Blake Shelton Drops Cryptic Teaser: What’s the ‘DL’ and ‘EAR’ All About?

Is Shelton planning a 2024 tour?

By

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

October 11, 2023

at

10:58 am

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Blake Shelton; Photo by Katherine Bomboy/NBC

Blake Shelton sent his devoted fans into a frenzy on Wednesday morning when he shared what appears to be a tour teaser across his social media platforms. The cryptic clip included a neon sign that reads, “Back To The Honky Tonk Tour.” 

Is The “Ol’ Red” Singer Teasing A 2024 Tour With Dustin Lynch and Emily Ann Roberts?

The caption quoted Shelton’s 2015 chart-topper, “Neon Light” with the text: “There’s a neon light at the end of the tunnel…” It was soundtracked by his massive hit, “God’s Country.”    

Beneath the sign were two smaller signs that read “DL” and “EAR.” Those signs presumably signify Shelton’s tourmates, which could very likely be Dustin Lynch and his former Team Blake The Voice runner-up, Emily Ann Roberts. In fact, both artists quickly responded to Shelton’s cryptic teaser with eyeball emojis, adding even more speculation to the tour announcement. 

Fans Begged Him To Stop In Their City

The comments section was flooded with excited fans begging the superstar to come to their city. 

“PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD COME TO PHILLY,” one Instagram user wrote, while another pleaded, “NYC or Jersey PLEASE!!!”

Other comments include requests for stops in Virginia, Florida, Texas, and more. 

The soon-to-be-announced trek will serve as the second leg of the Back To The Honky Tonk Tour tour and follows the success of his winter 2023 tour of the same name, which featured support from Carly Pearce and Jackson Dean as well as several surprise appearances from Gwen Stefani. Shelton’s Back To The Honky Tonk Tour first launched earlier this year on February 16 and ran through March 25, where it wrapped up at Keybank Center in Buffalo, New York.

Blake Shelton; Photo by Katherine Bomboy/NBC
Blake Shelton; Photo by Katherine Bomboy/NBC

Shelton has ranked among Pollstar’s Top 200 North American Tour nearly every year for the past decade.

The Social Country Star

Recently, Shelton made a special appearance at the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards to honor and present his friend and fellow Oklahoma native Toby Keith with the Country Icon Award. While there he performed Keith’s hit “Who’s Your Daddy?” as well as received the Social Country Star Award. 

“I moved to Nashville in 1994 and man, I had a lot of dreams — this was not one of them,” Shelton shared from the stage. “I don’t even know what this means, but if the fans want me to have it, I’m damn well going to put it on my mantle.”

Stepped Away From The Voice

Earlier this year, Blake Shelton stepped away from his longtime role as a coach on NBC’s The Voice, freeing up his schedule to focus on other projects. He now devotes more time to his family, his Oklahoma farm and fulfilling his responsibilities as a stepdad to Gwen Stefani’s three sons. Additionally, he’s occupied with working on his show, Barmageddon, and preparing for the upcoming tour, which collectively keep Shelton quite busy.

Barmageddon Season 2

The Oklahoma native is currently gearing up to premiere season 2 of Barmageddon, which will feature a star-studded lineup of celebrity guests including Gwen Stefani, Kelly Clarkson, Jelly Roll, Boyz II Men, Carly Pearce, Lauren Alaina and more.

The fun-filled celebrity game show, which is hosted by WWE hall of famer Nikki Garcia and was filmed at Ole Red, is executively produced by Blake Shelton and Carson Daly, who also star in the show. USA Network recently shared a sneak peek at the upcoming season, premiering on November 13.

YouTube video

Barmageddon premieres on Monday, Nov. 13 at 11 p.m. ET/PT via USA Network.

Additionally, Blake Shelton is set to ring in the new year in Thackerville, Oklahoma at the WinStar World Casino on December 31.

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Lauren Jo Black

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.