Luke Bryan Is Excited To Watch ‘Young Talent’ This Summer

Luke Bryan kicked off his 2023 "Country On Tour" over the weekend and began a tour that will play throughout the summer and into October.

Luke recently told us of hitting the road again this summer, "I'm so excited about this year's summer tour, the Country On Tour. I've got a lot of new up-and-coming artists. Some of 'em have had a hit, and some of 'em are about to have a hit."

He added, "They're gonna be out there with me, and I'm so excited to be around young talent and watch them enjoy the summer tour. But, yeah, my favorite part about being out there on the Country On Tour is going town to town, and nothing is better than being out on the road in the summer."

"Country On Tour" Schedule:

6/23/2023 Philadelphia, PA Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
6/24/2023 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
6/25/2023 Virginia Beach, VA BEACH IT Festival *
7/6/2023 Wantagh, NY Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
7/7/2023 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion
7/8/2023 Fort Loramie, OH Country Concert *
7/13/2023 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium
7/14/2023 Brooklyn, MI Faster Horses*
7/15/2023 Chicago, IL Windy City Smokeout*
7/20/2023 Portland, OR RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
7/21/2023 Wheatland, CA Toyota Amphitheatre
7/22/2023 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
7/23/2023 Paso Robles, CA California Mid State Fair*
7/27/2023 Lubbock, TX United Supermarkets Arena
7/28/2023 Albuquerque, NM Isleta Amphitheater
7/29/2023 Denver, CO Ball Arena
8/4/2023 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
8/5/2023 Boise, ID Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
8/6/2023 George, WA Watershed Festival*
8/10/2023 Rogers, AR Walmart AMP
8/12/2023 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
8/13/2023 Brandon, MS Brandon Amphitheater
8/17/2023 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
8/18/2023 Indianapolis, IN Ruoff Music Center
8/19/2023 Pittsburgh, PA The Pavilion at Star Lake
8/24/2023 Put In Bay, OH Bash on the Bay*
8/25/2023 Evansville, IN Ford Center
8/26/2023 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
9/28/2023 Dallas, TX Dos Equis Pavilion
9/29/2023 Ft Worth, TX Dickies Arena
9/30/2023 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
10/5/2023 Orlando, FL Amway Center
10/6/2023 Savannah, GA Enmarket Arena
10/7/2023 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
10/12/2023 Sioux Falls, SD Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
10/13/2023 Green Bay, WI Resch Center
10/14/2023 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
10/26/2023 Raleigh, NC Coastal Credit Union Music Park
10/27/2023 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena
10/28/2023 Charleston, SC Credit One Stadium

Many country music superstars choose their middle names over their given first names. It is hard to imagine country music superstar Sam Smith (Tim McGraw's given name) and his superstar wife, Audrey Faith Perry (Faith Hill). Or how about sold-out stadium shows from a guy named Troyal (Garth Brooks)? And instead of two Lukes (Bryan and Combs), there would be two Thomas' (Rhett and Bryan).

Many celebrities change their name to fit who they have become, but in country music, the go-to name change for a superstar is to simply go with your middle name.

We take a look at five country superstars that go by their given middle names.

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Can you image Kenny Church? Eric, born in n Granite Falls, North Carolina, was named after his father, Ken. Church worked with his dad at Clayton Marcus, a furniture upholstery company where his father was president.

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Luke was named after his father, Tommy, who was a peanut farmer in Leesburg, Georgia.

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Garth was named for his father, Troyal Raymond Brooks Jr. He is the elder Troyal's youngest child. His mother, Colleen McElroy Carroll (who passed away in 1999), was a 1950s-era country singer who recorded on Capitol Records, the same label that Garth recorded on.

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Dierks has used his middle name publically since his music career began. The name Dierks is his maternal great-grandmother's surname. His parents' names are Leon Fife Bentley (who passed away in 2012) and Catherine Childs.

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Tim McGraw was not born as a McGraw, and Timothy was his middle name. He changed his last name at age 11 when he learned the identity of his real father, major league baseball pitcher "Tug" McGraw, who passed away in 2004.