Arthur Gunn’s absence was apparently even a mystery to the judges of American Idol, who did not have an answer at the post-show Q&A.
With that said, EW reported that someone with knowledge of the situation stated that Gunn did not want to perform.
Luke Bryan had nothing but praise for the performance and broke down the situation to USA Today.
Luckily Graham DeFranco (who was eliminated ahead of the Top 12) was literally in the crowd on finale night, and at a moment’s notice, took the stage with Crow to perform a medley of “If It Makes You Happy” and “Every Day Is A Winding Road.”