Trace Adkins is heading to the Ryman Auditorium! The Grand Ole Opry member will perform at the historic venue on April 8, 2022, as part of his The Way I Wanna Go Tour.

“The Ryman. Only two words, but I say them with such reverence,” Adkins says “It is my honor to be performing on this hallowed stage, at the Mother Church of Country music. It is such a special place, and I look forward to visiting again with great anticipation.”

The Way I Wanna Go Tour, which kicks off on December 1 in Tampa, Florida, comes on the heels of the release of his 13th studio album, The Way I Wanna Go. The 25-track project includes collaborations with  an eclectic list of artists, including Melissa Etheridge, Pitbull, Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Keb’ Mo’, Stevie Wonder and Snoop Dogg. For Adkins, it was the best way for him to celebrate being part of country music for a quarter of a century.

“I wanted to do a 25th anniversary record,” Adkins tells Everything Nash. “I could not let my 25th anniversary go by and not be commemorate it somehow. That’s a milestone in my life and I wasn’t going to let it go by unnoticed, if for nobody else other than my family, I wasn’t going to let that go. I’m gonna make you listen to this.”

“I just wanted to do 25 songs to commemorate 25 years,” he continues. “So we just kept cutting them until we hit 27 and then we quit. We had the whole year to do it, so why not? I thought, ‘Let’s just keep cutting.’”

The Way I Wanna Go is an ambitious record, but Adkins says it might have never happened if not for his wife, Victoria Pratt.

“I can’t even begin to explain what a difference she’s made in my life,” Adkins tells People. “She rejuvenated me and inspired me to take whatever time I have left and make the most of it…and then just make the best music that I can make.”

“I can’t take all the credit,” he adds. “She’s my muse.”

Purchase The Way I Wanna Go and find tour dates at at TraceAdkins.com.