More than 20,000 concertgoers clad in baseball and cowboy hats, flannel, and denim danced the night away on Thursday, Sept. 19, with Luke Bryan and his special guests.
Pennsylvania State Police assisted with the first stop of Farm Tour 2024, which Bow Creek Farm & Cattle Co. hosted at its Grantville location.
Read More: Here’s to the farmer: Luke Bryan to make first stop of Farm Tour 2024 in Grantville
State troopers assisted with traffic management on the roads surrounding the farm using electronic signs for guidance, positioning their vehicles to block other vehicles from entering certain roads, and directing motorists.
LebTown did not experience traffic congestion on the commute to the farm.
On the farm, troopers could be seen patrolling the crowd on foot, UTVs, and horses — and having a bit of fun, too.
In one of the dual-purpose parking and tailgating areas, a boy chased a plastic bag that escaped him. Three troopers trailed the boy in a UTV, with one of them yelling, “Get it! Get it!” through a sound amplification device.
Law enforcement officials with the Dauphin County Sherrif’s Office also assisted with managing the packed concert.
The temperate evening on the farm — surrounded by trees with their leaves ever so slightly starting to turn color — featured a pink sunset.
Some concertgoers covered their faces with bandanas as boots and vehicles kicked up the dust, in spite of the rain forecasted earlier this week for late Wednesday or early Thursday.
The country music star’s stop at Heritage Park in Chesapeake, Virginia, as part of Farm Tour 2024, has been postponed due to muddy conditions.
As concertgoers waited for the gates to open at 5 p.m., they could be seen eating and drinking, playing cornhole and other yard games, and relaxing on lawn chairs under the mostly clear sky or tents they brought and set up.
Tents for the day of tickets, will call tickets, VIP tickets, Froggy Radio, and iHeartRadio were set up outside the gates. Venue lighting, Verizon cell service, and portable toilets were just some of the amenities brought to the farm by Bryan’s crew.
LebTown entered the general admission line a few minutes before 4:45 p.m., with DJ Rock’s first set of the evening starting at 5. During his sets, an evacuation plan for the venue and various commercials were projected onto the screens near the stage.
Around this time, digital footage was being captured by several drones and a man atop a silo in addition to Tim McGowan from the helicopter.
Concertgoers with general admission tickets waited in a line that made a righthand turn within the barricades and, closer to the gates, organically funneled into several lines.
Once at the gates, concertgoers were instructed to remove lawn chairs from bags, unzip personal bags, and empty pockets. These belongings were placed on folding tables to be examined while concertgoers were scanned by handheld metal detectors.
LebTown heard other concertgoers saying in person and online that this process could have been fine-tuned.
LebTown entered the gates at 6 p.m., just in time for Tucker Wetmore’s set.
There was an area designated for standing directly in front of the stage, where concertgoers could be seen holding signs and batting around a clear beach ball, and an area designated for lawn chair seating behind that.
The designated VIP area was situated to the right when facing the stage.
Once inside the gates, concertgoers could visit tents set up for Barr’s Music City Soul Food, Bow Creek Beef, Chicken Tenders and Tots, Collin’s Concession, Glass City Bar-B-Q, Hresko’s Bar-B-Q, milkshakes, Miller Lite, Rice Rice Baby, Squeaky’s Cheese Curds, and other vendors for food and beverages, though maybe not a catfish dinner.
Other tents inside the gates included first aid, merchandise, Buck Commander, Down ‘n’ Dirty Hat Co., and Concert Alien, among others.
Wetmore, whose debut single, “Wine into Whiskey,” caused his debut on Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 77, performed on the farm until 6:25 p.m. During his performance, the rising country singer-songwriter mentioned his personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Following DJ Rock’s second set, the Peach Pickers performed along with Rodney Clawson, a country singer-songwriter, from 6:40 to 7:15 p.m.
In between songs, the award-winning country songwriting trio, composed of Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson, and Ben Hayslip, briefly spoke about their experience writing with Bryan over the years.
Following DJ Rock’s third set, Conner Smith, a young but seasoned country singer-songwriter, took the stage from 7:30 to 8:15 p.m.
The set featured his first-ever performance of his new song, “Faith from a Farmer,” which he said will be released in about three weeks. The song expresses Smith’s appreciation for farmers through the charm of country music songwriting.
Smith also welcomed Wetmore back to the stage for their performance of “Steal My Thunder” from Twisters: The Album. Smith exited the stage waving a large American flag.
DJ Rock performed his fourth and final set of the evening, starting at 8:15 p.m. and continuing to raise the crowd’s energy until Bryan’s grand entrance on stage just a few minutes past 8:30.
A few songs into the set, Bryan welcomed Landon, a concertgoer holding a sign in the standing area, to the stage.
Before singing the chorus of “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye,” the country music star checked Landon’s pulse before telling him to calm down, followed by, “Shit, you’re dead!”
The five-time Entertainer of the Year also braved to read other concertgoers’ signs: “Happy birthday to your sister,” “I want to flip with Luke,” “Last concert, I jumped on Sam Hunt, and he said my legs are strong,” and “Shake it for me, I’m 40.”
A sign reading “Country girl mom plus daughter” earned a joking response from the country music star: “Hey, way to corrupt your daughter, mom. Thank you. Did you skip school today? I think I saw your teacher, and now you’re on camera.”
And a “Luke, I ran out of room” sign, with an extra piece of paper taped to the bottom of the poster board, ended the sign-reading segment with Bryan exclaiming, “Y’all gotta work on your damn arts and crafts up here!”
Also in attendance was Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, who presented Bryan with a proclamation by Governor Josh Shapiro naming September 19 as “Here’s to the Farmer Day.”
“Luke Bryan’s voice shines a light on farmers and raises critical funds for Feeding America,” said Secretary Redding in a statement. “The Shapiro Administration is singing along in support of both. And we’re putting our money where our mouth is, investing in Pennsylvania farmers and getting more of what they produce to hungry families across Pennsylvania.”
The country music star later welcomed Wetmore and Smith back to the stage for a performance as well as the Hess family for the presentation of a $5,000 check.
Bryan was scheduled to perform until 10 p.m., though LebTown left a little early alongside other concertgoers to avoid traffic leaving the venue.
Watch photographer Tim McGowan’s full flight over Luke Bryan’s 2024 Farm Tour concert in Grantville
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