Drew Baldridge Calls Touring With Luke Bryan ‘The Craziest Thing of My Life’ Ahead of Crash My Playa Reunion [Exclusive]
“I’ve been so blessed to be out on some really cool tours over the last couple years, but Luke is the top of the pedestal for me.”
Drew Baldridge, Luke Bryan; Photo Courtesy of Drew Baldridge
Drew Baldridge has enjoyed one heck of a year.
The country artist recently released his major label debut album, FARM FAITH FAMILY, and spent part of the summer on the road with Luke Bryan. In just a few short months, he’ll reunite with Bryan at Crash My Playa in Mexico, marking another major bucket-list moment in a year already filled with them.
We recently caught up with Baldridge, whose FARM FAITH FAMILY album is out now, and he reflected on what it has been like to tour alongside Bryan, admitting that the experience has been “the craziest thing of my life.”
“I’ve been so blessed to be out on some really cool tours over the last couple years, but Luke is the top of the pedestal for me,” he shared.
For Baldridge, the significance of touring with Bryan goes all the way back to his teenage years. Long before he was sharing the stage with the country superstar, Baldridge and his friends were cranking up Bryan’s earliest hits.
“When I was 16 and I’m driving these roads that I’m on right now, I was jamming that whole album, all his first albums. ‘All My Friends Say,’ ‘Rain is a Good Thing,’ ‘We Rode in Trucks,’ I mean, we played that at the top of our speakers.”
Fast forward all these years, and Baldridge has found himself not only touring with one of his musical heroes, but also becoming friends with him. Their time together has gone beyond the stage, with the two talking about everything from life and the music business to even going hunting together.
“Now to think I’m out on the road with him, I’m sitting on his bus, he’s talking life, he’s talking music and business, and we got to go dove hunt. He called me over to his house a couple weeks ago and we got to go dove hunting at his house, and that was the craziest thing ever,” he admitted. “And so I think playing shows is one thing and mind-blowing, but just to know he’s an actual buddy, it feels like. It feels like a hometown, small town guy just like I am. And it feels like I’m hanging out with one of my best friends from home. When I’m around him, which is funny. It’s the same kind of people. He’s the same kind of people I grew up around. And so I think that’s the coolest thing in the whole world. I can’t even explain it.”
Now, Baldridge will get another chance to share the experience with Bryan when the two reunite at Crash My Playa in Mexico, adding another full-circle moment to a year he won’t soon forget.
“To play Crash My Playa, I’m like, ‘Wow, this is something we’ve always dreamed of.’ But also we’re going there with, ‘Hey, we got to go on tour all summer with him and it feels comfortable and it feels right. It feels like, hey, we’re meant to be here.’”
Baldridge says he hopes to bring his family along for the trip and hopes to enjoy some down time after a whirlwind year.
“I got a five-month-old and a three-year-old, and so we’re going to try to take our kids down there and make the most of it if we can with my wife. She doesn’t really get to do a lot of this, and so to be able to take her and hopefully enjoy it, have fun, and the kids have fun, I’m really looking forward to that. And that’s our first show back of the year. We’re going to kind of wind down here in November and take some time off. We’ve been ripping so hard.”
Another artist Baldridge is looking forward to seeing at Crash My Playa is Emily Ann Roberts, his “Get Me Gone” duet partner.
The pair have already shared the stage at several festivals, giving Baldridge a chance to watch Roberts’ career continue to take off.
“It’s been fun to play some shows with her over the course of the last couple of festivals we’ve been on. We’ve been able to play that song together and just to watch her star rise has been so special. I knew it months ago when I reached out to her. I knew, just I felt it that she’s going to do something meaningful and she’s so talented.”
Set for January 13-16, 2027, Crash My Playa will feature Bryan, Baldridge and Roberts, alongside Thomas Rhett, HARDY, Dustin Lynch and many more.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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