Blake Shelton’s fans are already having a tough time dealing with the fact that Season 23 will be his last season as a coach on The Voice, which he released an official trailer of last month. But now they have been dealt an even bigger blow, as it’s just been revealed that the 46-year-old much beloved country crooner’s live shows will no longer be what they used to be!
Blake Shelton Hints His Live Shows Won't Be As Big – Or As Frequent – As They Used To Be
Fans didn’t expect the "Nobody But You" singer, who has been married to 53-year-old fellow The Voice coach Gwen Stefani since July 2021, to completely disappear from the spotlight after his final season though. He announced that he will be working on his new show Barmagedon as well as performing more live shows, including his six-weekend Back to the Honky Tonk Tour with special guests Carly Pearce and Jackson Dean, which starts on February 16th in Lincoln, Nebraska and ends on March 25th in Buffalo, New York. So far, so good!
However, Shelton hinted that the live shows will definitely not be as big as they used to be – and may not even be as frequent once the Back to the Honky Tonk Tour comes to an end – as he revealed during an Ole Red Las Vegas Q&A session that he will be scaling things back, using George Strait's way of touring as his inspiration!
Strait famously only has a small number of highly anticipated stadium shows on his calendar for this year, which is something Shelton feels inspired by! "I thought I was getting away from The Voice so that I would have more free time, but you’re making me feel like maybe not," Shelton began. "George Strait is my hero on lots of different levels, one of which is how little he tours. And it's like, I want to do everything like George Strait."
Shelton Previously Discussed Cutting Back On Professional Commitments To Put 'Family First'
Fans may be slightly disappointed in the "God's Country" singer's decision, but he did discuss the prospect of cutting back on his professional commitments for the sake of his family in a candid interview with People last year!
"If I walked away from my career at this time, the only thing that I run the risk of is having regrets that I'm missing out on some more important things in life. This isn't about me anymore and never will be again," he told the pub as part of his December 19th cover interview.
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"I've made plenty of money, but you can't buy time back. So that's what I want to invest in now. For now, that's our kids," he continued, before going on to talk about the step-children he shares with Stefani – sons Kingston, 16, Zuma, 14, and Apollo, 9. "Even though I'm a stepparent, I take that job very serious," he added. "And the kids don't see me as anything but this very important person in their life. 'Why isn't Blake here?' I take that stuff to heart."
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"Each kid has something different to teach. I think they've taught me something about myself. I'm more than just a country singer and a goofy guy," he also told the pub. "I'm someone they actually lean on and that's not a responsibility that I ever had and not something that I ever considered being into. It's just a different self worth. Maybe it's the opposite of self worth."
