Luke Bryan Spots Holes In Teen Performer’s Boots & Takes His Own Pair Off To Gift To Him

Dec 12, 2022 by apost team

“American Idol” is a reality television show that can make superstars out of its contestants. It has churned out the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Adam Lambert and Katherine McPhee, among a host of others. To be able to follow in any of their footsteps is the dream come true for many who take the plunge and decide to try out for the show. In 2019, Colby Swift had that dream. He followed it and it took him to the Hollywood stage, where an incident between him and a very famous – and generous – judge has gone down as one of the show’s most touching and memorable moments.

Swift didn't have an easy start in life. His mother walked out of his life when he was just 7 years old, leaving him and his sisters to be raised by their father. Swift and his younger sisters were raised by their father in Midfield, Texas. While growing up there, Swift learned to channel his pain and express himself through his music, something his father encouraged him to do. Like any good old Texan boy, Swift grew into the image of his country music idols, regularly sporting a cowboy hat and boots and working on a farm.

After some encouragement from his father, Swift decided to try his luck for a place on “American Idol” when auditions opened up in Louisville, Kentucky. That year, the judges comprised legend Lionel Richie, pop darling Katy Perry and country music chart-topper, Luke Bryan. Bryan immediately took an interest in the Texas native, as he said during the initial audition, the young Swift reminded him of himself as a teen. While his strong and clear country voice wowed the judges, they also warned him that he still needed polishing.

Colby took what the “American Idol” judges said to heart, spending weeks practicing so that he could win them over at the next level of the competition. While he definitely needed to get Richie’s and Perry’s approval, it was perhaps Bryan whom Swift was most intent on impressing as they both share an intense love of country music.

In the world of country music, Bryan is one of the best and brightest stars. His work as a singer, songwriter and performer has put him on top countless times on the charts and at award shows. So it’s easy to see why Bryan is a favorite among fans and critics.

Bryan was born Thomas Luther Bryan on July 17, 1976, in Leesburg, Georgia. He had plans of moving to Nashville when he was 19 years old, but those plans were put to the side when his family needed him following a tragic event. Instead, Bryan stayed in Georgia and attended college in Statesboro, graduating with a degree in business administration in 1999. Bryan finally moved to Nashville two years later and found success writing songs for other artists before becoming a country music star in his own right.

It wasn’t long before Bryan was viewed as one of the legends in the industry, showing off his eclectic musical abilities. Some of his most popular songs include “Rain Is a Good Thing,” “Country Girl (Shake It for Me),” “Play It Again” and “I Don’t Want This Night to End.” 

Today, many people know Bryan for being extremely down-to-earth and energetic, making him loved both on and off the stage. On top of that, he is also putting his musical knowledge to good use by helping aspiring singers. Among them was Swift during his stint as a competitor on “American Idol.”

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The next stage of the competition saw Swift having to perform solo for the judges onstage in Hollywood. Before taking the stage, Swift admitted he had never sung in front of a crowd before.

“I never sang in front of a lot of people before,” he said, and added: “I’ve never taken a day of voice lessons in my life. I can’t sing songs like everybody else. I’m me, I’m Colby Swift, and I ain’t tryin’ to be nobody else.”

Despite his apprehension, anxiety and nerves, Swift walked onto the stage as he belonged there, decked in his usual laid-back cowboy style with the hat and boots in tow. When he reached the microphone, he told the judges he would be singing Freddy Fender’s “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” in tribute to one of his sisters, who had told him to sing the song. The then 19-year-old started strumming the opening chords to the song on his guitar and began to sing. However, after just a few lines of the song, he was stopped by a raise of Bryan’s hand.

The judge then asked Swift to ditch the guitar and sing the song in its original Spanish. The jolted Swift wasted no time getting into it, and as he sang, the judges' and other contestants’ faces lit up in amazement. When Swift was done, the audience rose to their feet to hoot and howl in approval. A visibly emotional Swift said backstage as his voice broke that the moment was simply “crazy." He added, “I’d never thought that I’d get a standing ovation.”

However, apart from Swift’s stunning vocals, there was something else judge Bryan noticed as the teen performed onstage.

It wasn't until after Swift had finished singing that Bryan noticed something innocuous yet still intriguing – the contestant's boots. Colby's boots were practically falling apart. Bryan turned to Perry and Richie and told them he had spotted the terrible condition Swift’s boots were in. When Swift was called back onto the stage to find out whether he had made it to the next round, he was in for a surprise.

On the stage, he was asked by Bryan to step forward and show the camera the bottom of his boots. That was when the huge holes in both pairs of boots were clear for all to see. What Bryan did next shocked even the other contestants in the room.

After asking Swift what size shoes he wore, Bryan reached down under the judges' table. He then pulled off his own pair of cowboy boots he was wearing and headed to the stage to pass them to Swift. The shock and delight in receiving a pair of boots from the feet of one of his own idols moved Swift nearly to tears. Bryan then remarked, “Those shoes are made for walking to the next round,” as Swift put on his new pair of shoes. The audience erupted into applause as Swift moonwalked off the stage wearing his brand-new boots.

While Swift was eliminated later that day during the group round for being the only member of his team to forget the words to Bruno Mars’ "Grenade," it wasn’t the last we saw of him. In 2021, the enterprising young man released three singles and has also performed live at venues in Texas. While Swift can’t count himself among the winners of “American Idol,” he can boast about giving the show one of its most unforgettable moments.

What did you think of Bryan’s gift to the lucky Swift? Does it count among your favorite moments from “American Idol?” Let us know, and don’t forget to pass this on to friends, family and fans of the show.