Luke Bryan just enjoyed one of the biggest years of any country artist delivering hits today, and at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards, one performance just couldn’t contain the Georgia superstar. The winner of the Top Country Artist trophy returned to the BBMAs stage for something of an encore, capping off a career night with a solo performance.
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After combining with Florida Georgia Line on a rendition of “This Is How We Roll” on Sunday night (May 18), Bryan returned for a tender performance of his “Crash My Party” highlight “Play It Again.” Bryan once again delighted the audience at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, but this time, slowed down the tempo and was assisted by light-up wristbands, which were given out to the arena audience and blinked along with the song as Bryan and co. played on.
Bryan’s “Crash My Party” album officially announced the arrival of a new country superstar last year, when it debuted with 528,000 copies sold in its first week last August. Since then, the album has not strayed too far from the Top 10 of the albums tally, this week clocking in at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 in its 39th week of release.
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“Crash My Party” is a finalist for the Top Billboard 200 Album at the Billboard Music Awards, along with Justin Timberlake’s “The 20/20 Experience,” Drake’s “Nothing Was The Same,” Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP 2” and Beyonce’s self-titled album. Bryan’s two performances helped highlight an unforgettable ceremony that also included performances from Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Lorde, Imagine Dragons, OneRepublic and many more.
Prior to pulling double duty on the Billboard Music Awards stage, Bryan discussed the success of “Play It Again” and the writing process for his “Spring Break” EPs. Watch the video interview below: