Luke Bryan Dances To “Idol” Hopeful’s Spirited Cover Of “(Ghost) Riders In The Sky”
Luke Bryan found himself grooving along to Matthew Holiday's cover of "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" on Season 24 of "American Idol." (Photo Credit: ABC via TALENTKINGHD / YouTube)
American Idol Contestant’s “Riders In The Sky” Performance Makes Luke Bryan Groove
American Idol hopeful Matthew Holiday managed to make Luke Bryan dance to his cover of “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky.” But was it enough to earn him a Golden Ticket?
20-year-old Holiday auditioned for Idol‘s 24th season with a cover of a long-loved classic. He performed “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky,” a song that has been in country music’s catalog since Stan Jones wrote it in 1948.
The track has been covered many times since, perhaps most notably by Johnny Cash. He included his rendition on his 1979 album Silver.
The Western Writers of America have deemed “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” to be the #1 greatest Western song of all time, followed by Marty Robbins’ “El Paso” at #2.
Holiday clearly took notes from Cash’s version of “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky.” He followed a similar vocal pattern and maintained a spirited pace throughout the song, much like Cash.
That energy was transferred to judge Luke Bryan, who could be seen dancing and grooving along in his seat as Holiday sang.
“Luke’s really vibing to this song!” Idol captioned a social media clip of Holiday’s performance.
Although the judges found Holiday’s performance entertaining, they didn’t believe he was ready to move on in the competition.
“You know, Matthew, right now you’re just doing sing-along,” said Lionel Richie. “We’re talking about lead singer, center stage, crowd screaming…at you. I’m gonna give you a passionate ‘no,’ because you’re passionate about this business. I think that passion’s gonna take you a long way, and don’t lose that spark, man.“
Ultimately, the judges chose not to give Holiday a Golden Ticket. Watch his audition below to see if you think they made the right call.
American Idol Intends To Introduce Some Big Changes This Year
American Idol‘s 24th season premiered on Monday, January 26. This season promises lots of big changes, including a new location for Hollywood Week…Nashville! That seems fitting, considering two judges, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan, are country artists.
Additionally, Idol plans to introduce a new round to the competition. Called the “‘Ohana Round,” this phase will come into play when the Top 30 singers travel to Hawaii. They will perform for “industry tastemakers” to get their input and insight.
On top of that, Idol wants to incorporate a new voting method this season. For the first time ever, fans will be able to vote for their favorite contestants on social media, in addition to voting by phone or text message.
A new season of Idol also means new mentors! Brad Paisley and Keke Palmer have signed on to advise the Top 30 contestants in Hawaii. Watch that announcement below!
