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Luke Bryan reminisced on some of his most heartfelt ballads and high-energy anthems spanning his career after reaching a milestone 30 No. 1 singles this fall. The multi-Entertainer of the Year award winner took the stage at the 57th annual CMA Awards on Wednesday evening (November 8), delivering a medley of some of his most iconic hits.
The Georgia native kicked off the unforgettable medley with “Huntin’, Fishin’, And Lovin’ Every Day,” “One Margarita,” “That’s My Kind of Night,” “Play It Again” and “Country Girl (Shake It For Me).” Bryan scored his first No. 1 single with “Do I” in 2009, from his album Doin’ My Thing. His 30th single was “Country On,” and in between were “Crash My Party,” “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset,” “Down To One,” and many other fan-favorites, per his record label.
Bryan said during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon (November 7) that a “really defining moment” in his career happened with the success of “Country Girl (Shake It For Me),” “I Don’t Want This Night To End” and “Drunk On You,” all of which appeared on Tailgates & Tanlines in 2011. Bryan said during the press conference, when asked when he knew he’d “made it” in the music industry, “that little era right there was kind of like the moment all I ever wanted…was to know that I could do this for the rest of my life.
“When I had that moment happen, I was like,’ I think I'm going to do this the rest of my life. I don't have to move back to Georgia and work at my dad's peanut mill,’” Bryan said. “To get to 30 (No. 1 hits), you can't predict that. You can only work to get to little goals and stuff, but to get to 30 is certainly far beyond what I expected of myself…but it is a big deal.”
Bryan, who returned to host the show with NFL star Peyton Manning (and even inadvertently revealed a spoiler during Tuesday's press conference), was one of many artists to take the stage at the CMA Awards, hosted at Bridgestone Arena in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Other performers include Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Jordan Davis, HARDY, Alan Jackson, Cody Johnson, Post Malone, Mac McAnally, Ashley McBryde, Morgan Wallen, The War And Treaty, Zac Brown Band, Jelly Roll, K. Michelle, Little Big Town, Megan Moroney, Old Dominion, Carly Pearce, Chris Stapleton, Tanya Tucker and Lainey Wilson.
The 57th CMA Awards is set to air live on ABC from Bridgestone Arena in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee, beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT. It’s also available to listen on iHeartCountry Radio and on iHeartRadio Country stations nationwide. If you miss the live broadcast, the three-hour show is available next day on Hulu. Watch the performance here: