Blake Shelton Wraps Crash My Playa Night 3 With Star-Studded Encore

"It's good to be here," Shelton said two songs into his set. "Let's celebrate country music together. Let's make country music great again."

Written by Annie Reuter
Blake Shelton Wraps Crash My Playa Night 3 With Star-Studded Encore
Blake Shelton at Crash My Playa 2017; Photo by aLIVE Coverage

Those attending Crash My Playa 2017 in Mexico got their money’s worth on Saturday night (Jan. 21) when Luke Bryan, Little Big Town and Gwen Stefani made surprise appearances during Blake Shelton’s one-hour encore.

Shortly before 11 p.m. Shelton walked off the stage after performing “Boys ‘Round Here.” “I just want you to know that this thing that Luke’s doing down here is badass. You can Crash My Playa every year,” he said to screams.

Chants of “Blake!” soon followed and he returned to the stage for an energetic performance of “Footloose.” He then let fans know that many of his friends were in attendance and there was a chance he might be able to persuade them to join him.

“It’s 11:06. I think that’s time to rock,” he said. Moments later girlfriend Gwen Stefani ran onto the stage for a high intensity one-song set of No Doubt’s “Hella Good” where she had everyone jumping on her command.

Gwen Stefani at Crash My Playa 2017; Photo by aLIVE Coverage

Gwen Stefani at Crash My Playa 2017; Photo by aLIVE Coverage

“Holy! That’s Gwen Stefani for real,” Shelton said after Stefani left, blowing him a kiss. “That’s gonna cost Luke. We are in overtime so we can do whatever the hell we want. I’m tired of my own songs. I want to play other people’s songs. Let’s see what happens.”

Shelton’s band then became the karaoke bar band for the remainder of the evening. As the familiar opening riff from George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live In Texas” was played Bryan entered the stage to join in on the fun. Several minutes later Little Big Town made their appearance to assist on Restless Heart’s “The Bluest Eyes in Texas” where they stayed for the remainder of the night. Drinks in hand for each singer, the country stars and friends then performed covers of Rhett Akins’ “That Ain’t My Truck,” Billy Joel’s “My Life,” Mel McDaniel’s “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On,” Brooks & Dunn’s “Neon Moon,” The Bellamy Brothers’ “If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body,” Rupert Holmes’ “Escape (The Pina Colada Song),” Hank Jr.‘s “Family Tradition,” Dwight Yoakam’s “Guitars, Cadillacs” and Garth Brooks’ “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old).” It was an epic end to Shelton’s previous 90-minute set.

“I think Saturday night is Blake Shelton’s night at Crash My Playa,” Bryan declared to the audience’s approval.

Always the funnyman, Shelton frequently poked fun at himself and Bryan throughout his performance. He also begged fans to stop with the BLUKE mentions after noticing a fan in the front row with a homemade sign that read BLUKE.

“It’s good to be here,” he said two songs into his set. “Let’s celebrate country music together. Let’s make country music great again. No more BLUKE signs, please. I don’t want to associate with Luke anymore.”

Plenty of comedy was mixed into Shelton’s set. Later, he’d admit that he is jealous of Bryan and how “his teeth are so white.” It was his first performance in four months where he warned the audience that they hadn’t planned much more than the first three songs but the gregarious showman didn’t disappoint. His set spanned his catalogue of hits from his most recent No. 1 single “Guy with a Girl” to his very first with “Austin” in 2001.

“I’ve been doing this for 16 years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen people quite like this. Look how far you came down here! It’s not normal. That’s Luke. He has to make it hard for everybody,” he joked. “I literally could stand up here and do this all night long. Hey, if you don’t invite me back you can kiss my ass.”

Dustin Lynch at Crash My Playa 2017; Photo by aLIVE Coverage

Dustin Lynch at Crash My Playa 2017; Photo by aLIVE Coverage

Dustin Lynch took the stage before Shelton and is the only artist to have played all three Crash My Playa festivals besides Bryan. It’s an invitation he welcomes each year.

“We showed up last year and they introduced me as the ambassador of fun,” Lynch told Sounds Like Nashville before his performance Saturday evening. “I wasn’t aware I earned that title the first year. It’s great. It’s no secret I look up to Luke Bryan as a guy and as an artist. To be included and to be invited is wonderful.”

On Friday, Lynch performed for over an hour during a poolside performance on the Barcelo resort property. In the first year he was told to play a set of three songs but he has since transformed his pool gig to the biggest attraction outside the nightly main stage where fans will lineup hours before he is scheduled.

“Our crowds continue to get bigger and bigger each year. It shows that we’re doing something right,” he said. “It’s paradise wherever you look here so for them to leave one of these beaches to come watch us play it feels pretty good.”

Throughout his hour set on the main stage on Saturday, Lynch showcased exactly why he keeps getting invited back to Crash My Playa. His high energy performance saw him frequently running around the stage, engaging with fans and even pulling one brave man on stage to sing with him during a cover of Garth Brooks’ “Friends In Low Places.” His performance spanned his chart topping hits including “Where It’s At,” “Mind Reader” and “Hell of a Night” as well as current Top 5 single “Seein’ Red.” He also featured two new songs he has recorded from his upcoming third studio album including “Small Town Boy,” a song that reminds him of his hometown and where he is from, and “Love Me or Leave Me Alone,” which he introduced as one of his favorite songs he has ever recorded.

Brooke Eden at Crash My Playa 2017; Photo by aLIVE Coverage

Brooke Eden at Crash My Playa 2017; Photo by aLIVE Coverage

Brooke Eden began the third day of Crash My Playa 2017 with an afternoon pool performance of her own at the Hard Rock surrounded by country fans.

“All these people are such great country fans it’s such a great crowd to play for,” she told Sounds Like Nashville backstage before her set. “These people book their vacation around country music which is so cool.”

Her pool performance included a mashup of TLC’s “No Scrubs” which the crowd enjoyed so much that she played it a second time. Meanwhile, her main stage performance came as the sun was setting at 6:30 p.m. on the beach.

“It’s a beautiful time of the night,” she said, adding that her band will keep their performance upbeat.

“The boys and I like to rock out a lot, especially with a Luke Bryan audience ready to party,” she said. “We do have a slowdown in the middle of the set where we get real. The guys will go off the stage and I do a song by myself on the keyboard and take them down for one slow song and then bring them back up.”

Eden’s 30-minute set included plenty of soul as she covered Adele’s “Rolling In the Deep” and later did a mashup of OneRepublic’s “Apologize” with Justin Bieber’s “Sorry.” Her original material also showcased her vocal power with the gritty “Roots” and “Sunday Morning.”

Crash My Playa runs through Jan. 22. We’ll be providing daily recaps and interviews with the artists from Mexico so stay tuned!