In the Midst of His 1st Headlining Tour, Brett Young Is “Connecting” With the Crowd

In the Midst of His 1st Headlining Tour, Brett Young Is “Connecting” With the Crowd

Posted on November 14, 2017

The last 12 months have been pretty good for newcomer Brett Young.

The California native dropped his self-titled debut album, which featured 11 songs that he co-wrote. Brett scored two No. 1 hits with “Sleep Without You” and “In Case You Didn’t Know.” His new single, “Like I Loved You,” currently sits at No. 12 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after 17 weeks.

In addition to earning a recent CMA Awards nomination for New Artist of the Year, Brett is in the midst of his first headlining tour, dubbed the Caliville Tour, with opener Carly Pearce.

While Brett views himself as a songwriter first, the Caliville Tour has thrown a spotlight on the performer in him as he seeks to make a connection with the crowd each night.

“For me, because it was always songwriting first, when it came to performing live, something that was always important to me was connecting the way that I want to with a lyric,” Brett says. “I want to do that same thing onstage, and so what I’ve found is that I’m not a jump-around-the-stage entertainer, but what I can do is be honestly connected to the lyrics. I just always try to be kind of transparent with my performance, and hopefully, that brings people in not only to the lyric but also to the realization that I’m connected to it as well.”

Caliville Tour

Nov. 16
Cleveland, Ohio
House of Blues

Nov. 17
Nashville
Marathon Music Works

Nov. 18
Louisville, KY
Mercury Ballroom

Nov. 29
Oxford, OH
Brick Street Bar-Miami U

Dec. 1
Detroit, MI
Majestic Theatre

Dec. 2
Madison, WI
Orpheum Theater

Dec. 9
Baton Rouge, LA
Texas Club

Dec. 13
Cincinnati, OH
Bogart’s

Dec. 16
Milwaukee, WI
The Rave

photo by Jason Simanek

Blake Shelton’s “Texoma Shore” Lands at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart

Blake Shelton’s “Texoma Shore” Lands at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart

Posted on November 14, 2017

Blake Shelton’s 11th studio album, Texoma Shore, landed at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart this week.

The new 11-song offering sold 63,000 equivalent units, according to Nielsen Music, and marks Blake’s sixth time atop the chart.

“I can’t believe that 17 years into making records and my fans are still so supportive,” said Blake. “I mean, a No. 1 album? When I think it can’t get any better, it doe—thanks to them. I love you all.”

Texoma Shore also reached the No. 4 spot on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, trailing Sam Smith’s The Thrill of It All (237,000 equivalent units), Maroon 5’s Red Pill Blues (122,000 equivalent units) and Chris Brown’s Heartbreak on a Full Moon (73,000 equivalent units).

Since Blake and Maroon 5’s frontman Adam Levine are both judges on The Voice, the guys made a friendly wager last week. If Blake outsold Maroon 5, Adam would have to call Blake “Captain Country.” If Maroon 5 outsold Blake, Blake would have to call Adam “The Greatest That Ever Was.” After besting Blake by 57,000 albums, looks like Adam will be getting his new title.

photo by Jim Casey

Garth Brooks Says New Anthology Is a “Family” Project

Garth Brooks Says New Anthology Is a “Family” Project

Posted on November 14, 2017

Garth Brooks has written No. 1 songs like “If Tomorrow Never Comes” and “The Thunder Rolls” over the course of his Hall of Fame career. Now he’s got his sights set on writing a No. 1 book—or five.

Garth is set to release a five-part autobiography in the coming months, with The Anthology: Part 1—The First Five Years on sale today (Nov. 14). The 240-page hardcover book is a detailed look at the first five years of Garth’s career and features more than 150 never-before-seen photos, as well as five CDs containing 52 total songs, including 19 new, unreleased or demo versions.

“You’re gonna hear from the songwriters of the songs [on The Anthology], you’re gonna hear from the players that played the songs, you’re gonna hear from everybody that ever made that song what it was,” says Garth. “That is the blessing of [producer] Allen Reynolds, the Lord above, [manager] Bob Doyle, who’s been with you since day one, the players that’s been together since day one, bandmembers on tour, crew members on tour that’s been together since day one, people that work with you together since day one. That’s a family. And the family is reflected in The Anthology. And I think that’s why I love it so much.”

The Anthology: Part 1—The First Five Years is available online and in stores.

photo by Jason Simanek

Jason Aldean Gives First Interview Since Las Vegas Shooting [Watch]

Jason Aldean Gives First Interview Since Las Vegas Shooting [Watch]

Posted on November 14, 2017

Jason Aldean sat down with Today’s Sheinelle Jones for his first interview since a gunman killed 58 people and injured more than 500 while he was performing onstage at the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas on Oct. 1.

When the shooting initially began, Jason told Sheinelle he believed one of the stage speakers had blown out. It was only after Jason’s guitar player alerted him to leave the stage that he realized there was a major problem.

“Everybody just kind of panicked, and didn’t really know where to go, or what to do,” Jason said to Today. “It was just kind of crazy, pandemonium.”

After flying home to spend time with his family, Jason paid tribute to the shooting victims by performing on Saturday Night Live on Oct. 7. Jason resumed his They Don’t Know Tour on Oct. 12 after canceling three dates.

“Honestly, being back on stage probably helped us more than anything, which is crazy,” Jason said.

Watch Jason’s entire Today interview, which also features Dierks Bentley and Lady Antebellum.

photo by Jason Simanek

Brad Paisley Extends “Weekend Warrior Tour” Into 2018 With Dustin Lynch, Lindsay Ell & Chase Bryant

Brad Paisley Extends “Weekend Warrior Tour” Into 2018 With Dustin Lynch, Lindsay Ell & Chase Bryant

Posted on November 14, 2017

Brad Paisley kicked off his 15th headlining tour—dubbed the Weekend Warrior Tour—in May, with more than 35 dates across the U.S., Canada and Europe before capping in September.

Brad and his merry gang of openers—Dustin Lynch, Lindsay Ell and Chase Bryant—must have enjoyed the experience because they are extending the tour into 2018 with 26 new dates, including stops in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Kansas City, San Antonio, Little Rock and more.

2018 Weekend Warrior World Tour

January 25
Los Angeles, CA
STAPLES Center

January 26
Fresno, CA
Save Mart Center

January 27
Glendale, AZ
Gila River Arena

February 1
Salt Lake City, UT
Vivint Smart Home Arena

February 2
Boise, ID
Taco Bell Arena

February 3
Reno, NV
Reno Events Center

February 15
Bloomington, IL
Grossinger Motors Arena

February 16
Kansas City, MO
Sprint Center

February 17
Cedar Falls, IA
McLeod Center

February 19
San Antonio, TX
San Antonio Rodeo (Brad only)

February 20
San Antonio, TX
San Antonio Rodeo (Brad only)

February 22
Knoxville, TN
Thompson-Boling Arena

February 23
Pikeville, KY
Eastern Kentucky Expo Center

February 24
Rosemont, IL
Allstate Arena

March 8
Savannah, GA
Savannah Civic Center *

March 9
Tallahassee, FL
Donald L. Tucker Civic Center *

March 10
St. Augustine, FL
St. Augustine Amphitheatre **

March 11
Plant City, FL
Florida Strawberry Festival (Brad only)

March 16
Marksville, LA
Paragon Casino Resort (Brad only)

March 22
Erie, PA
Erie Insurance Arena

March 23
Louisville, KY
KFC Yum! Center***

March 24
Moline, IL
TaxSlayer Center

April 5
Columbus, OH
Schottenstein Center

April 7
Grand Rapids, MI
Van Andel Arena

April 12
Little Rock, AR
Verizon Arena

April 26
Lincoln, NE
Pinnacle Bank Arena

*Dustin Lynch and Chase Bryant
**Chase Bryant Only
***Chase Bryant and Lindsay Ell

photo by Jason Simanek

Country News

Weather

  • Forecast
  • Currents
  • Planner