Blake Shelton Reflects On His Touring Career — And How Today’s Stadium Acts Are Changing the Game
“But I see these kids coming up now like Luke Combs and Zach Bryan and these guys are selling out stadiums…”
Photo Courtesy of Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton has played some of the biggest stages in country music, including a career-defining night at Chicago’s Wrigley Field and headlining his own Las Vegas residency, but even he admits the touring landscape looks completely different today than it did when he first hit the scene.
During an appearance on The Michael Waddell Podcast, Shelton reflected on his touring career and admitted he never imagined a world where country artists could leap from a breakout album to multiple sold-out stadium nights.
“I look back at my touring career and I guess the pinnacle was…it would’ve been probably back when I had an album called Based on a True Story, and it had ‘Boys ‘Round Here’ and we were really having some big records back then and my touring had gotten was strong, and we played Wrigley Field one night, and that was really cool to sell that out,” he shared. “But I feel like we got there and then it didn’t stay up there. For me, I’ve always kind of been about that level of an arena touring act, you know what I mean? Which by the way, who gets to do that? It’s incredible.”
The Oklahoma native noted that the way music is consumed now has completely changed the game for touring, allowing artists to be discovered through various channels instead of relying solely on a radio hit.
“But I see these kids coming up now like Luke Combs and Zach Bryan and these guys are selling out stadiums, stadiums multiple nights and I’m just going, ‘Wow, gosh, I didn’t even know that was out there for country artists to be able to do that,’” he admitted.
Shelton pointed out that Garth Brooks did it in the past, “but Garth also had a longer ramp to get there.”
“These kids now are just like one album and next thing you know they’re playing a stadium. It’s just music is taken in differently now with streaming and an artist doesn’t just have to rely on having one hit song on the radio. They put out an album and it catches on. People know every single song on their album and they can sing along to it at your shows. It’s just different.”
Looking back, Shelton wouldn’t change a thing about his career. He went on to recall having a blast in his early days playing the club scene — and while he was barely breaking even, he was having a lot of fun doing it.
“I was lucky that I got to come up when there was still a club scene out there because now I feel like it’s pretty much gone now, outside of few legendary places like Billy Bob’s or Grizzly Rose, there’s just not that many left,” he said. “But when I was coming up, there was a lot of country dance clubs and things where we would get booked.”
In those early years, Shelton was playing anywhere and everywhere — bars, clubs, dance halls, and even the most unexpected venues.
“I remember in 2001 we played, there probably wasn’t a bar in the lower 50 or the lower 48th that I didn’t play. We would just be gone and it’s like for $5,000 a night, Blake Shelton will come in there and the whole band was set up. We played bowling alleys… I remember we played a couple of restaurants where they would put together a little eight inches off the ground stage in the corner and just did whatever and was excited to do it. $5,000, they’re going to pay. Of course I wasn’t making any money. I was paying for tour bus, a trailer, a small couple of crew guys, and then my band.”
It may not have been a big money-maker, but Shelton didn’t mind.
“I was still just getting by, but I didn’t care because it was just having, I was getting to live my dream, getting to go play. I had a song on the radio.”
These days, things look a lot different for the country superstar, who has racked up 30 No.1 singles throughout his career so far.
He continues to perform at festivals, and arenas and is gearing up to return to Las Vegas in 2026.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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