Luke Bryan Gets Choked Up Honoring Orlando Shooting Victims During ‘Drink A Beer’

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Like everyone else, Luke Bryan was devastated when he heard the news about the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida on June 12. He initially responded to the news on Twitter, and said he was sending his prayers to all those who had been affected by the tragedy. 

Saddened by the news this morning. Such a shame. My thoughts and prayers go out to those affected in Orlando.

— Luke Bryan (@LukeBryanOnline) June 12, 2016 

 

During his performance at the CMA Fest later that evening, Bryan decided to honor the Orlando victims in a huge way. Without a doubt, the most emotional song in Bryan’s setlist that night was his 2013 single, “Drink a Beer.” In the song, the narrator speaks about coming to terms with the death of a loved one, a feeling Bryan knows all too well after experiencing the loss of his brother and sister.

While singing “Drink a Beer” during the CMA Fest, Bryan stopped mid-song to address what he knew was on everyone’s mind…the Orlando shooting. After he spoke, Byran led the 50,000 fans gathered there in a moment of silence:

“I wanna take a quick second, something has been real heavy on my heart today, and I know a lot of you guys have been dealing with the same thing that I’ve been dealing with. I want us to take a brief moment of silence, and let’s think about all of those families that have been affected in Orlando, Florida and what happened in our great nation last night. So let’s take a moment of silence and pray for all of the families and everybody affected.”

After the moment of silence ended, Bryan finished singing “Drink a Beer,” but he had one more request for the crowd first. He told them they were going to dim the lights, and he asked everyone to turn on their phone flashlights and wave them in the air. 

The fans did just that, and the sight was nothing short of breathtaking.

Bryan managed to hold it together up until the end of the song, when he blew a kiss toward the sky, surely thinking of the Orlando victims at the time. Just watching that emotional moment is enough to bring tears to your eyes.

You can watch Bryan’s tribute to Orlando in the video below. We continue to pray for all those affected by this tragedy.