Brad Paisley Talks Mentoring The Next Generation Of Country Stars On 2025 Truck Still Works Tour [Exclusive]

Brad Paisley is preparing to embark on his 2025 headlining run, the Truck Still Works World Tour, and he’s bringing an incredible lineup of supporting acts with him.

Joining Paisley on the trek will be special guest Walker Hayes along with three rising female acts – Avery Anna, Mae Estes and Alexandra Kay – who will take turns opening the show. While he may not have a close bond with these rising stars yet, he hopes that with this tour, he can lean into his role as a mentor and pay forward the guidance he received from established acts during his early days.

“I’m thrilled to be able to do that,” Paisley shared of inviting the up-and-coming artists to perform for his audience. “To me, it’s like there’s a real emerging crop of super talented people that have bridged this…there was an awkward phase I think in music where everybody was a TikTok star for a second and we are a little bit past that now, where it’s like people have learned there’s some real artists. I feel like these are an example of that.”

Remembers Alan Jackson Acting As A Mentor On The Road

Thinking back to the start of his career, Paisley remembers Alan Jackson being one of the first country stars to take him under his wing and show him the ropes.

“I remember that first tour, it was Alan Jackson for me in the beginning,” he told Country Now. “I was new, and I only did a few songs, and it was way early in the set. And it’s a challenge, first of all, because half the people aren’t in their seat yet, but it’s part of the process. And we always try to make sure everybody…I want them to say, ‘no one ever treated us that well again.’”

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The West Virginia native even teased plans to invite each of his openers on stage during their runs and perform his 2004 hit duet with Alison Krauss, “Whiskey Lullaby.”

“Some cities, all of ’em, the litmus test is always, ‘Hey, would you sing ‘Whiskey Lullaby’? And so usually they do. So you’ll get to hear three different variations of that at some point. But I think they’re all really talented and it’s going to be fun,” he added.

Plans To Throw A Few Deep Cuts Into The Upcoming Setlist

Paisley kicks off the tour on May 21, 2025 at the Mountain America Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho. With his vast collection of songs, the hitmaker has understandably a lot to choose from for his setlist and many of his longtime fans will be happy to know that there will likely be a few deep cuts thrown into the mix on this next trek.

“I think it’s whatever fits the mood. It’s a summer tour. A lot of it is outside. There are certain things that are just perfect for that. I might dust off a couple album cuts that Need to be replayed,” he teased. “There’s songs that I haven’t done in a long time that I think it’d be fun to do.”

The first leg of the trek includes 16 shows and will run through August. Along the way, Paisley will make his debut at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado, as well as the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California.