Capitol Records Nashville album tailgates& tanlines go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW9bq0B9m3s.
Luke’s confident and lively performances were heralded by concert promoters alike throughout its run.
Todd Boltin of Variety Attractions said, “(With) each show I've watched, Luke's confidence seems to grow stronger and stronger. He is connecting with the crowd the way Garth used to in the early 90's. I watched the crowd break a sweat singing and dancing along with him.”
“America, meet Country's next Superstar… his name is Luke Bryan!,” exclaimed Don Kronberg of NitelLite. “He delivered a live show that looked like it took years to create...he's ready to shoot right to the top."
Connie Hunt of The Arena in Corbin, Kentucky shared, “I have to say with 20 years in this business I was blown away by Luke Bryan!! It caught me off guard; his live show is just incredible!! He did not stop the energy level from the time he hit the stage and he had the crowd in the palm of his hand and kept them on their feet! The screaming reminded me of old Beatles performance footage. He is the talk of the town as he has wowed everyone including me. I don’t write many quotes, if ever, about watching an artist perform but to borrow a line from Mark Knopfler (song) ‘this young man’s future’s so bright he’s definitely gonna have to wear shades.’”
During a two-week break of the CMT ON TOUR, Luke took his “Farm Tour” to six cities and played for over 42,000 fans, raising funds for local college scholarships in each of the cities he performed.
2011 was the tenth-annual CMT ON TOUR which launched in 2002 and has featured superstars Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland and Keith Urban. The 2011 CMT ON TOUR was produced by Lindsay Bertelli of Reach, LLC.
CMT, a unit of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 93 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network’s digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.