ATHENS – Jason Aldean packed his night train with more than 60,000 whooping fans, a couple of other Georgia country boys, a virtual pop star and one of Atlanta’s most respected rappers – and rolled the whole thing through an electrified Sanford Stadium Saturday night.

 Though the University of Georgia venue has seen its share of thrilling on-field action in its 80-plus years of existence, Macon native Aldean supplied the first-ever concert between the hedges.

 “This is definitely one of the highlights of my career,” Aldean said from the stage.

 The nearly five hours of music launched with Valdosta’s Thomas Rhett, continued with floppy-haired hunk Jake Owen (the lone non-Georgian on the bill – he’s from Florida), a solid set from Leesburg’s Luke Bryan and culminated with a slick, 90-minute hits parade from Aldean.

That Aldean brought Ludacris out toward the end to sing their 2011 hit “Dirt Road Anthem” and arranged for a virtual Kelly Clarkson to duet with on “Don’t You Wanna Stay” added an extra dollop of specialness to the concert, which was being filmed presumably for eventual DVD release.

 In his red Georgia Bulldogs shirt, artfully ripped jeans and omnipresent cowboy hat, Aldean and his band frolicked around cauldrons of pyro and performed under six moving video screens that slanted and rotated to cool effect.

 While the husky-voiced Aldean is more country than many of his peers, songs such as “Crazy Town,” “Johnny Cash” and “Amarillo Sky” contain plenty of rock crunch.

 The singer-guitarist was visibly jazzed throughout his set, working the mammoth stage like a stadium veteran – he’s got dates this summer at Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, so good thing he’s already comfortable – and chatting frequently with the masses.

He also thanked Bulldogs football coach Mark Richt for “letting us tear up your football field,” then joked, “It’ll grow back.”

Aldean is touring behind his fifth studio album, the platinum-selling “Night Train,” so a few new tunes, such as the pop-with-pedal-steel “When She Says Baby” and “1994” (co-written by Rhett) were sprinkled among fan favorites “Big Green Tractor” and “Fly Over States.”

The perfect-weather night allowed for prime visibility of the production’s embellishments, such as the video screens flanking the stage, the stacks of amps lined behind it and the series of strobes and other slick lighting that punctuated every song.

Aldean’s buddy Bryan, hand-picked to join him for the event, provided an hour-long set of his own growing list of hits, including “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye,” the cranked-up rocker “Country Man” and “Rain is a Good Thing,” flecked with electric banjo.

The newly crowned ACM Entertainer of the Year, clad as usual in super-snug jeans and a black baseball cap that moved front to back on his head a dozen times during his show, wiggled his hips and embraced his playful side on “Drunk on You.”

“I got the best view in the world here,” Bryan said from the stage, frequently looking awestruck at the size of the crowd.

While he occasionally slowed the pace for the new ballad “Crash My Party” and his first-ever Top 40 hit from 2009, “Do I,” Bryan, whose voice sounded low in the mix for the first few songs of his set, primed the crowd perfectly with the pool hall jukebox rocker “All My Friends Say” (with some “Enter Sandman” thrown in) and his infectious thumper, “Country Girl (Shake it for Me).”

With Owen chiming in earlier with his lightweight country pop (“Southern Jam,” “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”) and Rhett providing catchy hand-clappers (“Something to Do with My Hands”), the night surpassed Aldean’s desire to create something special.