Saturday, May 25, 2014. Day two of The Bayou Country Superfest headlined the young guns of country music Luke Bryan and Florida-Georgia Line (FGL) and also featured country favorites Lee Brice, Easton Corbin, and Gloriana. The pop-rock-rap-country sounds of Bryan and FGL had the 55,000 fans at Tiger Stadium on their feet and rockin’ to the beat until just before midnight. This was quite a change from the contemporary sounds of George Strait and Reba from Friday’s opening night but the crowd at LSU was hanging on every power chord by FGL and every hip shake by Luke Bryan.
Once the sun set on Death Valley you could feel the electricity in the air. The sound of FGL gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “rockin’ country”. Their show features multiple electric guitars and if it weren’t for the twang in their voices you’d think you were at a rock concert. The ladies in the audience appeared to enjoy when the 2 lead singers, Bryan and Tyler, came out in their sleeveless shirts with their arms covered in tattoos, long hair, and rings on their fingers. In addition, the drummer was wearing a sleeveless LSU t-shirt, which did not go unnoticed by the crowd.  The “rock star” look was a complete reversal from the previous night but this new era of country music is very popular in Louisiana.
FGL started strong and never let up for the hour and fifteen minute set. The crowd was singing along to every song and sounded amazing reverberating throughout the newly designed Tiger Stadium. Tyler, the long haired lead singer, was having a good time getting the LSU fans pumped up, taking shots between songs and even commenting, “we’re a little nervous, we’re not used to playing in front of 55,000 people”.
By the end of their set the crowd was anticipating the smash hit “Cruise” which is the best selling country digital song of all time in the US. As the song started, the crowd went wild as the jumbo screens showed Sean Peyton, Head Coach of the Saints, and his wife dancing and having a good time to the music. FGL exceeded all expectations, their musicianship was virtuosic and on point, and they had an amazing stage presence, hopefully they return next year.
Luke Bryan has won 20 awards since 2010 including the 2012 AMA Favorite Male Country Artist, 2013 ACM Vocal Event of the Year featuring Jason Aldean and Eric Church, and the 2014 Billboard Top Country Artist.
Luke immediately felt the roar of the Tiger fans when he playfully stated, “I see a bunch of coonasses tonight”.  He then went right into his treasure trove of hot jams including “That’s my Kinda Night”, “Rain is a Good Thing”, “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye”, and “All My Friends Say”. The audience was really into the music and equally excited by his hip thrusts and snake-like dance moves. Every time he did a new little dance move waves of cheers grew louder. His playful style and repertoire of radio hits was exciting, engaging, and impressive… never a dull moment.
By the middle of his performance he did covers by George Strait, Reba, and Jason Aldean among others. He even did an excerpt from “Louisiana Saturday Night” by Mel McDaniels, which had the couples dancing in the aisles. The covers seemed a bit unpolished and impromptu as he fiddled around the piano and looked for the right notes asking his band mates, “What key is this in?”. He later confessed, “We’ve never played these songs, the best thing to do is to wait until you get in front of 55,000 people to play songs you don’t know”.
As Bryan started singing a fan favorite, “Crash My Party”, he walked out with hometown hero Willie Robertson of Duck Commander. Willie was a little tipsy and wanted to stay on stage and dance but Luke casually walked him back behind the curtain to his wife. This was one of the many comedic moments of the night.
Bryan engaged the crowd in a touching ballad about the tragic loss of his brother and sister “Drink a Beer”. The crowd sang as he played the acoustic guitar and many of the on-lookers wiped tears from their eyes. This was definitely a magical moment of the show.
Day 2 of BCF ended with future country music classics by Bryan “I Don’t Want This Night to End”, “This is My Song”, and “Shake it for the Girls”. Bryan took full advantage of shaking his hips with a flurry of dance combinations that had the stadium in a steady roar. These two giants of country music Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line put on a spectacular performance. They engaged the crowd, their bands sounded like they have been together for decades, and this new breed of country stars have full command of their show like no other. Sunday’s headliners Jason Aldean and Eric Church have huge shoes to fill and they may be the only country music superstars that can do it, I can’t wait.