Luke Bryan Admits He’ll Need to Do Some Extra Prep for 2021 Tour

Luke Bryan admits that he’s going to have to do some extra prep for his 2021 Proud to Be Right Here Tour. The COVID-19 pandemic has kept the country superstar offstage for so long that he’s starting to forget the words to some of his songs.

“I’ve done a couple Zoom concerts, and I’m, like, forgetting the words to my songs quite a bit,” Bryan tells Jimmy Fallon during an appearance on The Tonight Show, “so … I’m gonna have to sit in my music room and go back and listen to [songs] — like, I’m gonna have to do a little extra prep because i’m a little out of practice on a lot of this stuff.”

Indeed, Bryan’s July 8 concert in Syracuse, N.Y., will be his first major performance in quite some time. Though he has been judging American Idol during the pandemic, he has not performed live at any major awards shows; his 2021 ACM Awards performed was canceled in the week leading up to the event after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Bryan’s Proud to Be Right Here Tour was rescheduled from 2020 due to the pandemic, so it’s a long time coming. The singer admits to Fallon that he’s, understandably, excited to be back out there.

“I keep thinking about that emotion that I’m gonna have when the lights come on and I come out onstage for the first time and I finally am back out there,” Bryan says. “… I’ve kind of always been a guy that loves to be on the road and loves to be out there with the fans and interacting.”

Bryan’s 2021 Proud to Be Right Here Tour will keep him on the road through mid-October. Runaway June, Caylee Hammack, Dylan Scott and DJ Rock will be his special guests during the trek. Tickets go on sale on Friday (April 30).