×

Y Live brings Luke Bryan to YSU

YOUNGSTOWN – Country superstar Luke Bryan will be the headliner for the 2020 Y Live concert at Stambaugh Stadium on June 13.

Bryan, whose 2013 album “Crash My Party” received the first-ever album of the decade award in 2019 from the Academy of Country Music, has been on the wish list for JAC Live President Eric Ryan since the stadium concerts started.

“We’ve had offers for him the last two years, and we started having discussions last year for this year,” Ryan said. “It’s been quite a long time we’ve been working on this. He’s on tour, but he’s not playing Cleveland or Pittsburgh, which he traditionally plays every year. That he’s going to play Y Live is a big get for Youngstown.

“He hits all genres, all age levels. He’s an absolute mega artist.”

Bryan’s concert tours have played to more than a million fans annually each of the last six years. He was named CMT artist of the year for six consecutive years and twice named entertainer of the year by both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. He also is one of the judge’s on the reality competition series “American Idol.”

His next album, “Born Here Live Here Die Here,” is set for release on April 24, and his upcoming tour will mix songs from the new album and his catalog of more than 20 No. 1 country hits, which include “Country Girl Shake It for Me,” “I Don’t Want This Night to End,” “Play It Again” and “Drink a Beer.”

“We will get the full tour show,” Ryan said. “With some of the other (Y Live concerts), we provided some of the production because they were one-offs. He’s playing Wrigley Field (in Chicago) the night before us then coming to Youngstown, which is pretty cool … We’ll get the full stadium show. He’s traveling with 15 semi trucks.”

This is the fourth year JAC Live has staged an event at the Youngstown State University football stadium with the Zac Brown Band headlining in 2017, Florida-Georgia Line in 2018 and Blake Shelton last year.

The concert will kick off the summer rather than end the summer this year because YSU plans to install new turf at Stambaugh before the start of the 2020 college football season.

“YSU really not wanting to have anything this year on the new field pushed it to this time frame,” Ryan said. “We’re very fortunate that the timing worked out to be able to get these guys.”

Morgan Wallen, who also opened for Florida Georgia Line in 2018, and Caylee Hammack will open the 7 p.m. concert.

Tickets starts at $45 and go on sale at 10 a.m. March 13 online only through Ticketmaster. Parking passes also will be sold through the website.

The concert is presented by the DeBartolo Corporation, Huntington Bank, Southwoods Health and Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $2.99/week.

Subscribe Today