Why The Hell Was Luke Bryan Playing the Volunteer Jam Anyway?
Look, we all support the troops, and we all love Charlie Daniels. And I don’t want to take anything away from the effort Luke Bryan expended to be a part of Charlie’s 2016 Volunteer Jam. The Volunteer Jam is an institution of country music and the Nashville community that in 2016 also happened to coincide with Charlie’s 80th birthday and his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. And because of the significance of the event this year they decided to go big, and got arguably the most popular “country” performer on the planet today. But they also got one of the most polarizing.
I understand. You’re trying to put a talent roster together to put as many butts in the seats as possible and raise the most money for the troops. But you’ve got to have an inkling of an idea of what’s going on in country music, the mindset of the respective fan bases of the artists you book, and what bad blood you might be stirring by putting certain people in the same room.
The lineup for the 2016 Charlie Daniels Volunteer Jam doesn’t look like an intuitive collection of like-minded talent, it’s made up of artists that legitimately define the polar opposites of the widest possible extremes of the genre. In one corner you have Charlie Daniels and Travis Tritt. In the other you have Luke Bryan and Kid Rock. Frankly it’s no wonder a punch was thrown.
What in God’s creation makes one think that Charlie Daniels fans are going to want to watch a performance by Luke Bryan, or Travis Tritt fans are going to appreciate Kid Rock’s shtick? Or vice versa? Sure, the big names help put butts in seats, but it also helps turn others away because no self-respecting traditional country fan is going to stomach a Luke Bryan performance, and to Luke Bryan fans Travis Tritt is just some old dude who used to have a mullet.
Alison Bonaguro writing for CMT points out, “Because the incident seemed so of character for Bryan, fans on Twitter and Facebook have been pledging their support and mainly wondering why anyone who paid to sit in the front row of a concert would be angry enough to flip Bryan the bird.”
The answer is those people didn’t pay to see Luke Bryan. They paid to see Charlie Daniels, Travis Tritt, and Chris Stapleton. And when Luke Bryan hit the stage, they had it all planned out how they were going to heckle him like hell.
According to some folks, one of the people in the heckling party had a sign that said, “We can see your camel toe” in reference to Luke’s notoriously tight jeans. See now, that’s the kind of hijinks I can’t get behind, similar to when folks make up funny signs to hold behind the commentators during ESPN’s College Gameday show. It’s all in good fun. But apparently the guy that Luke Bryan took a swipe at was shooting middle fingers, and according to one source who reached out to Saving Country Music, was saying the F-word in reference to Luke Bryan’s mother. Now if that’s true, that’s not cool at all, and should not represent folks who disagree with calling Luke Bryan’s music country, but have the decency to leave family members out of it.
But what the hell was Luke Bryan thinking here by first taunting these folks from stage and egging their bad behavior on before walking out into the crowd and taking a halfhearted swipe at one of them? I don’t care what someone says, you don’t have a right to put your hands on somebody, and especially don’t have the right to make aggressive motions toward their face. Call security and get their asses removed. By addressing them, and even worse, letting them get into your kitchen, you gave these losers the ultimate validation: acknowledgement and attention.
In that moment, Luke Bryan had some 25,000 people staring at him. He was on stage with a microphone and a spotlight on him, commanding everyone’s undivided attention. He is in charge, and in that scenario, he has to be the bigger person. He has to understand that he has a responsibility.
Even worse is the horrible statement from the Luke Bryan camp (see at bottom) where he didn’t apologize, didn’t explain why he decided to go out in the crowd and initiate physical contact, and didn’t even acknowledge that he haphazardly and clumsily pseudo punched a dude. Just suck in your pride and apologize so we can all move along to what should have been the big country music story of December 1st, 2016, which is all the money the Volunteer Jam and the 15,784 who attended raised for the troops, and what a badass Dolly Parton is for helping out her friends in neighbors in Sevier Country, Tennessee after the devastating wildfires.
And there’s something else worth taking issue with in the statement from Luke Bryan’s camp. It says, “It was insulting not only to him, but more importantly to the men, women and families sitting around him who were there to support and celebrate Charlie Daniels and the efforts of raising money for the military veterans…”
But maybe it was the folks out in the crowd that felt Luke Bryan’s performance was inappropriate for a family setting. At the time the punching incident occurred, Luke was performing his current single “Move.” Have you seen the lyrics for this down-talking, misogynistic piece of crap?
And the whole time Luke Bryan is singing “Move,” he’s doing his signature “Move” on stage, which again, for a bunch of Charlies Daniels and Travis Tritt fans, is nearly tantamount to insulting their mothers. And if this is all about family values, what kind of example is Luke Bryan setting by taking a swipe at a crowd member?
Luke Bryan is what he is, and in the appropriate venue, if that’s what folks want to be entertained by, well knock yourself out. And even after this stupid punching incident, I don’t think Luke Bryan is some horrible person. He just got steam headed and lost his cool. It’s happened to all of us. And if he actually apologizes, people can forgive him.
But let’s stop making stupid moves when it comes to booking these types of events. Frankly the Volunteer Jam has been one of the worst offenders of this over the years, bringing in Colt Ford or whoever else they’ve had in past years that makes no sense. You’re just asking for trouble, just like the CMA’s did when they booked Beyonce in 2016, or Willie Nelson’s 2016 4th of July picnic when they booked Brantley Gilbert.
Are the people booking or signing off on these shows actual country music fans? Because you’d have to have your head up your butt to think these are smart booking moves. And we seem to be seeing this more and more in recent years, mostly as LiveNation and TicketMaster get more intimately involved in the organization of such events. This is what happens when you put corporate bean counters in charge as opposed to folks who actually pay attention to the music. And if it’s Charlie Daniels himself who signed off on Luke Bryan, well someone should have counseled him better. I don’t want to get in the way of Luke Bryan supporting the troops, but there’s way more appropriate venues.
Country music can be about inclusiveness and trying to make the tent bigger, but it also has to understand that country music currently straddles the cultural divide, and to avoid conflict, it has to be aware what side each artist stands on. Some artists can cross over, such as Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, even Dierks Bentley to some extent. But seriously, don’t book Luke Bryan at a Volunteer Jam, or the big story coming out of it won’t be the funds you raised, but the ruckus that was started.
– – – – – – – – – –
The Luke Bryan camp’s wimpy response:
A man in [the] front row was making crude hand gestures toward Luke during his performance. It was insulting not only to him, but more importantly to the men, women and families sitting around him who were there to support and celebrate Charlie Daniels and the efforts of raising money for the military veterans – some of who were in the audience. The concert security personnel saw the man’s disruptive actions of the event and he was escorted out.
December 1, 2016 @ 7:38 pm
Small sample size, I know. But, some of those people up front actually seemed to be enjoying Luke Bryan’s performance.
December 1, 2016 @ 7:47 pm
yall wanted it well yall got it yall go on about how bad LukeBrian is and how much yall ahte em an yall no wut yalls elitist attitudes about wut is acceptable in county music is wut made me a fan of luke an other radio county artists I was not a fan of thars before I came to this web site and spoke so poorly of these fellas so I had to see wut the fuss was about and it turns out those songs they do are good but they dont soot yall so there no good? rong
yaller no better than hillary Clinton supporters out side trump rallys harassing trump supporters
not every wun can be as smart as yall an have such a refined taste like the folks around here
the cowboys r goin all the way this yeer
December 2, 2016 @ 6:28 am
Rowl Tyde!
December 2, 2016 @ 10:30 am
What language was this original comment supposed to be in?
December 3, 2016 @ 7:31 pm
No one knows, and he’s pretty much always like that.
December 1, 2016 @ 7:51 pm
Any festival or concert organizer is trying to apeal to a broad cross spectrum, look at Stagecoach this year. If you really hate someone so much that you can’t sit through the set, go get a drink, take a walk, look for poke-whatever. Luke’s singing bad music & dancing, he’s not insulting your mother.
We expect fans from opposing fan bases to be able to sit in the stands and behave in a civil manner at sporting events (& the vast majority of the time it’s fine & we rightly call it out when it’s not & we still do it), country music fans ought to be able to attend an event together, even when they are different fanbases. So sorry but I’m call bull.
December 1, 2016 @ 7:53 pm
And btw before someone suggests it, no this is in no way a defense of Luke Bryan, you can’t punch a heckler ever. Calling out on person’s poor behavior doesn’t excuse someone’s even worse behavior.
December 1, 2016 @ 8:02 pm
You can go to Stagecoach and not hear a single lick of mainstream music except maybe walking between stages. Most traditional country fans would rather hear any other type of music from any other genre than hear Luke Bryan. Nobody’s saying that an excuse to insult Luke Bryan’s mother, it’s just not wise. Why not make a more intuitive lineup that will appeal to more people. Booking Luke Bryan with Travis Tritt actually appeals to less people than just booking Travis Tritt or Luke Bryan by themselves.
December 1, 2016 @ 8:08 pm
Chance the Rapper and Garth both appeared at the national tree lighting ceremony tonight, nobody was punched. Chris Stapleton opened for Luke this summer. Are we saying that old school country fans are just so sensitive that they need a safe space and can’t interact or be exposed to music they don’t like, because they can’t be held responsible for their own actions?
If you don’t like it, don’t buy a ticket. If it didn’t sell, promoters would stop doing it. But to suggest that “bro-country” and old school country shouldn’t be booked together, because the fans can’t be expected to not turn into hecklers, and act like tools, and violence to break out, is ridiculous. And frankly, speaks incredibly poorly of country fans.
December 1, 2016 @ 8:24 pm
Chance The Rapper and Garth Brooks have more in common than Travis Tritt and Luke Bryan. A national event like a Christmas tree lighting where each artist is only performing a song is one thing. A concert where each artist is performing a set is another. Trust me on this. You take Luke Bryan off that lineup, you would sell more tickets in a venue with no capacity restrictions.
December 2, 2016 @ 8:08 am
Trigger, you might be right about selling more tickets (honestly don’t know), but that’s not the argument you were making above. Personally I’d be more likely to buy tickets. But I don’t think basic civility is to much to expect from country fans, whether they like an artist or not, and I’m not here for them never having to be exposed to music and dancing they don’t like, bc they can’t be expected to behave. Tolerance is a virtue, maybe one some people could learn.
And fyi as a rap fan chance has more in common with Travis (& Charlie) then he does with Garth. He is really very good. Paraphrasing Leonard Cohen, no genres do honest lyrics like country and rap. :p
December 2, 2016 @ 4:49 am
No, bro country artists shouldn’t be booked anywhere ever. Politically correct bullshit, some people DO deserve to get knocked out period. If you don’t understand this you must be rich, live in fairytale world where everyone should always be nice, or you just haven’t been messed with by enough people. What a special and wonderful life you have less.
And unless your on a solid 5 day work out schedule and a cycle of test a female is weaker, fact.
Who cares if it sells it’s the principle of the matter,. Don’t book luke Bryan ever he is a worm. Slap a dude and run away, he would have to have a police escort to leave Houston.
December 9, 2016 @ 10:39 pm
You sound very tough, Jacob.
December 2, 2016 @ 5:57 am
Luke was busy feedin his family yall thank that’s a joke to eem?
trigg I hope yur happy boy u spew yur musical hatred on yur web site long enuff and wun of these boys from the comments went out and took yur words to action antagonizing Luke in the middle of a show just like a hillary supporter listenin to the lies the media tells em
we all no u do not try a man in the middle of performin but that boy had to show how cool he is shootin the birds at Luke I bet that was Bware Dware or Fuzzy maken us proud how about a lil respect for the artist
I dont give a damm if Luke was up there shakin like a cwboys cheer leader yall leeve em a lone while hes performin show some class there were a lot of people enjoyin the show just fine
Im wilin to bet that boy voted for Billary
Get off Lukes back
December 1, 2016 @ 8:00 pm
She is trying to say he was defending the veterans, a complete cop out. Taste of country is reporting it that way as well. Sorry, but I don’t care what Luke is going through, don’t care if he’s a nice guy, I dont care what the guy said, I just want to see luke get knocked out. Just cause douchbags like that never get their comeuppance. Sure would be funny to watch.
An entertainer on the level he is performing on cant get away with this. I saw a video on taste of country, a compilation of artistss attacking fans. Aaron Lewis, saying ” I will have everyone in the crowd around you beat the fuck out of you”, that’s the same as this pussy. Real man would have walked away or gave the beating their self. If Luke Bryan tried to play slap me I would be locked up.
That guy in the crowd was 100% dead on right to heckle that waste of stage, you saw him dance come on. And also motherfucker and fuck your mother are two different things.
December 1, 2016 @ 8:16 pm
See, this is the real problem: some “fans” apparently believe that if they don’t like the way you dance, it’s ok to be an asshole, and beat people up. Now you can of course you can coddle them, and give them their way, but when a toddler throws a tantrum, you put it in time-out, you don’t reward him or her.
December 1, 2016 @ 9:41 pm
Who write this article?
Do they have anything more than a personal opinion regarding what constitutes “country music”?
Is there any reason to respect their opinion?
The truth is, no one cares about anyone else’s opinion about what is or isn’t country music nor does anyone care about others’ opinions regarding who should or shouldn’t have been at Volunteer Jam.
Personally, I was surprised to hear so much rock and jazz from Charlie Daniels… I expected country music. I suppose he played some of that also.
-Is it the size of one’s belt buckle that legitimizes their “country-ness”? If so, Charlie definitely won that contest.
Last night’s show had a lot of great music from a lot of great -if varied, artists. It’s unfortunate that some feel that country music needs to be “saved”.
December 2, 2016 @ 12:19 am
“The truth is, no one cares about anyone else’s opinion about what is or isn’t country music nor does anyone care about others’ opinions regarding who should or shouldn’t have been at Volunteer Jam.”
That’s not true. You can try to hide behind apathy, but leaving a comment in this thread proves you care. It means you care more than most of the people that have read it. I care about other people’s opinions on this matter. That is why I offer a forum for them to share them, just like you have done. I also care enough to read and respond to those opinions, just like I have done yours.
December 1, 2016 @ 9:36 pm
Trig, I agree with every point you made.
I was going to bring up Gilbert at Willie’s 4th of July picnic. We took a walk during his set because I knew I would have heckled Gilbert and probably got in a fight with one of his fans (which is another result of these mixed bills – fans of these polar artists fighting each other).
The younger fearless me had a pretty impressive list of artists I famously heckled in the past:
I mercilessly booed Rascal Flatts during their set at a stop on Brooks & Dunn’s Wild West & Neon Circus tour until a 13 year old girl called me mean.
I relentless booed Bucky Covington during a Dierks Bentley show. Backstage he got in my face and booed me back and asked “how I liked it?” I thought that was funny.
I booed Uncle Cracker at a Kenny Chesney show and it started a chorus of boos from our section. This was right after his arrest in one of the Carolinas for sexual assault.
Now that I am older I try to avoid heckling. I haven’t see Miranda Lambert in years because everytime she comes around it’s with Jason Aldean or Kenny Chesney and I know I’d punch one of their fans in the throat.
December 2, 2016 @ 4:54 am
I like this guy^. Free speech and what not, if religions can run around trying to convert people, i can try to convery theeir musical taste.
December 2, 2016 @ 2:08 pm
So, you’re an ass. Got it.
December 1, 2016 @ 10:04 pm
I imagine the promoters looked at this lineup as “country music is country music”. They either don’t recognize or don’t care about the Hatfield and McCoys battle between traditional and contemporary country. And even if someone was concerned, they likely rationalized it away by thinking “this is a benefit concert to raise money for vets, surely that will justify the lineup.” Mr. Daniels is a pretty savvy guy at age 80 and I am pretty sure he has a say on the performers. He plays gigs at the Opry that are a mix of trad/contemporary performers all the time. He was probably thrilled to get someone as commercially popular as Bryan, whether he digs his music or not, because it meant raising more money for vets.
I agree with the assessment that if you don’t like an act on the bill, step out and get a drink or a burger and come back when that act has finished. Bryan shouldn’t have taken the bait and hit that dude and the Bryan haters should have gone to the concession stand or bathroom to ‘protest’ his music during his part of the gig if they disliked him so much. The other 24,998 people there probably just wanted to watch what they paid for.
Personally, I hate that the true purpose of the event, to raise awareness for vets, is obscured in the news by this idiotic incident.
December 2, 2016 @ 3:57 pm
I agree, Biscuit. This is just stupid – I mean somebody as commercially popular as Luke Bryan ought to be experienced enough to know how to avoid situations like this one. And he should know that the Veterans are much more important than he himself is, obviously he knows not or he cares not. Charlie Daniels was obscured also, which is so sad, I think true country artists are being ignored enough as it is and also it was a special night for him, who knows if such an occasion will come again anytime soon.
December 1, 2016 @ 10:09 pm
I don’t know what is worst, his singing, his inappropriate moves, or the effeminate slap.
December 1, 2016 @ 10:36 pm
You would think he’d have some self-awareness and tone down his act a little – know his audience.
December 2, 2016 @ 12:25 am
Boom.
Luke Bryan wants to play the Volunteer Jam with Chris Stapleton and Travis Tritt for a bunch of families? Okay, don’t play songs like “Move,” tone down the whole gyrations on stage bit. But the problem is many of these mainstream artists, especially Luke Bryan, only know one way to perform music, and that’s to strut out on stage fake pointing to people like you know them, and being a complete tool.
Luke Bryan was absolutely inappropriate for this event.
December 2, 2016 @ 12:18 pm
I offer he did take time to know his audience….
He wore a western/flannel instead of a v-neck t-shirt.
December 2, 2016 @ 1:02 am
Trigger, Luke Bryan was inappropriate for the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving game in 2015, too. I agree with you totally, hoptowntiger94. Memo to Luke: when you aren’t headlining your own show and playing in someone else’s, do your homework and see what type of audience your performing in front of.
December 2, 2016 @ 11:18 am
Another good example Lone Wolf.
December 2, 2016 @ 1:14 am
Lukey the violent redneck, gave some dude a bloody nose!
December 2, 2016 @ 5:15 am
Oh man, I am so sorry the tormentor crossed the line. Cause otherwise this is 100% awesomeness!!! Even still it’s 99 44/100% pure fantastic!!!
And Dale forgot to say, ‘Roll Tide!!’
December 2, 2016 @ 5:26 am
I wonder if this kind of thing ever happens when he turns corn fields into partays?
December 2, 2016 @ 6:00 am
These musicians don’t hate each other as much we do or think they should. I’m guessing Charlie Daniels, or someone in his circle, signed off on it. I couldn’t pick a Luke Bryan song out of a lineup, but Jesus, get over yourselves. It’s a concert, somebody didn’t come in your church and pee on the altar or set a flag on fire.
Plus the dude was probably ruining the show for people around him, who, by the way, also paid for their tickets.
Then the thread veers off into, “which mainstream artist would you knock out?”. Seriously?
March 28, 2018 @ 3:00 pm
I mean… letting a 40 year old dude in skinny jeans rap about spring break and call it Country Music is EXACTLY what I imagine it reminds me of when the Country Music I grew up on got screwed up by Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean.
December 2, 2016 @ 6:08 am
Do some of these mainstream performers understand how they are perceived by music fans looking for quality music and songwriting and not just some entertainment? Would they agree to play at a Muddy Roots type festival or would they know they would look completely ridiculous playing after musically gifted/talented artists? I don’t understand why Luke Bryan, Brantley Gilbert, etc., agree to play some of the festivals they have played because it does highlight their lack of talent…unless they don’t see it and think that they’re on the same level as others.
December 2, 2016 @ 7:44 am
Now that’s a comment that I can get on board with.
He either thinks he is on their level because his ego, or his handlers, tell him so, or he has zero self-awareness. Probably a combination of the two.
Bottom line, unless I am TOTALLY off base on how this event is run, Charlie Daniels didn’t have a problem with him (or Kid Rock) being in the lineup, we probably shouldn’t either.
December 2, 2016 @ 11:16 am
I think the performers probably feel it’s an honor to play such events because of their historical significance. I don’t blame the artists themselves, except for the fact that they could tone their set down and play to the crowd in front of them. It’s money changers in corporate offices that think these events need some mainstream, current artist to sell to their corporate advertisers, and that’s how you get these oddball selections.
December 2, 2016 @ 7:09 am
Gotta weigh in. I have been to Volunteer Jam tours before. Charlie and Hank Jr come to mind. I cannot overemphasize that it is a rough crowd. Lots of big, burly rednecks, Cowboys and bikers, lots of cheap beer. Rebel flags, jacked up trucks, you know, all the stereotypes. Same crowd you find at a David Allan Coe show.Now imagine adding Luke Bryan to the mix. Total recipe for mayhem!
Sorry Seak and other commentors, yes you make great points but……getreal! Put a pantywaist like Luke onstage and it’s gonna go south fast. You can’t stop it. I’m surprised a brawl or 3 didn’t break out.
Right on Trigger, you called it. These good Ole boys came to see The CDB and maybe Travis Tritt. They got no tolerance for posers and prissy boys like LB.
Best thing LB could have done is like others said, tone it down, maybe play some covers of Skynyrd and Waylon to ease the crowd a bit. He was in trouble the second he started prancing like a pop star.That’s just the way it works folks. And yeah, reality is the Outlaw crowd does not play well with others! And they don’t care what some horrified wuss millenial thinks about them. Put on your manpants whiners!
December 3, 2016 @ 10:30 am
Agreed. It is akin to mixing pop rockers with metal. As an example, I remember seeing the g’n’r / Metallica co-head line tour in the 90s. Metallica played first that night (I think they alternated show to show), and after Metallica, I saw lots of people just leaving. Even as gritty and rough as G’r’R were, the Metallica fans weren’t having it. If you had had a band like poison or Bon Jovi open, I am sure you would have seen some mayhem. I know there is a difference in that this was not a tour, but still, a guy like Luke Bryan is clearly going to get shit on by a CDB crowd. I am anything but a fan of Luke Bryan, but maybe you gotta admit he had some balls to getup in front of that crowd at all. (Or maybe he was just running on liquid courage?)
December 2, 2016 @ 7:19 am
If you look closely, the dude is not talking about Bryan’s mother at all. He is saying, “Luke….I am your father.”
December 2, 2016 @ 8:01 am
agreed. Luke Bryan, intentions or no, was not an appropriate entertainer for this sort of event.
I’m trying to be neutral here. I’m trying not to condone the people who held up that sign.
I mean, deep down we all try to think that we can be reasonable and not be assholes.
But come on that sign was awesome.
I shouldn’t feel so glad that somebody heckled him, but he ruined my genre and I take a perverse pleasure in watching him fail.
So maybe I’m a horrible person.
Just waiting for Charlie Daniels’ response. I bet it will be eloquent and profane at the same time!
December 2, 2016 @ 8:14 am
The sign was funny. That is totally appropriate heckling. The problem is the guy with the fingers wasn’t clever enough to get his point across in such an intelligent manner. And then Luke was an idiot :p
December 5, 2016 @ 1:21 pm
Anybody who doesn’t think the sign was awesome is too much of a Luke Bryan fanboy to be taken seriously.
December 2, 2016 @ 8:27 am
Yep. Ol Luke was out of his element. The crowd were hardcore country fans, probably lots of good Ole boys and some bikers to boot. Not overly tolerant folks given that they were there for CDB and Tritt and Stapleton. I mean 3 outlaw country artists and you are gonna add some metro bro poser to that lineup? Amazing it didn’t get crazier. I agree with Trig on most of his points here. Oh and Kid Rock isn’t that strange a pairing considering he has kind of a southern rock vibe these days and is buddies with Hank Jr. LB was clearly the odd man out.
Now, Sorry Lil Luke knows what real music fans think of him. He can run to his safe space and cry about how mean everyone was.
December 2, 2016 @ 8:56 am
What’s a Luke Bryan?
December 2, 2016 @ 9:15 am
OK.. Let’s not beat this dead horse anymore.
Two articles on this Trig? Come on..
Pretty psyched.. Just got me some Whiskey Myers tix for $17.50 each..
That’s a nice cheap nite out with the Wife..
December 2, 2016 @ 11:04 am
I felt this specific point needed to be elaborated on further because frankly I’ve been seeing more of these strange bookings at shows like this, and it’s going to lead to more conflict and violence in the future, mark my words. It was all anyone wanted to talk about when Brantley Gilbert was announced for Willie’s 4th of July picnic, and it plays right into the issue with the Beyonce booking. The people booking these shows have no idea what they’re doing. They think they do. They look at draw numbers and artist guarantees and think they’re working magic. But many of them are not country fans, so they have no clue who these artists or their fans are.
December 2, 2016 @ 12:18 pm
Trig, here’s a genuine wild guess, but I’d bet that a lot of music industry types have in the backs of their minds “remember when you could hear all kinds of music on one radio station, and everybody was feeding off everybody else? it was awesome!” That faux nostalgia is where all this booking BS comes from. It’s forced.
December 2, 2016 @ 4:04 pm
Exactly. Many of the new artists themselves play a part in confusing country audiences with music and attitudes that are far removed from what many of us recognize as country, but in my opinion the more “invisible” people – like the promoters and booking agents – tend to make things even worse by creating lineups such as this one.
December 2, 2016 @ 9:20 am
“We can see your camel toe”. Holy shit, that is just great. In my opinion, no man should ever, under any circumstance, wear skinny jeans like Luke’s. Now, being a 20-year-old girl, I’m a fan of men wearing tight jeans (like the ones Gary Allan wears, Lord have mercy 😉 ), but the jeans should never, ever be so tight to the point in which they are cutting off circulation. And, in all honesty, I really don’t blame the guy who flipped Luke off. I probably would have heckled him too if I had been there.
December 2, 2016 @ 10:22 am
Not sure that Kid Rock is too terrible of a contrast between the more country artists. But I agree that Luke Bryan was a bad decision. There are always those types of fans, the people booking this should have used their heads more
December 2, 2016 @ 10:47 am
I’ve been too many Vol Jams, going back 30 years, and they all had diverse lineups and audiences. The first few in the mid 70s focused on southern rock, but after that, Charlie purposely broadened it out to include a variety of artists and styles. He has said often it’s because he doesn’t believe in drawing lines between musical genres or styles; after all, his music is a hybrid of several strains of American music. My first Jam in the mid-1980s had Amy Grant, Ted Nugent, Little Richard, and Nicolette Larson. Others I saw had James Brown, Skynyrd, Dobie Gray, Woody Herman and Louise Mandrell. How much more mainstream can you be than a Mandrell sister, or Crystal Gayle, who played another Jam I attended? How do you relate Woody Herman to anyone in country music? That’s the point. It’s a festival lineup, if you don’t like one act, go get a beer and come back. There will be others in the crowd who will enjoy what you don’t like.
December 2, 2016 @ 11:09 am
Travis Tritt fans would not have nearly the issue watching Amy Grant, James Brown, Little Richard, or just about anybody else you could book for the Volunteer Jam. Diversity is not the issue. The issue is that Luke Bryan is the most vilified individual among traditional country fans that exists on the face of the planet, and when he played, he didn’t cater his set to the more traditional, and family-oriented crowd. Luke Bryan wasn’t appropriate not because certain people don’t like his music. Go read the lyrics for “Move,” the song he was singing when the punch occurred. Frankly, playing a song like that is insulting to most true country fans, and Luke Bryan deserved to be heckled for it. One of the hecklers crossed a line and I don’t condone that, but it’s understandable why so much anger was coming from the crowd.
December 5, 2016 @ 1:38 pm
Wood Herman? That’s freaking awesome.
December 2, 2016 @ 10:59 am
Luke is lucky I wasn’t the guy he slapped. How is this guy still performing like who is buying his music? Ridiculous..
December 2, 2016 @ 11:46 am
If you’re going to jump out into the crowd and strike somebody, you have to go full Axl Rose on that ass. Berzerk-o. What Luke Bryan did was….well, Luke Bryan-ish.
December 2, 2016 @ 11:53 am
Now that I’ve had time to read both assessments on this event, I started thinking about Luke Bryan and the way he has handled adversaries in the past.Let’s take a trip down memory lane and see how this incident seems similar to a few times Luke Bryan has “acted out”.
1. There was the incident 3 yrs ago when he took his wife out for their anniversary at a
Sushi Restaurant.Luke was asked to TAKE OFF HIS BASEBALL CAP during his dinner
Luke went on a Drunken Twitter rant about the restaurant and then had to apologize.
2. There was the time that two radio personalities were going to prank Luke, Luke got
upset and walk out because he didn’t like being joked about….no sense of humor.
3. Then we come to a few yrs.. ago when Luke Bryan lost out to George Strait for ACM award
for entertainer of the year…Luke’s camp was Not happy and voiced it.( leadership starts at the top,so Luke should have got out in front of it).
I say this because it is now more than a few yrs. since Luke Bryan has been in this business.
He is an adult and should really take a look at where his career is headed with his attitude
when people are not fawning all over him and casting their praises for his crappy music.Luke should realize by now Not all who care about and listen to Country music will like him.
Luke needs an attitude adjustment. If this event bothered him,then what will he do as a father when his kids grow up and start acting like teenagers sometimes do? Just a thought.
December 2, 2016 @ 12:24 pm
Damn you all, I had to google “camel toe” — and now I agree that sign was hilarious. The weird thing is, Luke Bryan just looks awkward on stage. He looks like a boy scout who lost a bet and has to imitate a male stripper.
December 2, 2016 @ 12:55 pm
I swear, Luke Bryan is the most awkward-looking male stripper in the world. He thinks he’s sexy, but he’s really, really fucking creepy. My theory is that Luke Bryan is a child frozen in time, a rebellious sixteen-year-old boy trapped in the body of a forty-year-old man.
December 2, 2016 @ 1:09 pm
“He looks like a boy scout who lost a bet and has to imitate a male stripper.” Rotflmfao that’s hilarious
December 2, 2016 @ 2:09 pm
It’s not impossible that people like all of these artists. For instance, the last three concerts I went to were a Whitey Morgan and Cody Jinks show, a Chris Stapleton and Jason Isbell show, and a Luke Bryan show. I don’t disagree that his songs like Move and Kill the Lights are horrible. But I still do like some of his material. I hands down would buy a ticket to this to see 4 artists I like.
Food for thought: it’s possible to both really like pop country and real country.
December 2, 2016 @ 3:00 pm
The polarization between those who are more inclined to listen to traditional or traditional-leaning country and those who are more inclined to listen to twangy Top 40 is tragic, as is.
I get how imperative it is to maintain contrast so the integrity of any culture is maintained. But that said, it is heartaching actually to witness an extension of that worthwhile aspiration in the form of treating venues and festivals like cliques where, much like in recent politics where candidates are expected to abide by a long laundry list of prerequisites in order to stand up to any party referendum, similar identity politics are plaguing the general listening experience.
Luke Bryan’s atrocious music obviously sticks out like an infected, purple thumb as far as the music itself is concerned. But brushing that aside and considering the relationship aspects of the business and between musicians and so forth, I’m inclined to give Bryan the benefit of the doubt in that, much like Kid Rock, 3 Doors Down and Larry the Cable Guy, Bryan was something of an odd-man out from who you’d expect to associate with Charlie Daniels that nonetheless had something to offer and Daniels was gracious in accepting.
My thoughts on his assault of an attendee and the soullessness of his music aside, I cannot fault Bryan for showing up and Daniels for reaching out regardless of my sensitivity of the cultural divide in the broader country and roots music scene.
December 2, 2016 @ 4:23 pm
In all fairness, Kid Rock fans are probably more likely to be Daniels fans than Luke Bryan fans.
December 2, 2016 @ 5:46 pm
Pretty sure that was Bryan’s way of trying to be Billy Joe Shaver.
December 2, 2016 @ 7:07 pm
I feel my boy Luke did the right thing here. He took a guy and gave him a piece of what he had coming after what he said and did.
Go Luke.
Pop country haters can suck a dick.
December 2, 2016 @ 8:26 pm
The person/people who need to be held accountable here are the concert-goer(s) in the audience who initiated the entire incident by pre-meditated, intentional harassment to incite a response, which recently has been referred to as “bird-dogging.”
This incident is planned, intentional infiltration into a country music venue with the goal of destruction, and it is likely that someone hired and paid these people to incite a response with their disgusting sign, foul comments, and filthy fingerpointing. This is *not* the behavior of country music fans; this is infiltration.
This incident needs to be turned over to the FBI for thorough investigation as to who paid these people to bird-dog.
Country music artists and concert-goers need to be on HIGH ALERT for other such bird-dogging incidents/infiltration, call security and the FBI immediately, and hold these people and their operatives accountable.
Luke Bryan is one of the most loved country music artists today. Any action needs to be against these paid bird-doggers.
December 5, 2016 @ 1:56 pm
I really want to believe that this is a facetious post.
December 5, 2016 @ 2:20 pm
Tom
This is my assessment of the event, and I am usually right.
These bird doggers make sure to get the front row–that is their method–so that they can do their dirty work.
A thorough investigation will show they were paid to bird-dog. They came prepared with their poster(s).
This event is an alert to all country music artists to be ready with security and the FBI to take action. These infiltrators will bird-dog both the fans and the artists.
December 2, 2016 @ 11:51 pm
Um…no one else wants to point out that the singing clearly continues after Luke pulls the mic away for his pseudopunch? That boy has a backup track playing to cover up for when he’s hoping around on stage like a coked up moron.
December 3, 2016 @ 5:19 am
This is what you get when control of big time music is controlled by the Suits and the Lawyers, and not the People of the Night. This transition was nearly complete by the late 1970’s. The folks that run things now don’t live for the music, they live for the $$$$.
December 3, 2016 @ 7:26 am
I don’t think Kid Rock should be lumped with Luke Bryan. KR seems to be very well liked by most of the traditional country artists and has always made respectful and knowledgeable comments about them. If you remember, he was asked to perform at the memorial service for George Jones.
As for Mr. Bryan, it is too bad that he isn’t a professional athlete because this type of behavior would get him suspended for a long time. Unless you or someone else is in physical danger, you can’t do what he did without consequences.
December 3, 2016 @ 10:34 am
I agree there is some overlap with some traditional country artists and fans and Kid Rock, and maybe I should have made more mention of that. But I would say it’s “some,” not “most.”
December 3, 2016 @ 6:52 pm
I’m not trying to start the Kid Rock debate ive had countless argumeants about it beings I’m a huge Hank III fan and also a pretty big fan of kid rock also… but I don’t believe Kid Rock should be shoe horned in with the likes of a complete corporate tool like Luke Bryan. Kid Rock has a bigger fan base in country music than a lot of people realize especially in the old school Country artists themselves seem to respect him Ex. George jones, Hank Jr, Travis Tritt, Johnny Cash, CDB, Jerry Lee Lewis etc. I can see where people would not like him but he is a pretty dam talented guy not a corporate fuck like LB
December 3, 2016 @ 8:57 pm
In no way am I saying that Kid Rock is like Luke Bryan, or that they have the same fan base. What I am saying is that he’s a polarizing figure among many traditional country fans who would go to a concert like this to see Charlie Daniels and Travis Tritt. Of course there are exceptions, but I don’t think the numbers of traditional country fans who also like Kid Rock are that great. Kid Rock fans may like traditional country, but that’s a completely different thing.
December 3, 2016 @ 9:07 am
I’m 68 y/o. I never heard of Luke Bryan until a few weeks ago and I still don’t know what one is.
But, anyone else remember the Louisiana Hayride? If you do (or don’t for that matter) you might check out Elvis’s career.
December 3, 2016 @ 12:59 pm
I’m 63. Too young to have listened live, but am well aware of it’s influence on artists and fans of country music. Check out the list of performers who had been on the Louisiana Hayride and compare it to the performers who are “Mainstream Country” today and cry.
December 3, 2016 @ 5:04 pm
For those who aren’t as old
1948
The Louisiana Hayride radio program premieres on KWKH-AM Shreveport
In many ways, The Louisiana Hayride was a straightforward knock-off of the Grand Ole Opry, but with two key differences. While both programs focused on country music and targeted the same geographic area with their 50,000-watt signals, The Louisiana Hayride embraced new artists and new musical innovations that the staunchly traditionalist Grand Ole Opry would never consider. While the Opry would rarely if ever feature a performer who had not yet had a hit record, the Hayride often featured up-and-coming artists who had yet to find an audience. And while the Opry banned the electric guitar, the Hayride embraced the instrument that would help transform one strain of “hillbilly music” into the new, hybrid form called rock and roll.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-louisiana-hayride-radio-program-premieres-on-kwkh-am-shreveport
December 5, 2016 @ 2:09 pm
So you’re comparing Luke Bryan to Elvis? Sorry, not buying it. Despite the fact that Elvis was a radical departure from what mainstream white audiences were used to at the time, his music still had substance. You can’t say the same for Luke Bryan.
I might also point out that George Jones thought Elvis ruined the Hayride.
http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1989/04/23/page/323/article/george-does-it
December 3, 2016 @ 6:25 pm
Luke Bryan is good at bad singing, stupid dance moves, skinny jeans, falling off the stage, and slapping a fan. that well sums it!
December 4, 2016 @ 2:51 am
It was probably a plant. Good chance for LB to try and show off his non existing tough guy cred in front of a crowd there for some outlaw country and to show he can hold his own. Pretty amusing to say the least.
December 4, 2016 @ 7:44 pm
Oh, dear. I was just writing on the Curtis Grimes posting the other day that the song “Move” is complete crap. I’m not a total Luke Bryan hater- I like “Drink a beer”, and some of his other songs. However, I’m also in agreement with everyone else- why was Luke Bryan even AT a concert with TT, CDB, and even KD? Look, combining rebel flags, several beers, coolers, drunken rednecks and Charlie Daniels Band fans with tbe song “Move” is not a good call.
December 5, 2016 @ 1:00 pm
I don’t think it’s true that you can’t like both. I don’t care for Luke but do like Carrie Underwood (people on here hate her just as much) but also like Della Mae, Valerie June, Turnpike Troubadours, Angeelina Presley, Ashley Monroe, Holly Williams, Holly Arrowsmith, Abigail Washburn, Trampled By Turtles ect.. I really like traditional country legends. My first concert was Willie Nelson. I saw Alison Krauss in concert couple years ago. I like Charlie Daniels Band. I guess my point is Luke Bryan fans could like him as well. Not everybody likes strictly one or the other.
December 7, 2016 @ 11:03 am
What your saying is very true…. But in reality I’m pretty sure that as a rule of thumb most Charlie Daniels fans do not like luke bryan I would be willing to put money on it.