MURDOCK — It was a perfect birthday for Allie Roth on Thursday.
The just-turned 10-year-old got to ride, with her mom, Sara, and their friend Mariah Reiser, from Bonesteel, South Dakota, to the Stock Hay and Grain Farm in the Nebraska countryside to see her very favorite country music artist — Luke Bryan.
“She’s been a fan since she was 5,†Reiser said. “It’s a 4½-hour drive. But he’s not coming any closer to us. So it was worth it.â€
Clad in her new Luke Bryan T-shirt, the very excited Mariah moved her mom and Reiser around the fringes of the crowd packed in front of the stage as opener Riley Green played his hits and some covers, working to find a place where she could see the stage, not just the video screens on its side.
Settling in behind a barrier, Mariah was ready when Bryan hit the stage at 9 p.m.
Coming on with “Night to End†and “Kick Up The Dust,†Bryan pulled the thousands in lawn chairs up from their seats, where many had been for three or four hours.
“We got here at 6,†said Alex Bentzinger, who drove in 30 miles from Bennington. “I love this. I love the atmosphere of being outside. It’s fun to be here. I’d say I’m a Bryan fan. But I would have come for anybody doing this.â€
Throughout the first handful of songs, Bryan pumped up the crowd. “This is your night, Nebraska.†“Are you ready, Cornhuskers?†And, appropriately, “Welcome to the first night of fall.â€
Listen now and subscribe: | | | |
An autumn feel was in the 60-degree air as sprinkles came down just as Bryan’s set began.
By “Kickin’ Boots,†the rain was steady, sending some of the crowd of 14,000 out the exits and into the parking areas.
The crowd that gathered on the flat grass field was well behaved, with few if any incidents requiring security.
That was no surprise, given the wide age range of the audience, from retirees to kids Allie’s age and younger.
There were, however, a few drunken people carried out on stretchers and a few places where the district aroma of marijuana smoke wafted around.
Bryan, the country star and “American Idol†judge, has been playing farms since 2009. He brought his Farm Tour to the Benes Farm west of Lincoln in 2017. Thursday's setting was a farm field near 298th Street and Waverly Road, about a half-hour northeast of Lincoln.
The annual farm shows are important to Bryan, the son of a Georgia peanut farmer, as a way for him to give back to rural areas like those where he grew up and to support farmers.
Of course, staging a show in the countryside comes with its disadvantages. A major traffic tie up was anticipated when the show ended about 11 p.m.
“That’s why we’re here,†said a Nebraska State Patrol officer standing with two others on the edge of the crowd, waiting for the show to end. “We just hope (people) are patient. It’s going to take a while getting out.â€
Photos: Luke Bryan plays concert in Nebraska farm field
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Luke Bryan concert
Reach the writer at 402-473-7244 or kwolgamott @journalstar.com. On Twitter @KentWolgamott Â