Luke Bryan Wants to Cut Back on Touring

Luke Bryan is known for his live concerts, but the country crooner recently revealed that he might be cutting back on his touring schedule just a bit in the near future.

The star credits this decision to his recent gig as a judge on the reboot of American Idol, where Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie helmed the show this year as they searched for a star.

Idol has since been picked up for another season, which means that Bryan will spend a little less time on the road and a bit more time in his judges' chair.

"We knew when I took on Idol that it was going to take up a lot of my offseason time," the singer said in a radio interview ahead of his recent performance at Country Thunder. "Next year, I'm probably going to trim a few dates off the tour. I just kinda need to settle in that mold of not doing 100 shows a year and scale back a hair."

The father of two added that he's also planning on adjusting his touring schedule to fit his family's growing activity schedule, which includes baseball games for his sons and football games for his nephew.

"I've got to start looking at like baseball schedules because my boys are getting to where, in the Spring, they are playing baseball," he shared. "They are old enough to know that Dad's halfway across the world."

Speaking to The Huffington Post, Bryan explained that his first season of American Idol prepared him for what's coming next.

"My own challenges were mainly a busy work schedule and staying fresh and on top of my game and ready and willing to hopefully do a good job judging the show," he said. "Now that I have a year behind me, the learning curve — I learned quite a bit of the aspects of American Idol and I'm excited about taking my knowledge into the second year. It was a fun experience for me and one that I'm looking forward to being a part of this year."

Bryan added that while "people's preconception of me is that I have a pre-set opinion of people," he wants to use his time on Idol to prove that that's not the case.

"When a contestant walks out in front of me — what they look like, what they are, I could care less," the star explained. "I'm cheering for humanity. I'm cheering for everybody in that scenario. I have nothing to gain on any other aspect of their life other than: Are they world-class singers?"

Bryan is currently on the road on his What Makes You Country Tour, and the "Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset" singer revealed that he has a specific routine when he's not at home.

"My main thing is to get a good night's sleep, wake up rested and ready for the next show," he shared. "I get recharged and make sure I'm ready to put on the best show I can and that my fans are certainly expecting a high-energy show. That's what they pay their money for, and I certainly relish in the opportunity to try to go out there and put on a great show night in and night out."

Photo Credit: Getty / Erika Goldring