After years of friendship and months of preparation, three-time GRAMMY award-winner Darius Rucker and seven-time GRAMMY award-winning trio Lady Antebellum launched their co-headlining Summer Plays On Tour to a deafening welcome in Toronto, Ont. (7/19) and Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (7/20) this past weekend. With what The Plain Dealer called “one of the biggest mainstream country pairings of the summer,” Cleveland Country Magazine noted that it is “hard to imagine who’s having more fun at the show — the fans or the acts on stage” with a playlist-worthy set spanning over 20 No. 1 hits between the two.

Today, PEOPLE.com shares an exclusive behind the scenes photo gallery highlighting Rucker and Lady A’s opening weekend as the run continues thrilling audiences across the U.S. all summer long.

“Charles, Hillary and Dave have been such good friends to me over the years – we even toured together once before during the summer of 2012,” explained Rucker. “It’s always exciting to be out on the road with our fans, but I knew it would be even more special with Lady Antebellum being part of the tour too. If the rest of the shows are as much fun as this past weekend, we’re in for a great summer!”

“We’ve been itching to get back on the road with Darius for a while now and we couldn’t have asked for a better opening run,” said Lady A’s Dave Haywood. “You could just feel the energy between all the bands, crews and fans. The crowds made a lasting impression on us and we can already tell there are a lot of memories to be made this year.”

For a behind-the-scenes look at the launch of the Summer Plays On Tour exclusively through PEOPLE.com, clickHERE.

Rucker took the stage first, bringing fans to their feet with chart-toppers such as “Alright” and recent No. 1 “For The First Time” before Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum joined him for their collaborative “Straight To Hell,” the current single off Rucker’s latest album, When Was The Last Time. Lady Antebellum continued the musical celebration with hits of their own, including 6x Platinum “Need You Now” and current Top 15-and-climbing single “Heart Break,” with both acts uniting for a group encore that included a lively singalong of Rucker’s Hootie & the Blowfish classic “Hold My Hand.”

In addition to the critically acclaimed co-headliners, Triple Tigers Records newcomer Russell Dickerson opened the show with a punch of energy, treating fans to a dynamic set which included his chart-topping power ballad “Yours.”

After wrapping the first two nights of the Summer Plays On Tour, Rucker and Lady A temporarily parted ways as the trio headlined the Darien Lake Amphitheater in Darien Center, N.Y. (7/21) where the Buffalo News noted that from “the lawn to the front row, a crowd jammed into the venue.” Meanwhile, Rucker reunited with his Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates for a one-night only performance in Atlanta, Ga. The tour continues Thursday, July 26 in Bethel, N.Y. at the site of the famed Woodstock festival, with 29 additional dates through October.

Remaining stops on the Summer Plays On Tour:
Thursday, July 26, Bethel, N.Y. – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Friday, July 27, Gilford, N.H. – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
Saturday, July 28, Hartford, Conn. – XFINITY Theatre
Thursday, August 2, Columbia, Md. – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Friday, August 3, Holmdel, N.J. – PNC Bank Arts Center
Saturday, August 4, Wantagh, N.Y. – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Thursday, August 16, Mountain View, Calif. – Shoreline Amphitheatre
Friday, August 17, Sacramento, Calif. – Toyota Amphitheatre
Sunday, August 19, Auburn, Wash. – White River Amphitheatre
Thursday, August 23, Phoenix, Ariz. – Ak-Chin Pavilion
Friday, August 24, Irvine, Calif. – FivePoint Amphitheatre
Saturday, August 25, San Diego, Calif. – Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
Friday, August 31, Welch, Minn. – Treasure Island Resort & Casino
Saturday, September 1, Milwaukee, Wis. – American Family Insurance Amphitheatre
Sunday, September 2, Mount Pleasant, Mich. – Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort
Thursday, September 6, Cincinnati, Ohio – Riverbend Music Center
Friday, September 7, Clarkston, Mich. – DTE Energy Music Theatre
Saturday, September 8, Pittsburgh, Pa. – KeyBank Pavilion
Thursday, September 13, Saint Louis, Mo. – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Friday, September 14, Indianapolis, Ind. – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
Saturday, September 15, Tinley Park, Ill. – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Thursday, September 20, Virginia Beach, Va. – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
Friday, September 21, Camden, N.J. – BB&T Pavilion
Saturday, September 22, Mansfield, Mass. – Xfinity Center
Thursday, September 27, Alpharetta, Ga. – Verizon Amphitheatre*
Friday, September 28, Tampa, Fla. – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Saturday, September 29, West Palm Beach, Fla. – Coral Sky Amphitheatre
Thursday, October 4, Raleigh, N.C. – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Friday, October 5, Charlotte, N.C. – PNC Music Pavilion
Saturday, October 6, Bristow, Va. – Jiffy Lube Live
* denotes the show is Lady Antebellum only

Dierks Bentley will perform on the star-studded fourth annual WE Day special tomorrow night (August 17th).

Dierks, who will perform his recent No. 1 song “Woman, Amen,” will be joined on the television special that was taped this past Spring by Jennifer Aniston, Whoopi Goldbern, Will Ferrell, Cyndi Lauper, Martin Sheen, Selena Gomez and host John Stamos, among others.

WE Day is a celebration of doing good, honoring youth and families across the country who prove that when they put their individual resources together, they can help on a global level.  WE Day includes a series of 19 stadium-sized events held across the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and the Caribbean as a catalyst to support the movement of young people leading change. Students can’t buy a ticket to WE Day – youth earn their way by the actions they take on one local and one global cause of their choice.

In a WE video (see below), Dierks talks about ways his children learn how to help others. “We constantly think about ways to give our kids as much of a balance as possible,” he says. “One of our favorite things to do is just go to Second Harvest, which is a food bank in Nashville, and pack backpacks for kids. They learn about the fact that these kids get their food from school. That’s the only place they really eat…It really helps them understand the privileges they have and hopefully plants a little bit of a seed in them for having that compassion and interest in helping folks in their community.”

Catch Dierks and the rest of the all-star cast on the WE Day special airing at 8pm Friday night on ABC.

Luke Bryan is set to open Nashville’s only six-floor entertainment facility in the heart of Music City, LUKE’S 32 BRIDGE FOOD + DRINK. The must-see hot spot is located in Nashville’s most sought after zip code with a prime location in the downtown district on the corner of 301 Broadway at 3^rd Avenue. The 30,000 square foot building features six levels of entertainment space with eight bars, including Broadway’s only multi-level rooftop bars with sushi menu, four stages of live music and two restaurants. The name, LUKE’S 32 BRIDGE FOOD + DRINK, was inspired by Luke’s childhood home near Route 32 Bridge in Lee County, Georgia and is housed in Nashville’s iconic American National Bank Building. The facility, in partnership with TC Restaurant Group, is scheduled to open this month.

“When I first moved to Nashville I played several of the bars on the ionic Broadway Street,” shared Luke. “I never would have dreamt that I would one day be a part of a place that could offer the same dream to others. Because of Music City and the fans all across the country, the reality of this amazing venue has become possible.”

Visitors to LUKE’S 32 BRIDGE FOOD + DRINK will enjoy an aw-inspiring view from the multi-level rooftop that features Nashville’s only rooftop Sushi Bar with Chef Nick Phrommala. Chef Tomasz Wosiak helms the LUKE’S 32 BRIDGE FOOD + DRINK signature restaurant where he has created a menu inspired by some of Luke’s favorites with special twists on Southern and American cuisine. Take your pick from hearty favorites Hometown Pulled Pork with Kettle BBQ chips, Black & Blue Salmon Salad, Nashville Hot Chicken to Luke’s Elk Burger with Red Dragon Cheese. Burger fans are set-to-go with the Farmers Burger, featuring locally-sourced, all natural beef with over easy egg, maple bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and signature sauce. Other go-to dishes are Beet Mixed Green Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette & hand-tossed oven-baked margarita and pepperoni pizza work to fill out a world-class menu.

LUKE’S 32 BRIDGE FOOD + DRINK will offer one-of-a-kind drinks including some of Luke’s personal choices like “Backstage”- vodka, grapefruit, with or without salt; “Play It Again”- cherries, vanilla bourbon, lemon juice, sugar and “Luke’s Old Fashioned”- muddled cherries & oranges, cubed sugar & bitters, ice, whiskey & water- plus more.

Go to www.lukes32bridge.com to learn more about LUKE’S 32 BRIDGE FOOD + DRINK.

Luke is making his way up the country charts with his latest song, “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset.”

About Luke Bryan

Luke is a two-time Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year, a five-time host of the ACM Awards, a NSAI Artist/Songwriter of the Year and he was named a CMT Artist of the Year six consecutive years. Luke has more certified digital singles than any other country artist with 40 million tracks and 12 million albums with three Billion music streams and he was the most-streamed country artist from 2012 to 2016. Luke has placed 20 singles at #1, 11 of which he co-wrote, and has headlined arena tours and sold-out stadiums across the U.S. performing for 1.5 Million fans in 2017 alone. This year, Luke’s “What Makes You Country Tour,” named Billboard Music Awards Top Country Tour, will run through the end of October with 40+ concerts and boasting 13 stadiums shows. And recently announced, Luke, along with Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, will return to the judges table for a second season on ABC’s American Idol.

Visit www.LukeBryan.com or follow Luke on Twitter @LukeBryanOnline, Instagram and Facebook

Nashville – July 29, 2018 – Four-time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan lit up the sky over Los Angeles Saturday night when he SOLD-OUT Dodger Stadium and became the first-ever country music artist to headline there. This was Luke’s eighth stadium show out of 13 planned on his “What Makes You Country Tour XL Stadium Sized.”

“Stadiums are a lot of work,” Luke shared with Billboard magazine before the Dodger Stadium show. “You’ve gotta try to make 50,000 people feel like [they’re in] an intimate setting and an intimate environment. When you’re playing a 15,000-seat amphitheater, everybody’s right in front of you. When I get done with a stadium, I feel like I ran a marathon. There’s no just getting up there and nonchalantly making a stadium show happen. You gotta work hard at it.”

Echoing Luke’s sentiment about working hard and reaching the large crowd, the Los Angeles Times said, “Even on the world’s biggest stages, a man alone with an acoustic guitar can still speak with special force.”

Dodger Stadium changed my life tonight. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here. #WhatMakesYouCountryTour #DodgerStadium #HistoryMade pic.twitter.com/mITYecOwKv

— Luke Bryan (@LukeBryanOnline) July 29, 2018

Backstage before the concert, BMI presented Luke with eight ‘Million Air Awards’ for his radio airplay. The Million-Air Award is given to songwriters, composers, and publishers whose songs accumulate over one million U.S. broadcast performances. Luke was awarded for “Move” (1 million), “Fast” (1 million), “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day” (1 million), “I See You” (2 Million), “Someone Else Calling You Baby” (2 million), “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” (2 million) “This Is How We Roll” (2 million) and “Good Directions” (4 million- Luke wrote this #1 hit for Billy Currington). The combined airplay total on these singles is 15 million equaling 85 years of continuous play!

The “What Makes You Country Tour” plays in Arkansas and Nebraska this week then Luke heads to Denver to perform at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Saturday, August 4th. Luke first headlined this stadium in 2015 and in 2016 he played back to back stadium dates in Denver’s Dick’s Sporting Good Park.

“WHAT MAKES YOU COUNTRY TOUR XL STADIUM SIZED”

8/4/2018          Denver, CO                   Sports Authority Field at Mile High
8/25/2018        St. Louis, MO                Busch Stadium
9/1/2018          Chicago, IL                   Wrigley Field

10/13/2018      Vancouver, BC               BC Place Stadium

10/26/2018      Detroit, MI                     Ford Field

For all additional tour dates, schedule and tickets go to www.lukebryan.com

Jordan Davis releases the music video for his infections new single “Take It From Me” today with an exclusive Billboard debut, watch HERE. In just a few weeks, “Take It From Me” has already cracked Top 40 at country radio after debuting as the No.1 most added song and continues to garner impressive streaming numbers. Jordan collaborated with director Eric Ryan Anderson for the thrilling video that chronicles a young couple and their ensuing mischief in the heart of New York City.

“Take It From Me” follows Jordan’s No.1 hit debut single “Singles You Up” which was recently certified Platinum by the RIAA and has amassed over 200 Million total streams. Both tracks are featured on Jordan’s debut album Home State which includes ten additional songs all co-written by Jordan.

Originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, Jordan has made a strong impression on critics and audiences alike with his classic lyric-writing melded with tech-tinged production. After graduating from LSU in 2012 with a degree in Resource Conservation, Jordan moved to Nashville and honed his songwriting craft influenced by his love of lyrically-driven songwriters and genre-defying musicality.

Jordan is currently on the road with Jake Owen and Chris Janson as part of the “Life’s Whatcha Make It Tour” and will next join Kip Moore on his “After The Sunburn Tour” hitting cities such as Los Angeles and Nashville this fall. For a full list of tour dates, news, images and more, visit www.jordandavisofficial.com

Fans can click HERE to listen to Home State.

Brandon Lay is kind of missing one of his favorite summer activities – being on the Tennessee River with all of his buddies. However, he is fulfilling a long-held dream of his — to travel the country on a tour bus performing for thousands of fans.

“I feel like we’re on a vacation weekly,” says Brandon. “I told somebody the other day that when I started learning guitar, I saw a tour bus because I was always had an infatuation with tour buses, and this summer we’re fortunate enough to be on one. So, it’s a dream come true, but you know when I’m not doing that the good folks at Harley-Davidson hooked me up with a bike and they sent it down from Milwaukee. So, I’ve been on that non-stop when I’m home.”

Brandon recently released his new single, “Yada, Yada, Yada,” which he’s performing every night on both his own shows, as well as on Kenny Chesney’s Trip Around the Sun stadium tour. Go to brandonlay.com for information on tour dates and more.

Sometimes when a song is written, it starts with a melody and the songwriters have to use “filler material.” Keith Urban has often used jibberish “lyrics” for part of a song until the actual words formed. Brandon Lay has also used temporary words to flesh out a song or two, including his latest release, “Yada, Yada, Yada.”

“I actually just used that as a filler lyric in my voice memos in my phone because the melody came first. Sometimes the lyrics come first and sometimes the melody comes first,” says Brandon. “But I had a co-write the following week Mikey Reaves and Heather Morgan who are two of my favorite people to write with in town, and I kinda threw that out there and played them the very rudimentary work tape, and we kinda just came up with an angle for that title so we ended up calling it ‘Yada Yada Yada.’ And you know it’s not really a song lyrically that’s supposed to shake the earth, but I think it does show a different side than the debut single and that’s why we went with it.”

Brandon is playing a few fairs and festivals before heading to Chicago’s Soldier Field as part of Kenny Chesney’s Trip Around the Sun Stadium Tour this Saturday (July 28th).

Luke Bryan wrapped up four consecutive weeks of stadium concerts rounding home this weekend as he performed his first concert in Boston’s iconic Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Luke was last in Boston when he played back-to-back shows in Gillette Stadium in 2016.

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Watch highlights from Fenway Park HERE

Over these weeks Luke has made headlines for being ‘a consistent draw to Bryan’s music is its relatability.’ His ‘playful side comes out effortlessly’ as he ‘gets the joy out of movement, these sporadic, un-choreographed bursts of motion.’ The Boston Globe claimed, “Bryan’s verve felt boundless. Even the fireworks that opened and closed his set seemed to burst with less kinetic energy than the singer himself.” They recapped their concert review with reference to Luke’s 20^th #1 single and the 2018 Music Row Song of The Year “Most People Are Good”- “To hear tens of thousands belt in unison that ‘this world ain’t half as bad as it looks,’ that somehow ‘most people are good,’ felt cloying and spectacular, an impossible and sublime distillation of our collective capacity for optimism. After all, this is America. And maybe that’s country.”

The Georgia native has been climbing the country charts with his latest smash, “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset.”

For additional dates and information on the “What Makes You Country Tour” go to www.lukebryan.com

Last weekend, Luke Bryan gave his fans at Target Stadium in Minneapolis a sneak peek of his video for his latest song, “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset,” from his What Makes You Country album. The video premiered everywhere this morning (July 26th). Check it out below.

In the meantime, Luke will be performing the song live in concert. He takes his What Makes You Country XL Stadium Tour to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday. He’s the first country artist to play a show in the famed ballpark, and the show will also feature performances from Sam Hunt, Jon Pardi and Morgan Wallen.

In other news, Luke had a couple of days off to spend with his family, and at one point they’re in the car going somewhere, and the vehicle Luke is driving…runs out of gas. Real life ensues for the superstar, including glares from his wife Caroline and the two youngest boys — Bo and Tate — start arguing.

Daily life. Me and @linabryan3.

A post shared by Luke Bryan Official (@lukebryan) on Jul 23, 2018 at 10:40am PDT

Kip Moore thrilled an un-abating crowd at Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI on Saturday night (7/7.) Headlining the US Cellular Stage as part of an all-genre event, Moore’s set had fans singing every word to every song, including deep cuts from throughout his career and as the momentum grew from the crowd, Moore continued to play past his stage curfew and incurred a fine to meet the palpable demand.

Kip Moore’s current “smoldering” (Rolling Stone) single “Last Shot” is the second taken from his revered third studio album SLOWHEART and follows his fourth No. One hit “More Girls Like You.” “SLOWHEART,” is continuing to garner praise by critics across the country as Moore’s “most complete, cohesive declaration of his artistic sensibilities yet” (NPR,) as well as wrapping 2017 on multiple “Best Of” lists including Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, UpRoxx, Bobby Bones Show, Taste Of Country, Sounds Like Nashville, The Boot, PopMatters and Whiskey Riff. SLOWHEART follows the acclaim that surrounded Moore’s sophomore album WILD ONES heralded as “an impressively singular release from Music Row” by The Guardian and his PLATINUM debut album UP ALL NIGHT that spawned three No. One hit singles. For more information, visit kipmoore.net.
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Photo Credit: PJ Brown