Blake Shelton is so excited to launch his Friends & Heroes Tour, in large part thanks to Deana Carter The Grand Ole Opry member will kick off his tour at the end of this month, joined by Carter, along with Trace Adkins, Craig Morgan and Emily Ann Roberts. For Shelton, having Carter join him on the road is a dream come true, and one he wasn’t sure would ever actually happen.
A longtime fan of “Strawberry Wine,” Shelton asked his manager if he thought Carter might join him on the road.
“And he goes, ‘Man, I don’t know. I have no idea,’” Shelton recalls to American Songwriter. “And so he started making some calls. We were able to get Deana Carter, which blows my mind.”
Shelton might be headlining the Friends & Heroes Tour, but when it comes time for Carter to take the stage, he will be there as a fan.
“I know that I’m personally going to have fun,” Shelton says. “I’ve met Deana a few times over the years, and she’s always got a smile on her face. She’s another one of those people who’s just super happy every time I’ve been around her. This all should be a lot of fun.”
The admiration between Shelton and Carter goes both ways. Carter recently praised Shelton, and his invitation to join him on tour.
“Blake used to open for me, back in the day,” Carter tells Everything Nash. “But listen, Blake has always been — first of all, he’s so handsome. He’s always been just a hunk. But he is hilarious, and he’s so kind. I just kismet with him. I don’t get to see him very often. He’s off in the stratosphere now. But back in the day, he was just super sweet. I feel like we kind of had a little bond, and he’s been so gracious.
“Blake, I love you forever,” she continues. “I always have, and I always will. Thank you so much for your kind heart in including me in your Friends & Heroes Tour.”
Shelton is grateful he even gets to embark on his Friends & Heroes Tour, which first happened in 2019, again. The Oklahoma native admits he was hesitant to do hit the road again, because of how much he likes this particular tour. He told his manager as much, which is how this year’s tour came to be.
“I said, ‘Well, man, I got to be honest,’” Shelton recalls. “I got spoiled on the Friends & Heroes thing because, as a fan, I can’t think of a cooler concert to go to than you’re buying a ticket and you’re getting to see four or five artists in one night. Then when the main show starts, you’re not only getting to see four artists, but you’re getting to see them do biggest hits.”
Shelton’s Friends & Heroes 2025 Tour will kick off on February 27 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, and wrap up on March 22 in State College, Pennsylvania. See a list of dates below. More information is available at BlakeShelton.com.
Friends & Heroes 2025 Tour Dates:
February 27 – Lexington, KY / Rupp Arena
February 28 – Knoxville, TN / Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center
March 1 – Greensboro, NC / Greensboro Coliseum
March 6 – Newark, NJ / Prudential Center
March 7 – Boston, MA / TD Garden
March 8 – Albany, NY / MVP Arena
March 13 – Greenville, SC / Bon Secours Wellness Arena
March 14 – North Charleston, SC / North Charleston Coliseum
March 15 – Atlanta, GA / State Farm Arena
March 20 – Baltimore, MD / CFG Bank Arena
March 21 – Uncasville, CT / Mohegan Sun Arena
March 22 -State College, PA / Bryce Jordan Center