Luke Bryan Shares Major Announcement Amid Hurricane Ian

By Daniel S. Levine

Country star Luke Bryan was forced to postpone a trio of Florida tour dates due to Hurricane Ian. The American Idol judge had dates planned in Estero, West Palm Beach, and Tampa scheduled for this week. They have all been delayed until early November.

Bryan's Thursday show at Hertz Arena in Estero was rescheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 2, reports The St. Augustine Record. The "One Margarita" singer was set to perform at iTHINK Financial Amphitheater in West Palm Beach Friday, but he will now do so on Nov. 4. The Saturday show at Tampa's MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater was pushed to Nov. 5. Bryan also has a concert scheduled at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville for Oct. 28.

"Due to the expected impact of Hurricane Ian and out of an abundance of caution for our fans, the artist, and our community, Luke Bryan's Florida tour dates scheduled for this week will move to the new November dates listed below at the same venues," Live Nation said in a statement Monday. "Fans are encouraged to hold onto their tickets as they will be honored for the new date. If unable to attend, ticketholders will be able to request a refund."

Bryan did have some good news for fans this week. On Tuesday, he announced more dates for his Luke Bryan: Vegas residency at Resorts World Theatre. He added 12 new shows between Feb. 1 and April 1, 2023. Tickets for the new concert dates will go on sale Friday. Bryan began his residency in February.

"I love doing these headlining shows in Vegas because the intimate room at Resorts World allows me to really connect to the crowd in such a different way," Bryan said in a statement to Billboard. "Sitting at the piano each night has become one of my favorite moments in the show." The new dates are Feb. 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, and 11; March 22, 24, 25, 29, and 31; and April 1.

Hurricane Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa at about 3:05 p.m. EDT, reports Weather.com. It has maximum sustained winds near 150 mph and is a Category 4 storm. However, the hurricane has already ravaged parts of western Florida. Naples saw over 6 feet of storm surge, while shocking social media photos from Fort Meyers Beach show water levels reaching the top of homes. The winds also caused a blowout tide in Tampa Bay, resulting in water levels around 6 feet below average.  

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