Luke Bryan Says He Doesn’t Want To Be So Guarded On Stage: “I Wanna Go For The Big Joke”

Part comedian, part country singer.

Luke Bryan concerts have gained a reputation for being eccentric and somewhat unpredictable over the last few years. From hilarious fan interactions to literal on-stage gyrating, fans have learned they can’t quite predict what will happen at his shows. But that’s part of the fun of seeing him live…

It seems like every several weeks, we’re seeing some sort of viral video of something funny Luke’s done onstage, with his recent Riley Green impression being one of my personal favorites:

@maggieladuke74 #lukebryan #lukebryannuthouse #countrysongcameontour #blossommusiccenter @TiffanyM @Luke Bryan @Riley Green ♬ original sound – maggieladuke74

During a recent interview with Katie & Company, Luke opened up about how he sometimes feels like he has to watch what he says onstage, because it can take off so quickly and turned into something completely different.

He talked about how a recent video of him teasing Tim Tebow, a huge Gators fan, because Bryan is a Georgia fan, and that became a thing, but he doesn’t want to have to feel like he can’t “go for the big joke,” or as us Southerners would say, cut up without holding back. With cell phones and the internet, we all know how easily an artists words or intentions can be manipulated:

“You know, I think… I don’t wanna be so guarded. I think that’s what the hurdle in society this day is. When you go into comedy, comedians have to go for the big joke. So sometimes if I’m having fun up there, I want to go for the big joke.

And if you do that, there’s a percentage that, they’re not always gonna land like you want them. But I think you gotta trust your fans. Your fans gotta know you got a good heart under there, and you don’t twist it around too much.”

Luke explained that there are “real beefs” in country music, and many fans still don’t understand that when he and Blake Shelton go after each other, it’s a bit, and they don’t actually hate each other… I mean, they’ve been doing that for 20 years now, so I don’t know how anyone doesn’t get that, but I digress…

“There’s real beefs that go on, but I don’t have time for beefs. I just wanna grill the beef.”

Luke also tossed around the idea of doing some sort of more intimate, acoustic show where he could also just tell jokes and show off that side of his personality. And while I don’t necessarily like his music, I don’t mind some of his older stuff, and he really is hysterical, so I could see something like this really working for him:

“The thing is, when you’re in a 20,000 seat amphitheater, your jokes can’t… the jokes really aren’t gonna work. The people wanna hear the music, and maybe you can fire them up with something funny, or if a fan does something funny.

But you know, it may be fun, I’ve always thought, a real stripped down version in Vegas one day where I just walk out with a guitar and a piano. Don’t have 8,000 people in the room, keep it real intimate, real cool.”

I’m glad he still gets up there and has a good time with the crowd, because again, that’s part of the fun and if we lose that, we’re in serious trouble…

The full interview is available here:

The post Luke Bryan Says He Doesn’t Want To Be So Guarded On Stage: “I Wanna Go For The Big Joke” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.