Larry Fleet not only got to open for his good friend, Morgan Wallen on Wallen’s 2022 The Dangerous Tour, but he also got to perform one of his songs, “That’s Where I Find God,” with Wallen at the iconic Madison Square Garden.
“He loved that song,” Fleet tells Everything Nash. “The first night I went out with him, we played Madison Square Garden, and then after night one, we had one more show there and he goes, ‘Man, let’s let’s sing a song together.'”
Wallen issued the invitation to Fleet without knowing what song they would actually do. But later that night, Wallen sent Fleet a text, suggesting they do Fleet’s breakout hit, assuring Fleet that he knew every word of the powerful tune. Not only did the crowd go crazy over their rendition of “That’s Where I Find God,” but the video has amassed more than 30 million views to date.
“We ran through it one time and I walked out in front of 20,000 people and played that song, and then the video came out and it went kind of viral there,” Fleet says. “And then I got my first gold record for that song just a few months ago. It’s really done wonders, and it’s been a really cool thing. People love it, and I love it. And we see it work every single night.”
Fleet, who had a series of blue-collar jobs before finding his place in country music, had a true baptism by fire with his performance of “That’s Where I Find God” at Madison Square Garden. But once he performed in front of the massive crowd, Fleet found that performing is what he was made to do.
“That was my first arena; that was my first show,” Fleet recalls with a laugh. “I was with Morgan, and to go out and do that in front of that many people, it was nerve-wracking. But once we got used to it, most arenas look the same, once you’re in there. But that was a big, big night. And then to walk out at the end in front of that many people with just me playing my guitar, and me and Morgan singing that was as bare bones as you could get. It was dang near acapella, so it was nerve-wracking, but it worked out.”
Fleet just released his own Earned It album, 21 songs that feel deeply personal to him, both the 12 that he wrote and the nine that he didn’t.
“It’s 21 songs of life, where I’ve been and where I’m headed, and where I’m at right now,” Fleet tells Everything Nash. “And ‘Earned It’ kind of sounds like an arrogant, maybe cocky kind of title, but it isn’t. It’s true. I’ve worked really, really hard to get to where I’m at, and like my dad used to say growing up, ‘Nothing’s gonna be handed to you. You gotta earn it. You gotta work hard for everything to get.’
“And so that’s kind of where I’m at with it,” he adds. “I’ve just written a bunch of those songs and this time I actually had a bunch of songs, great songs that I didn’t write that got pitched to me. So I cut a few of those.”
Find all of Fleet’s music and tour dates at LarryFleet.com.