The kings of bro-country are officially back…
The past few years have been nothing short of a comeback story for country music. Experiencing the most commercial and critical success in history, we’ve seen the indie/alternative scene explode thanks to the likes of Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson and more, some of the greatest bands, such as The Red Clay Strays, Turnpike Troubadours and Flatland Cavalry garner national attention and traditional acts such as Zach Top and Ella Langley, who has been shattering all-genre records, dominate the mainstream.
As it is with seemingly everything, however, nature has to balance itself. This came with the inevitable return of the kings of “bro country,” Florida Georgia Line, who are officially plotting their 2027 comeback tour.
It should go without saying at this point that FGL was once one of the most successful duos in the history of the genre, scoring nothing short of era-defining hits in the 2010s with the likes of the diamond-certified “Cruise,” along with other smashes such as “This Is How We Roll,” “Stay” and the Bebe Rexha collaboration, “Meant to Be.”
Of course, Florida Georgia Line remain as the poster boys for “bro country,” the era in the 2010s which was defined by the most shallow lyrics known to man, Nickelback-lite production and ultimately a whole lot of clichés that the genre still gets flack for such as heavy emphasis on drinking, tan legs swinging off of pickup truck beds and pretty much anything you associate with the worst country music has to offer.
After what felt like months of speculation, rumors and both Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard teasing a potential reunion after their nasty split thanks to their first performance in four years together back in April at Country Radio Seminar, they made their “grand” return on night one of CMA Fest in Nashville back in June with a surprise two-song set.
In front of the packed house at Nissan Stadium, Hubbard would address the crowd, arm around Kelley, and officially declare that Florida Georgia Line is back.
“CMA Fest, it feels so good to be here tonight. It feels so good to be here with my brother. And listen, we got three things we want to say tonight. First of all, God is good. Second of all, life is short. And most importantly, your boys… we back baby!”
Since then, they’ve been making quiet moves that signal big plans for 2027. This includes the pair officially signing with an agent and management back in June, Hubbard confirming they were “itching to get back on stage,” their social media profile photos being updated to the pair sitting in stadium seats and, finally, a message going out to their fan club with a text reading:
“Turns out, some things are just better together. Much more to come. FGL LFG”
After turning heads last week with a teaser from Stagecoach, the biggest country music festival located in Indio, California, the two were officially booked on the lineup yesterday as a special late-night set at the festival, which will mark the duo’s first officially announced performance since teasing a reunion earlier this year.
Less than a day later, the pair officially announced their 2027 comeback in the form of a 12-night festival tour titled, ANYTHING GOES AGAIN: THE FESTIVAL TOUR.
Discussing the tour, Hubbard would point to the shocking amount of hype their return has generated after CMA fest, noting they felt “a lot” of love.
“There’s so much history and so many great memories wrapped up in FGL. Seeing the fans get excited about us being back together and hearing how much these songs still mean to them has been really special. We’ve felt a lot of love, and it feels good to be back up there together and sharing these songs with everybody again.”
Additionally, Kelley would add that he’s excited to pick up right where they left off a half-decade ago.
“These songs have taken on a life of their own over the years, and getting back onstage together really reminded me of that. Hearing the crowd sing every word and feeling that energy again was pretty incredible. We picked right back up where we left off, and there’s definitely something special about getting to do this again.”
Given the fact that many of the festivals they’re booked for on the comeback tour have yet to announce their full lineups, the actual venues and dates have yet to be revealed — save for Stagecoach. With that being said, however, it appears that they will be making an appearance at Tortuga Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Country 2 Country in the United Kingdom and Minnesota Country Club Festival in St. Paul.
Whether you like it or not, Florida Georgia Line is now officially back. The question that remains now is “How will they fare after the split?” Judging by the crowd’s reaction at Nissan Stadium, the reaction in Stagecoach’s comment section and the comments on their most recent Instagram post, I fear we might be in for a wave of bro-country 2.0.
