Chris Lane Reveals How Kenny Chesney Inspired His New Tour

Chris Lane is reflecting on the journey of his music career as he prepares to return to his roots on his Find Another Bar Tour: College Edition. 

Where Did Lane Get The Idea For This Tour?

While catching up with Country Now during Nashville’s annual Country Radio Seminar (CRS), the North Carolina native explained that the idea to take his show to small-town bars across the country stemmed from seeing Kenny Chesney do something similar as a way to honor his early career.

“I actually stole this idea from Kenny Chesney. I saw him do it years and years ago. He came through my hometown there at this tiny little place called Ziggy’s and he did it just for fun. He had no business playing in the room,” Lane shared. “I was thinking about that over the last couple months, and I didn’t really know how to put it together, but I just asked fans, ‘Hey, where would you want to see me play at in your college town?’”

From there, he built a tour that currently consists of six dates in Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. Lane is expecting to create a high-energy atmosphere within these small venues, some of which he noted only hold around 300 fans. At this point in his career, Lane is well versed in playing to much larger crowds at arenas and stadiums. So although the college tour will serve as a stark difference from his usual stages, he says he is looking forward to taking a step back to reconnect with his fans in this kind of tight-knit environment. 

“I’ve done the arenas with other artists, in stadiums and kind of played all kinds of venues, but I think there’s something to be said about the super small ones, like some of the ones that I started out playing in. I think the energy is going to be incredible and I’m really looking forward to that.”

He added that he’s unsure how many dates he’s going to add to this run, as he is just trying to “get my feet wet.”

An Update On Life At Home

In the midst of planning this tour, Chris Lane is also trying to keep up with life at home as he and his wife, Lauren Bushnell, are currently raising their two boys – Dutton Walker, 2, and Baker West, 1.

Despite the fact that getting a good night’s sleep has been an ongoing struggle for the parents, Lane says he is enjoying getting to see his kids’ personalities starting to take shape. 

“I feel like they both have completely different personalities, but it is a lot of fun for Lauren and I to watch them become best friends. I mean, it took a hot minute for Dutton to warm up because he likes all the attention, but yeah, it’s been fun watching them.”

Does Lane’s Family Join Him On The Road?

Seeing as both of their sons are still very young and keeping a routine is extremely important at this stage of their life, Lane and Lauren have opted to wait a few more years before fully introducing the kids to life on the road. 

“Baker has not had that opportunity. We tried it with Dutton and it was very difficult ’cause when he doesn’t sleep on the bus, mom and dad don’t get to sleep on the bus and it makes for a really exhausting day…So we’re gonna wait until they’re a little bit older. Then maybe try it again,” he admitted.

While challenging, being a dad has also proved to have an incredibly positive impact on the “Big, Big Plans” singer’s life and his music career. He claims that having a family has inspired his songwriting in ways unlike ever before, but that not every song will be centered around his life at home. 

“I wasn’t a big softie before I had kids. In fact, my wife would always say things like, ‘I feel like you need feelings of some kind,’” he said with a laugh before adding that his kids have “softened me up so much.” “It is crazy how much they change you.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lauren Lane (@laurenlane)

Six New Songs In The Works

One of his recent Instagram posts indicated that his new burst of creativity is starting to come out in the studio. In October, fans got to experience this a bit in Lane’s “From Where I’m Sippin’” EP, but he went on to reveal that he is currently working alongside producer Dann Huff to record six new songs. 

“I am so excited. Most of the songs I was a writer on, much like the EP and I’m just excited to share that side because early in my career, I didn’t have a lot of time for the songwriting aspect. So I feel like I’m getting to show a different side of me – the songwriter side as well as being an artist.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chris Lane (@iamchrislane)

Opening For Kane Brown

In addition to his upcoming Find Another Bar Tour: College Edition, which launches on April 4 in Fayetteville, AR, Chris Lane will also join Kane Brown on the road for select dates of his In The Air Tour. 

“Kane and I have become really great friends. I love him a lot, I was out on tour with him years ago and had the time of our lives. So there’s gonna be a lot of golf involved, there’s probably gonna be a lot of after-show ping pong. Very excited.”