Luke Bryan, Casey Bishop Rock Out on ‘American Idol’ Finale

Luke Bryan briefly swapped his judge’s chair for a spot on the stage — and his country twang for glam rock – during the American Idol finale on Sunday night (May 23), inviting recently-eliminated contestant Casey Bishop back to the stage for a duet performance of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.”

The 15-year-old Florida native was a standout Idol hopeful throughout her time on the show, delivering hard-rocking performances of songs like “House of the Rising Sun” and covers of The Black Crowes, Incubus, Paramore and Alanis Morisette. Bishop was eliminated right before the finale episode, and came in fourth overall for the season.

But Bishop got the chance to rock again on Sunday night, as she and Bryan delivered a dazzling, special effects-filled performance of the glam-rock classic from 1986. Bon Jovi released “Livin’ on a Prayer” off their third album, Slipper When Wet. It was a chart-topping hit, and would go on to become what is arguably the band’s best-known song.

During the electrifying performance, Bryan’s fellow judges, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, could be found standing by their seats, playing air guitar solos along with the music.

Bryan and Bishop’s performance was one of several superstar duets that took place during Sunday night’s three-hour episode. Also performing during the show were a number of guest stars, such as Luke Combs and Mickey Guyton, who delivered duet performances of some of their biggest hits with Idol contestants.

The Top 3 finalists — Chayce Beckham, Grace Kinstler and Willie Spence — all performed multiple times during the episode, both stepping onto the stage as solo acts and offering collaborative performances with visiting superstars. Halfway through the show, Kinstler was eliminated, leaving Beckham and Spence to battle it out for the title of American Idol‘s Season 19 champ.

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