Luke Bryan is no stranger to the ups and downs of a small business. Because when he was just about 17, he and his dad would head over to Skinner Brothers — a perfect little dive bar in Georgia — and Bryan would play classic country cover songs.
And no matter where you live — small town or big city — there are small businesses all around you. But with the coronavirus pandemic and stay-home quarantine, this unprecedented situation means so many of them are being hit the hardest.
So on Thursday night (April 16), Bryan showed up with his songs and his spirit of giving for the Verizon Pay It Forward LIVE event.
“These are the people who wake up every day living out their dreams and passions and bringing them into our communities. Let’s all continue to do right, support each other,” Bryan said before the show, “and pay it forward.”
Performing in his Nashville home, armed with his grand piano and a collection of guitars, Bryan played an acoustic show for about 45 minutes, and shared the kind of country music he’s been playing since his earliest days at Skinner Brothers.
“So proud to be doing this. And I’m actually a little nervous. I was so honored that Verizon asked me to help the small businesses that we know are suffering. I’ve started thinking about all the small businesses that I drive to that are just 10-15 minutes from my house,” he said, “and they’re very important to me and my family. Let’s keep them going through these challenging times.
“This show will not be mistake free,” he warned. “Just have fun and don’t beat me up on the socials too bad. It’s been a little bit since I fired the vocal cords up. I gotta get back in singing shape.”
Setlist from Luke Bryan’s Verizon Pay It Forward LIVE Stream:
“Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset”
“Strip It Down”
“Most People Are Good”
“One Margarita”
“Play It Again”
“Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day”
The weekly livestream concert was streamed live on all of Verizon’s platforms, like their Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages, plus AXS TV, FOX NOW and iHeart and SiriusXM radio stations.
You can support local businesses in your own community by shopping online, buying a gift card or ordering a meal. Verizon will also donate up to $2.5 million to support small businesses when you throw the hashtag #PayitForwardLIVE on your social media posts.
Lots of local businesses that I care about, and right now they need our help. So I’m thankful for the opportunity to help support them by performing on #PayItForwardLIVE, this Thursday 4/16, 8pm ET/5pm PT on @Verizon’s Twitter. See y’all there. pic.twitter.com/3YIYprrTi8
— Luke Bryan (@LukeBryanOnline) April 15, 2020
