Blake Shelton wanted his new Back to the Honky Tonk Tour to have the fun, laid-back feel of his early days on the road playing clubs. With a bar that runs the entire length of the stage and thrust that features 100 barstools and a host of bartenders, the first dozen dates have had fans singing and dancing and celebrating country music. It’s safe to say Shelton has accomplished his mission!
“For two hours, Shelton made that arena feel like a wild country bar, where just about anything could happen and he was the bartender, slinging out music instead of shots,” said the Louisville Courier-Journal after his show there last Thursday (3/9). Calling him a “true entertainer” in the headline, the review went on to say, “For one night only Blake Shelton opened the largest honky tonk in the state of Kentucky.”
Saturday night’s show brought a similar review from the Indianapolis Star, which noted, “Shelton's return to Indianapolis brought heart and catchy tunes. The audience ate up everything he had and seemed to go home full. His mission to celebrate country music through ‘the biggest honky tonk in the state of Indiana’ was achieved.”
Shelton’s “Honky Tonk” is a feast of country music with openers Jackson Dean, whose debut single “Don’t Come Lookin’” recently went to No. 1, and singer-songwriter Carly Peace, who is celebrating a recent GRAMMY Award win, as well as CMA and ACM Awards for Female Vocalist of the Year. Shelton’s two-hour set runs the gamut of his career with songs, from his 2001 No. 1 debut single “Austin,” to his multi-Platinum, award-winning smash “God’s Country.”
“This throwback-themed concert tour… served as a reminder that the fun, wisecracking-but-tender coach we see on television is the same fella country music audiences still love seeing onstage,” said the Minneapolis Star Tribune of his recent show in the Minneapolis-St Paul area.
While there are only two weekends left on the tour, Shelton will always keep the Honky Tonk spirit alive. Tickets to remaining shows can be purchased at BlakeShelton.com.
Photo Credit: Jamie Wendt
Remaining dates of the Back to the Honky Tonk Tour:
March 16 // Little Rock, AR // Simmons Bank Arena
March 17 // Oklahoma City, OK // Paycom Center
March 18 // Kansas City, MO // T-Mobile Center
March 23 // Cincinnati, OH // Heritage Bank Center
March 24 // Pittsburgh, PA // PPG Paints Arena
March 25 // Buffalo, NY // KeyBank Center
ABOUT BLAKE SHELTON:
Blake Shelton continues to add to his impressive resume of music with the release of his latest single “No Body.”
With 52 million singles and 13 million albums sold and nearly 11 Billion Global Streams, Shelton has received numerous awards, including six ACMs, three AMAs, ten CMAs, 11 CMTs and six People’s Choice, among many others.
As a coach for the Emmy Award-winning television show The Voice, Shelton is a nine-time champion! Season 23 of The Voice premiered earlier this month and will be Shelton’s last as a coach. He and Carson Daly have teamed up to executive produce and star in the high-spirited, celebrity game show, Barmageddon. Hosted by Nikki Bella, the show airs on USA Network and premiered as the networks highest rated debut episode in more than three years.
The Grand Ole Opry member also remains focused on his Ole Red partnership with Ryman Hospitality, with locations currently in Tishomingo, Nashville, Gatlinburg, and Orlando, they recently broke ground on a new venue in Las Vegas, which is slated to open late this year. He has also partnered with Land’s End, a classic American lifestyle brand, for a new collection – Blake Shelton x Lands' End.
A noted humanitarian, Shelton has helped raise millions of dollars for children’s hospitals, disaster relief organizations, food banks and more in his home state of Oklahoma and throughout the entire country.
For more information, please visit www.BlakeShelton.com and follow @BlakeShelton.