Tag Archives: Gillette Stadium

Check out this New Englander’s Gift to Cole Swindell

Artists are constantly being given gifts on the road. Whether that’s in the Meet and Greet or from fans in the front row, artists are always taking home different gifts and souvenirs from the shows they play. What the artists do with these things is a mystery. But the gift that one New England fan gave Cole Swindell this past weekend, is something he will probably hold onto for the rest of his life. It’s something that could easily make his way to a wall on his home or something Cole keeps on his bus…

In case you didn’t know, Cole lost his father, William, in 2013. And Cole has obviously had so much success in the past few years- success he definitely would have wanted to share with his dad. This led him to writing a certain song called ‘You Should Be Here’ – a song that he wrote in the parking lot behind Gillette Stadium when he was in town in 2014 playing with Luke Bryan.

Well, let’s fast forward to this past weekend. Abigail Blair, knowing the connection to Gillette Stadium with his song, decided she wanted to do something for one of her favorite artists. She did a little research and found the date of that show and then worked with someone off of Etsy to create a frame that featured the exact sky from that night along with Cole’s father’s name with ‘Never Forgotten’.

Are you kidding me!? To even think this up is one thing. To then pay your own money to get this made up and then use whatever resources you have to contact Cole’s management and get the opportunity to present this to him is a whole other thing. Wow. What an absolutely thoughtful gift!

From what we were told by Abigail, Cole got a bit teary eyed. I mean, who wouldn’t? Like I said earlier, this is a gift that Cole will never forget and keep in a special place for him. Abigail told us how it meant a lot to him, and how it was a beautiful way that day and how much the song means to everyone.

Just another reason why country fans in New England are the best! Give this young lady an award for Fan of the Year!

Ladies, Please Don’t Do This.

Summer concert is upon us! Well, almost. This Friday marks the official first day of summer! And it just happens to be the same day that Luke Bryan plays at Gillette Stadium. Coincidence? We think not! What better way to kick off the summer than being at Gillette with 60,000 fellow country music fans, seeing one of the biggest stars perform!?

But ladies, let’s not do this…

Yes, a woman threw her undies at Luke.

C’mon now, that’s a tad weird, no? I mean, we get it. Nice weather, cold beer in hand, and Luke is right there shaking his ass for you (and the thousands of others in the crowd)- the mood is right. Wrong. It’s just weird for you to squat down in front of other people and take off your under garments and throw them at a married dude. I’m assuming whoever did this was wearing a skirt as if she was wearing shorts or a pants, well, the whole crowd just saw your privates. But maybe this lady just didn’t give a F… And let’s face it. If it’s hot outside, no dude wants your sweaty panties.

Behave yourselves on Friday, ladies. We love ya.

Luke Bryan Adds Gillette Stadium Show to 2019 ‘Sunset Repeat Tour’

Four-time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan today announced he is adding a stop on his “Sunset Repeat Tour” to visit New England country music fans with a show at Gillette Stadium on June 21. The concert will include special guests multi-platinum singer/songwriter Cole Swindell, 2018 Academy of Country Music New Male Vocalist of the Year Brett Young and EMI/32 Bridge Entertainment recording artist Jon Langston. DJ Rockwill also appear.

The June 21 show will be the third trip to Gillette Stadium for Bryan, who previously performed two shows in July 2016 as part of his “Kill The Lights Tour” and made his Foxborough debut in August 2014 in front of a sold out crowd on his “That’s My Kind Of Night Tour.”

Tickets to the June 21 show will go on sale to the public Friday, March 8, at 10 a.m. at www.ticketmaster.com. Kraft Sports + Entertainment is the official promoter of the “Sunset Repeat Tour” show at Gillette Stadium.

Citi is the official presale credit card of Luke Bryan’s “Sunset Repeat Tour at Gillette Stadium.” As such, Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase presale tickets beginning Monday, March 4 at 10 a.m. until Thursday, March 7 at 10 p.m. through Citi’s Private Pass Program­­­­­­­­. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com.

In each of the last several years, Bryan’s headline tours have performed for 1.5 million fans or more. In 2018, Bryan played the most stadium dates in one year and has played 34 career stadium concerts to date.

Click HERE for Luke’s ‘Sunset Repeat Tour’ playlist.

About Luke Bryan

Luke is a two-time Academy of Country Music and a two-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year, a five-time host of the ACM Awards, a NSAI Artist/Songwriter of the Year and was named a CMT Artist of the Year six consecutive years. Luke has more certified digital singles than any other country artist with 46 million tracks and 12 million albums with four Billion music streams. Luke has placed 22 singles at #1, 12 of which he co-wrote. In each of the last several years, Luke’s headline tours have performed for 1.5 million fans or more and in 2018 he headlined the most stadium shows in one year of his career, now totaling 34 stadium concerts to date. Also in 2018 Luke opened Nashville’s only six-floor entertainment facility in the heart of Music City, LUKE’S 32 BRIDGE FOOD + DRINK. 

Visitwww.LukeBryan.com or follow Luke on Twitter at @LukeBryanOnline, Instagram and Facebook

About Cole Swindell

Cole Swindell, a Platinum-selling recording artist and 11-time No 1 singer/songwriter, released his third album, All of It, for Warner Bros. Records/Warner Music Nashville in 2018 and it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country album chart and No. 7 on the Billboard Top 200. The first single “Break Up In The End” became his 8th No. 1 career single as a solo artist. “Break Up In The End” was recently nominated for a Grammy® forBest Country Song and was named one of the best country songs of 2018 by Amazon, Spotify, Billboard, and You Tube among others. Swindell performed the hit single on last summer’s (2018) ABC Television special CMA Fest and when he headlined the NBC’s Citi Concert Series on TODAY(2018).  The Georgia native debuted his current single “Love You Too Late” LIVE on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars and in December performed it on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The song is included on YouTube’s Best Country Songs of 2018.

For more information please visit www.coleswindell.com and follow @coleswindell on Twitter, @coleswindell on Instagram and on Facebook.

About Brett Young

ACM New Male Vocalist of the Year Brett Young’s sophomore release TICKET TO L.A. (BMLG Records) debuted atop the Billboard Country Albums chart and features his current fast-rising single “Here Tonight.” The album follows his PLATINUM self-titled debut, which dominated the Top 20 on the Country Albums chart for 37 weeks. Delivering four consecutive No. 1 PLATINUM-certified hits, Young was named ASCAP’s 2018 Country Songwriter-Artist of the Year for his “melodic craftsmanship” (Billboard). He has also garnered nominations from ACM, Billboard, Teen Choice, CMT and CMA Awards as he continues to rack up nonstop hits as “one of country music’s most reliable new hitmakers” (Tennessean). Young has amassed more than 1.4 billion streams of his catalog globally. 

For additional information, visit BrettYoungMusic.com.

About Jon Langston   

Loganville, GA native, singer-songwriter Jon Langston grew up on music like his heroes Alan Jackson and the Eagles. And once multiple concussions ended his Division I football career, he worked to develop his own style and sound while drawing from that variety of influences. In 2013 with the release of his first song, “Forever Girl,” Jon’s live shows began to grow, and he found himself opening for Chase Rice at Georgia’s Kennesaw State University.  It was his first-ever full band show, and when the crowd sang “Forever Girl” along with him, Jon knew he wanted to pursue a career in music. Since then, the now 27-year-old Music City resident has not only signed a publishing deal with Sony ATV and is managed by KP Entertainment, but has fostered his own voice in country music and landed a record deal with Universal Music Group Nashville. The Georgia native is the first artist under Luke Bryan’s new label, 32 Bridge Entertainment, and will be worked in conjunction with EMI Records Nashville. He recently released his major label debut single “When It Comes To Loving You” which landed in the Top 5 of the all-genre iTunes Chart and has accumulated over 9 million streams.  

For more information please visit www.jonlangston.com and follow @jonTLangston on Twitter @jonlangston on Instagram and on Facebook

About DJ Rock

For the past 15 years, DJ Rock has performed for crowds in premiere venues throughout North America and Mexico. As an open format DJ he is well versed in all music formats, spinning everything from country to hip hop to rock to today’s top 40 hits. He’s worked alongside artists like Luke Bryan, Snoop Dogg, Florida Georgia Line, Gucci Man, John Legend, Jennifer Lopez, Blake Shelton and more. Rock has also appeared at some of the biggest-selling music festivals including Off The Rails, Rock The South, Route 91 and Tortuga. Rock last appeared on Luke Bryan’s “What Makes You Country Tour” in 2018.

About Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium, located in Foxborough, Mass., is New England’s premier sports and entertainment venue. The 65,878-seat stadium is the full-time home of the NFL’s six-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots, which has sold out every home game at Gillette Stadium since the venue opened in 2002. Gillette Stadium is also the home field of the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer and one of the world’s top grossing concert venues, according to Billboard and Pollstar. Other notable sporting events held at Gillette Stadium include the 2016 NHL Winter Classic, international soccer matches, NCAA athletics, professional lacrosse, motor sports and the Massachusetts high school football state championships. For more information, visit www.GilletteStadium.com or follow @GilletteStadium on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Luke Bryan Gets Patriots Super Bowl Shirt But Why?

Summer concert season is coming! We know that with all of the great show announcements we’ve gotten recently. Between the shows in Mansfield, Boston, Gilford and the others across the region, summer 2019 is going to be full of great shows. But with Kenny Chesney already announcing he would not be playing stadiums in 2019, we’ve been waiting for THE show of the summer. And we might’ve gotten it… Let’s get into it.

Earlier tonight, country megastar Luke Bryan posted a video on his Facebook saying, “So this shirt came in the mail today. And it kinda got me thinking…” And with a smirk, he turned the shirt around to show it as a Patriots Super Bowl Champs shirt. While some may have thought he was talking about potentially playing the Super Bowl halftime show next year, all signs point to him returning to Gillette Stadium in 2019. Let’s face it, Luke is a Falcons fan, as he grew up in Georgia. He’s probably still a bit bothered by Super Bowl LI… we don’t blame him. He’s not going to get a Patriots Super Bowl shirt for the hell of it.

UPDATE: Gillette Stadium just posted the below video!

This MUST mean Luke is coming back to Gillette this summer! We can’t wait! We’ve been waiting for an epic country show we can tailgate for this summer!

This WILL be THE show of the summer!

When more info becomes available, we will share it! Stay tuned.

Garth Brooks Announces 2019 Stadium Tour- Hints at Gillette

BREAKING NEWS: Country megastar Garth Brooks announces a stadium tour that will start in 2019 and will stop at 30 stadiums- approximately 10-12 per year…

From Taste of Country:

Garth Brooks just announced his biggest tour ever. The Country Music Hall of Famer will tour stadiums in 2019.

During a press conference at the Country Music Hall of Fame on Wednesday (Oct. 17), Brooks revealed that the tour will begin in the spring at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Mo. He also indicated there will be 30 stadiums on his tour, with 10 to 12 per year.

The second venue will be State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. (Phoenix). Five shows will go on sale before Christmas 2018, and while Brooks couldn’t reveal the remaining three stops, he strongly insinuated he’ll be playing Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., and AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Yes, you read that right. He insinuated he’ll be playing at Gillette Stadium sometime during this tour. I mean, of course he is. His buddy Kenny Chesney probably told him how crazy the New England country music fans are- making it one of the must-play stadiums on the tour. It sounds like Mr. Kraft brought and his team to the stadium to pitch the notion of him playing at the home of the Patriots!

Garth says, “So this is gonna give one of the cities away for sure, but I want to thank the Kraft Family up in New England, with the Patriots. They were the ones who kind of flew us out to the stadium to see and really encouraged us to think about stadium shows.“

Encouraged Garth to think about stadium shows? Soooo, Robert Kraft is the one responsible for this tour? Either way, Garth is coming to Foxborough in the future!

Meet The Woman Who Was the 1,000,000th Kenny Chesney Fan at Gillette Stadium!

It isn’t very often that an artist plays for over 1,000,000 fans at a single venue. It takes a long period of time with huge crowds each time. That is something that only a few artists can probably do. But it is something that Kenny Chesney did last month as he officially played for over 1,000,000 fans during his years playing at Gillette Stadium.

When it was announced before the shows that the weekend would mark the 1,000,000 fans threshold, rumors began to swirl around of what exactly would happen to celebrate the feat. And when Karen D. from Rhode Island was brought on stage during the Saturday night show of the weekend and celebrated as the 1,000,000th fan, we still didn’t know much.

But we have found out! We reached out to Karen to see if she would be willing to chat with us about the experience and thankfully she did! Karen is a pediatric nurse who is also very passionate about dogs and rescuing dogs. She considers herself as a superfan- as she’s been seeing Kenny at Gillette every year going back to 2005 with some years, going both nights. Check out the transcript below of our chat with Karen!

NECM: When you brought these tickets, did you have any idea what these tickets actually were?

KD: I had no idea. I got an e-mail on Wednesday from Gillette saying I had won a Meet and Greet but I still didn’t know I had the 1,000,000th ticket. I didn’t know until Kenny Chesney and Robert Kraft facetimed me the next day.

NECM: How surprised were you to see Kenny and Robert Kraft on Facetime?

KD: I’ve never even Facetimed before. I wasn’t even sure I would be able to open the call properly because I had never Facetimed before prior to that day. I thought security was calling me as I was told someone from Gillette Stadium would be calling between 2 and 4 to inform me how to get my backstage passes. So when they called the next day, I wasn’t expecting it. I just started screaming and laughing. They let me know I bought the 1 millionth ticket. Mr. Kraft said how much he values first responders and that’s when he said he wanted to gift me season tickets for the Patriots. And then Kenny mentioned that he knew I was involved in the welfare of animals and animal rescue, which is when he said he wanted to give me the trip. They wouldn’t tell me how they knew these things about me, I asked, and they just said that they did their research.

NECM: I saw you got a custom guitar- who gave that to you and what does the message say?

KD: When I was backstage for the Meet and Greet and Kenny came into the room he had the guitar and he handed it to me. It says, “Karen, love you a million times, Kenny 2018.”

NECM: So you got to meet Kenny… What did he say to you? What did you say to him?

KD: It went great. I was really nervous. When we first went backstage, we spent a lot of time with some of the management from Gillette- Lindsay, Jess and Kassie. They just sat with us while we waited for everyone to come together, which was great because they kept me really calm.  Initially, Mr. Kraft and Jonathan Kraft came in as well as some other members of the Patriots organization and Mr. Kraft presented me with the season tickets. He asked me if I had picked my trip yet and I told him where. He had never heard of Puppy Island but he actually was looking it up on his phone while I was talking to him. He was very down to earth. And then Kenny came in and presented me with the guitar and thanked me for coming to his concerts and supporting him and being the 1,000,000thticket buyer.

NECM: I saw you up on stage during the show, did you use the million seats at all during the show?

KD: I never went to my seats. When we first arrived there, we were told to meet up with the Gillette contact I had. They took us backstage for the Meet and Greet and we were then told we got upgraded to the Sandbar. We went out to the Sandbar after the Meet and Greet but you couldn’t get close to the stage because at that point, everyone had already gotten in for the opening acts. We also got to watch the show from the staging area above the soundbooth.

NECM: How was it being up on stage in front of all those fans!?

KD: It was overwhelming, I was very nervous backstage waiting to go out. I really couldn’t hear him calling my name to come out. So I think he waved twice to come out and I ran out. I didn’t really notice the people. I was just so focused on Kenny and being there in the moment that I didn’t realize how big the audience was. I glanced out a few times but once I got out there, I was very calm. 

NECM: What is your favorite Kenny song?

KD: Now it’s going be ‘Don’t Happen Twice’ – cause something like this is never gonna happen twice. But ‘Boston’ is my favorite Kenny song which is what he sang when I came out.

NECM: Has the shock and awe of this whole experience worn off at all or are you still on cloud nine?

KD: It’s going to be hard to compete with Countryfest when I go next year after this.

NECM: If you could say something to Kenny now, what would you say?

KD: Just thank you. This is really about him. He sold 1,000,000 tickets in 1 stadium alone and for him to celebrate with his fans and be so generous, it is overwhelming and I don’t think I can say thank you enogh. 

LOCASH HITS THE ROAD THIS FOOTBALL SEASON ON FIRST-EVER PEPSI TAILGATE TOUR

NASHVILLE, TN  Sept. 4, 2018 – Today ‘Feels Like a Party’ for Wheelhouse Records’ LOCASH, as Pepsi announced that the Country duo is teaming up with the mega-brand for its first-ever Pepsi Tailgate Tour this football season. The traveling celebration will bring generations of passionate football fans around the country a new way to enjoy game day with live performances from LOCASH and other special surprises. With stops at key college and NFL matchups across the U.S., fans will be able to watch their favorite teams compete, and gather with friends and family to enjoy music, food, games and ice-cold Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Zero Sugar products.

Adding to the celebration, LOCASH also made their BBR debut at Country radio with their new single, ‘Feels Like A Party,’ becoming the No. 1 Most Added song in the format. Written by LOCASH’s own Preston Brust and Chris Lucas along with the track’s co-producers, Corey Crowder and Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard, the single emits undeniable party vibes with a laid-back groove.

“Good things sure do happen in pairs; THANK YOU, Country radio for embracing this song, we’re so honored and appreciate your support,” said Preston Brust of LOCASH. “This, on the heels of the Pepsi Tailgate Tour news made today an incredibly special day for us.”

“We’re super excited to be partnering up with Pepsi and being part of the Pepsi family,” said Chris Lucas of LOCASH. “Teaming Country music and football fans is the perfect combination for a party!!”

Pepsi Tailgate Tour: Multi-city stadium tour stops at key college and NFL matchups, including mainstage performances by LOCASH, a full gaming area featuring all-time favorite tailgate favorites like cornhole, ladder ball and giant Jenga. Special opportunities for fans to win Pepsi Stuff items, game tickets and more! There will also be surprise meet-and-greets with NFL legends and cheerleaders. Fans can visit www.PepsiTailgate.com to find out more details surrounding each stop.

 

  • 9/6 – Philadelphia, PA:(LOCASH performance at 3 p.m. ET at Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing during the 2018 NFL Kickoff Experience)
  • 9/15 – Arlington, TX: (Ohio State vs. Texas Christian University)
  • 9/16 – Arlington, TX(Cowboys vs. Giants)
  • 9/29 – University Park, PA(Ohio State @ Penn State)
  • 9/30 – Pittsburgh, PA(Steelers vs. Ravens)
  • 10/11 – East Rutherford, NJ (Giants vs. Eagles)
  • 10/14 – East Rutherford, NJ (Jets vs. Colts)
  • 10/21 – Landover, MD (Redskins vs Cowboys)

  • 11/4 – Foxborough, MA (Patriots vs. Packers) 

  • 12/2 – MiamiGardens, FL (Dolphins vs. Bills)
  • 12/8 – Philadelphia, PA (Army vs. Navy)

 

All season long, join the #PepsiTailgateTour conversation across social and visit YouTube.com/Pepsi to check out the latest information about the Tailgate Tour, television ads, exclusive content and more.

Known for their hits like their GOLD-certified hit, ‘I Love This Life’ and #1 smash, ‘I Know Somebody,’ as much as their high-energy live performances that bring crowds to their feet, LOCASH is one of the most exciting duos in the format today. The pair has been hard at work the past few years, in the studio and traveling the country as part of their own headlining tour as well as in support of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s SOUL 2 SOUL Tour.

For more information about LOCASH, visit: http://www.locashmusic.com/

KENNY CHESNEY CLOSES 2018 TRIP AROUND THE SUN TOUR IN BOSTON

Hits a Million Tickets at Gillette Stadium, While Breaking His Own Record

121,714 Over Two Nights in Foxborough Means 1,090,326 Since 2005; 1.3 Million in 2018

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — With an opening video welcome from the New England Patriots organization that included Robert and Jonathan Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick, quarterback Tom Brady, tight end Rob Gronkowski, wide receiver Cordarelle Patterson, offensive linemen Marcus Cannon and David Andrews, plus Patriots Broadcast Analyst Scott Zolak and members of the Massachusetts State Police Mounted United, the greater Boston area was all in for Kenny Chesney’s 18th and 19th shows at Gillette Stadium. With two night attendance of 121,714 – as Chesney’s team worked to make more tickets available this morning – the 8-time Entertainer of the Year not only broke his own attendance record, but he surpassed the million ticket mark by over 90,000.

“This is so much bigger than all of us,” Chesney told Saturday night’s crowd. “It’s like destiny.”

Certainly the man Variety called ‘Country music’s only true long-term stadium act’ and The Wall Street Journal deemed ‘The New England Patriots’ Other Star’ hit the stage both nights intent on rocking the packed stadium with everything he had. By the time guitarist Kenny Greenberg swooped in to a vamp on Bachman Turner Overdrive’s ‘Taking Care of Business’ in the show opening ‘Beer In Mexico,’ the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar was covered in sweat from racing from one side of the 40 foot strut to the other. Throwing himself at the music, the audience cheered – often for 40, 60, 90 seconds between songs – and sang the songs back with a fervor that pushed the energy even higher.

“This entire summer has been a new threshold in terms of how No Shoes Nation has come at these songs, these shows, these moments,” reflected the man who just notched his 30th No. 1 Billboard Country single. “Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, something else would happen… And then we saw a whole new response, whether it was the cheers, the way the audiences sang or the looks on people’s faces. It was incredible.”

Invoking Robert Kraft’s philosophy that sports, music and traditions bring people together, the only country artist on Pollstar’s Mid-Year Top 10 Tours thanked the assembled audience for allowing him to become one of their traditions. Sharing the love of sports and music, Chesney closed both nights with ‘The Boys of Fall,’ his ode to the honor code of high school football players everywhere.

He also played ‘(She Comes from) Boston’ both nights. Saturday, he brought millionth ticket purchaser Karen Duggan on stage, explaining that she represented each and every one of them before performing the song about the island dwelling expat to the capacity crowd.

“The spirit of the people of Boston have been part of this journey since the first year we started playing stadiums. They love life, they work hard, they believe in music – and they understand how much I see their lives in my own life. I’d’ve never believed when I was young that I would play, let alone sell out the stadium where the Patriots play. But when I hear those voices as I hit that stage, I’m sure glad unthinkable dreams come true.”

Over a dozen years, Chesney rocked 1,090,326 people across 19 shows in Boston. Chesney also had another platinum summer. With just under 1.3 million total attendance, he racked up 1,298,088 tickets sold across 19 stadiums and 41 total shows on his Trip Around the Sun Tour.

Photo Credit: Allister Ann

The Patriots and Friends Welcome Kenny Chesney Back To Foxborough

In case you’ve been living under a rock, country music superstar Kenny Chesney is returning to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts this weekend. This is his 12th summer in Foxborough and Friday and Saturday will mark his 18th and 19th shows at Gillette Stadium. The love affair between Kenny and the fans in New England is real. It’s well documented.

19 shows over 12 summers is an awesome stat but that’s not what No Shoes Nation will be celebrating this weekend. This weekend also marks 1,000,000 fans purchasing tickets to see Kenny Chesney at Gillette. ONE MILLION (cue Dr. Evil)! And over these 12 summers playing his countless hits in Foxborough, Kenny has formed great relationships with people in the Patriots organization. So to mark this great feat of 1,000,000 tickets, the Patriots organization put together the touching tribute featuring members of the team and ownership like Tom Brady (aka The Goat), Rob Gronkowski, Donta Hightower, Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft and more.

Check it out below. We know you’ll get goosebumps watching it, just like we did. And as the great Tom Brady says… LET’S GO!

Catching up with NECM Artist to Watch Brandon Lay

New England Country Music 2018 artist to watch Brandon Lay has had a busy spring. He has played several stadiums as part of Kenny Chesney’s 2018 Trip Around the Sun tour which will continue all summer, leading up to the seemingly annual end-of-summer party at Gillette Stadium, and also put out his new single ‘Yada Yada Yada.’ Brandon was kind enough to take some time to talk to us as he geared up to play AT&T Stadium in Dallas this past weekend.

Brandon has been touring and building a following basically since he moved to Nashville in 2010. Last year he officially put out his debut single ‘Speakers Bleachers and Preachers’. The autobiographical song describes his upbringing. While the writing is specific to his experiences, fans from all walks of life have been drawn to the song and related it to their own lives. As Brandon explains, “I grew up in a small town in West Tennessee, right between Memphis and Nashville, Jackson is my hometown. Life pretty much revolved around playing ball, going to church, and going to school and chasing girls around Jackson. It’s a quite literal approach we took to writing the song. There were some lines in it like the Kroger Parking Lot and the Kenny Chesney line and the Black and Milds that are so specific, but it was cool to see people fill in the blanks. Maybe those weren’t the exact details of their upbringing but its cool to see people relate to it.”

We joked with Brandon that his teachers might be upset they didn’t make the song (he said they aren’t, he caught up with some recently who were very supportive), one person who did make the cut was now tourmate Kenny Chesney, with Lay singing “Any Chesney song gonna make her dance.” The line was not an attempt to butter Kenny up for a spot on his tour, it was just part of  Brandon’s life experiences. In fact, the first concert he ever went to was Kenny’s local stop on his first headlining tour. Though at the time we talked, he was only 3 weekends into the Trip Around the Sun tour, Lay says its already been an “electric” experience- “I’ve been really surprised at how many people have actually made into the stadium for our set. We kick off at 5 followed by OD (Old Dominion) and Thomas Rhett and obviously Kenny. The crowds have been great and I’ve learned so much already just from Kenny and his crew. It really is a dream situation so we’re trying to take advantage of it… (it’s) been a life changer already that I’m thankful for.”

One song fans have been hearing at his live shows is his new single ‘Yada Yada Yada’ which to us sounds like a warm breeze feels. It’s the perfect song for summer. Brandon says the song is “the other end of the spectrum” as far as his writing and style from ‘Speakers Bleachers and Preachers.’ “Since SBP was so literal with the way we wrote it, I wanted something that was kinda the opposite of that and a little unexpected. I’ve been in Nashville while writing songs and I’ve gotten to write with a lot of other good writers. Coming out of the gate we wanted something that gives that sense of background and we just decided to follow it up with something that’s just fun and didn’t try to move the world.” The song really hits the spot as a carefree summer song that we know we’ll be whistling along to all summer.

Of course the highlight to any New Englander’s summer is the 2 nights Kenny Chesney brings his tour to Gillette Stadium. Last year Brandon played a pregame party at Toby Keith’s at Patriot Place but was able to check out both nights, something he described as being “unlike any other” and he can’t wait to be a bigger part of it this year.

In addition to 2 nights at Gillette Stadium in August, Brandon will be playing a free show at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den on June 7th. You can follow Brandon on Twitter and Instagram and be sure to check out brandonlay.com for a full list of tour dates and info on his upcoming debut album due later this year.