Trace Adkins is one day away from hitting the road with Blake Shelton. The 63-year-old is joining Shelton once again for Shelton’s Friends & Heroes Tour, although their friendship extends far beyond life on the road, even if Adkins thinks Shelton talks a little to much.
“With Blake, to have a close friend that’s in the same business that you’re in, and we can talk about that with each other.” Adkins tells CMT. “Blake, he shares a little too much, a lot. [He’s a] horrible over-sharer … He shares too much to everybody.”
It was Adkins who inducted Shelton into the Grand Ole Opry in 2010, just part of their friendship that has gone on for years. The two also most recently combined their talents on “If I Was A Woman,” from Adkins’ The Way I Wanna Go album.
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Shelton has said his Friends & Heroes Tour is his favorite way to perform. It was his manager’s idea for Shelton to relaunch his Friends & Heroes Tour, which first began in 2019.
“I said, ‘Well, man, I got to be honest,’” Shelton tells American Songwriter. “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.”
In addition to Adkins, Shelton will also be joined by Craig Morgan, Deana Carter and Emily Ann Roberts.
“Craig and I have been friends since, literally, since 2001 when I first came onto the scene,” Shelton reveals. “We started running into each other at music industry events and realized instantly that we were going to be buddies from then on. We just have way too much in common.”
Shelton is also excited to have Carter on his tour, even if he can’t quite believe she agreed to join him on the road. A big fan of Carter’s 1996 hit, “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. “And so he started making some calls. We were able to get Deana Carter, which blows my mind.”
Unlike other tours, Shelton knows he might not be the main draw for fans to come see the show — not that he cares.
“The Friends & Heroes Tour is one of my favorite tours because as a fan, I can’t think of a cooler concert to see,” Shelton says. “I get spoiled every night seeing these icons come out and do four or five of the biggest hits of their storied careers. And then get introduced to new talent like Emily Ann. I can’t wait.”
The Friends & Heroes Tour kicks off on February 27. See a list of dates below. Find more information 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