Luke Bryan Announces Huge Career Milestone: ‘Pinch Me Moment’

Heavy/ABC "American Idol" judge Luke Bryan

Country superstar and “American Idol” judge Luke Bryan announced on June 20, 2024, that he’ll host his 10th annual star-studded Crash My Playa concert event in January 2025, a three-day, all-inclusive “concert vacation” that continues to draw huge crowds to Riviera Cancun, Mexico each winter.

“This is one of those pinch me moments,” Bryan said in a statement provided to Heavy, marveling at the longevity of the event. “The 10 year anniversary of a festival that I got to create along with the Playa Luna team. It is hands down one of my favorite times on stage – period.”

He continued, “To get to celebrate in the most beautiful setting with the most incredible Playa crashers, along with the most incredible artists – it doesn’t get much better. My artist friends always leave here wanting to come back. Gonna be the best Playa party yet.”

‘American Idol’ Mentor Kane Brown to Make His Debut at Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa

Crash My PlayaLuke Bryan’s Crash My Playa 2024 Music Festival held at Moon Palace in Riviera Cancun, Mexico on January 18, 2024.

Among the “artist friends” Bryan’s invited along for the ride, scheduled for January 15 – 18, include “American Idol” season 22 mentor Kane Brown, who will make his debut at the event as one of its headliners alongside Jason Aldean, another longtime friend of Bryan’s who’s appeared at the event twice before.

Others country artists scheduled to perform on the beach include Bailey Zimmerman, Dustin Lynch, Dylan Scott, Elle King, Jackson Dean, Nate Smith, Dasha, Ella Langley, Tucker Wetmore, and DJ Rock.

According to press materials, fans can expect special guests, daily pool parties, and alumni “perks” during their stay at the luxurious Moon Palace Cancún, a AAA Four Diamond Awarded resort.

Tickets go on sale online at 3 p.m. Eastern time on June 28, but people who belong to fan clubs for Bryan, Aldean, Brown or Lynch will have the chance to purchase pre-sale ticket packages an hour earlier, and Crash My Playa alumni (previous attendees) will get early access to tickets starting at 11 a.m. Eastern time.

Luke Bryan Got Pranked at 2024 Crash My Playa By Dustin Lynch

The stars engage in all kinds of hijinks during Crash My Playa, but Bryan got himself into a bit of hot water at the 2023 event. After he roasted his longtime friend Dustin Lynch onstage as a joke, video of the moment went viral — and some people didn’t think it was funny. Lynch even told the “God’s Country” iHeartPodcast on February 6 that Bryan had been worried he’d lose his “Idol” gig over his comments.

While introducing Lynch to the stage in January 2023, calling him “the longest standing representative of Crash My Playa,” Bryan joked that “no one has drank more liquor, no one has vomited more, no one has taken more drugs, no one has taken more IVs, no one has passed more STD tests than this next gentleman.”

When some people expressed shock at Bryan’s comments, he had to issue a public statement and even reached out to Lynch’s parents to apologize.

“Those words that I used were so absurd, I figured everybody would take it as sarcasm,” he said, according to Billboard. “Obviously, some people didn’t.”

In January 2024, Lynch revealed on the podcast, he got back at Bryan during Crash My Playa in an epic way. On January 23, Lynch posted a video that revealed he had hired comedian Jeffrey Ross, known for his brutal but funny roasts of celebrities, to beam in live and insult Bryan in front of all of his fans there.

“Last year, Luke Bryan introduced me on stage and it ended up making headlines,” Lynch told the crowd, listing off media outlets that took Bryan’s comments seriously and reported on them.

“I’ve had one whole year to think about how to do this,” and then he pulled Bryan out onstage.

Before Ross started in on him, Bryan laughed, “I don’t deserve this!”

Bryan is currently on his “Mind of a Country Boy” tour with opening acts including “American Idol” alums Chayce Beckham and HunterGirl. He’s expected to return for season 23 of “Idol” and, based on the show’s typical schedule, it will likely premiere on ABC a couple of weeks after Crash My Playa.