Adding more to an already extensive list of tour dates. After taking a year off touring, Zach Bryan is coming back better than ever for 2026. Zach Bryan cut back on touring heavily after his extensive Quittin’ Time Tour. Although Bryan only performed a handful of shows over the last year, he set a new standard of stadium shows as they are massive venues like New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, Notre Dame Stadium, and The Big House in Ann Arbor, where Zach Bryan set a new record for the largest ticketed event in United States history. A record that had just been set by George Strait the year prior in College Station, Texas, at Kyle Field. While some fans thought this might be the new normal for Zach Bryan, he’s constantly keeping fans on their toes, and he announced that he wasn’t done touring; he just took a lighter load this year. After recently going public with the fact that he has now gone sober and is currently working on his mental health, Bryan is seemingly gearing up for what can only be described as the most extensive, largest tour of his career in 2026. Near the end of November, Bryan announced he will be hitting the road for most of 2026, both in the U.S. and overseas, on With Heaven On Tour. Taking to Instagram, Bryan said: “due to popular demand and some life changes as of late, we’re going on tour next year.” View this post on Instagram And the demand was so popular that a little over a week after announcing the show, Zach Bryan already added new dates to the roster. Zach Bryan announced on social media that he is adding five shows to his already extensive list of dates, including two nights in his home state of Tulsa, Oklahoma, along with a night in Eugene, Oregon, and two nights in Toronto, Ontario. “new shows added to ‘with Heaven on tour’ see you guys there!”  View this post on Instagram With Heaven on Tour will hit a staggering 34 dates beginning on March 7 in St. Louis, Missouri, before wrapping up on October 10 in Auburn, Alabama at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Bryan will begin the tour here in the States early, hitting cities like Tampa, San Antonio, Louisville, Charlotte, Cleveland, and more in March, April, and May, before beginning his European leg throughout the early parts of summer in May and June. Overseas, the “Something in the Orange” singer will hit the likes of San Sebastian in Spain, London, Liverpool, Belfast, Berlin, Copenhagen, and more, performing back-to-back nights in London and Belfast specifically. As for openers, Bryan is employing a revolving door of some of the most exciting voices in both country, folk, southern rock and more. Unsurprisingly, Kings of Leon will be featured on multiple dates after spending the majority of 2025 as direct support for the Oklahoma native. Bandmate J.R. Carroll, as well as Gabriella Rose, will also open on multiple dates. Bryan will also be calling on the likes of Alabama Shakes, Caamp, Dijon, Gregory Alan Isakov, Keenan O’Mera, and Fey Fili as additional support throughout With Heaven on Tour, promising one of the most eclectic collections of artists you’ll see on a single tour heading into next year. It’s also nice to know as a fan that they will get some new music before Bryan hits the road. In case it slipped your mind, ZB is releasing the With Heaven On Top EP on January 9th. What a way to kick off 2026. For more information on when presale begins for each show date, visit Bryan’s website HERE. Zach Bryan Tour Dates March 7 – St. Louis, Missouri – The Dome at America’s Super Center – Caamp & J.R. Carroll March 14 – Tampa, Florida – Raymond James Stadium – Caamp & J.R. Carroll March 21 – San Antonio, Texas – The Alamodome – Caamp & J.R. Carroll March 28 – Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Tiger Stadium – Caamp & J.R. Carroll April 3 – Tulsa, Oklahoma – H.A. Chapman Stadium – Trampled By Turtles & J.R. Carroll April 4 – Tulsa, Oklahoma – H.A. Chapman Stadium – Trampled By Turtles & J.R. Carroll April 11 – Louisville, Kentucky – L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium – Kings of Leon & J.R. Carroll April 18 – Charlotte, North Carolina – Bank of America Stadium – Caamp & J.R. Carroll April 25 – Lincoln, Nebraska – Memorial Stadium – Kings of Leon & J.R. Carroll May 2 – Starkville, Mississippi – Davis Wade Stadium – Dijon & J.R. Carroll May 9 – Cleveland, Ohio – Huntington Bank Field – Dijon & J.R. Carroll May 27 – San Sebastian, Spain – Donostia Arena- Ben Howard & Keenan O’Meara May 31 – Berlin, Germany – Waldbühne – Ben Howard & Keenan O’Meara June 3 – Oslo, Norway – Unity Arena – Ben Howard & Keenan O’Meara June 6 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Parken – Ben Howard & Keenan O’Meara June 9 – Eindhoven, Netherlands – Philips Stadium – Ben Howard & Keenan O’Meara June 12 – Liverpool, United Kingdom – Anfield Stadium – Dijon & Fey Fili June 14 – Edinburgh, United Kingdom – Scottish Gas Murrayfield – Dijon & Fey Fili June 16 – London, United Kingdom – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – Dijon & Fey Fili June 17 – London, United Kingdom – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – Dijon & Fey Fili June 20 – Cork, Ireland – Páirc Úi Chaoimh – Dijon & Fey Fili June 21 – Cork, Ireland – Páirc Úi Chaoimh – Dijon & Fey Fili June 23 – Belfast, Northern Ireland – Boucher Playing Fields – Dijon & Fey Fili June 24 – Belfast, Northern Ireland – Boucher Playing Fields – Dijon & Fey Fili July 24 – Eugene, Oregon – Autzen Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili  July 31 – San Diego, California – Snapdragon Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili August 1 – San Diego, California – Snapdragon Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili August 7 – Salt Lake City, Utah – Rice-Eccles Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili August 13 – Denver, Colorado – Empower Field at Mile High – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili August 14 – Denver, Colorado – Empower Field at Mile High – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili August 22 – Arlington, Texas – AT&T Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili September 5 – Glendale, Arizona – State Farm Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili September 18 – Dover, Delaware – The Woodlands – Kings of Leon, Fey Fili & Gabriella Rose September 19 – Dover, Delaware – The Woodlands – Alabama Shakes, Fey Fili & Gabriella Rose September 21 – Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Center – Trampled By Turtles & Gabriella Rose September 22 – Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Center – Trampled By Turtles & Gabriella Rose October 2 – Foxborough, Massachusetts – Gillette Stadium – Gregory Alan Isakov & Gabriella Rose October 3 – Foxborough, Massachusetts – Gillette Stadium – Gregory Alan Isakov & Gabriella Rose October 10 – Auburn, Alabama – Jordan-Hare Stadium – Gregory Alan Iskov & Gabriella RoseThe post Zach Bryan Adds New Dates To Extensive ‘With Heaven On Tour,’ Including Two Nights In Tulsa, Oklahoma first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

It was far from the end of the line for the mother-daughter duo. Continue reading…

I mean, it seems like he was right? I remember when reality singing competitions first burst onto the scene back in the early 2000s. Believe it or not, back then American Idol was the biggest show on TV. The first few seasons of the competition, Idol was a certified cultural phenomenon and gave us some massive superstars like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. It also inspired spinoffs like Nashville Star, which launched the careers of artists like Miranda Lambert, Chris Young and Kacey Musgraves, and of course, The Voice. These days though, these shows are largely irrelevant when it comes to launching music careers. I couldn’t tell you a single winner from the past decade of any of these shows, and winning is far from the guarantee of success that it once was. But even back when these shows were still semi-relevant, Eric Church made it clear that he wasn’t a fan. Church is a guy who built his career playing bars and dirty clubs, back before going viral on TikTok or winning a singing competition provided a shortcut to stardom. And after he became one of the biggest stars in country music on the back of his 2011 album Chief and mega-hit “Springsteen,” Church ruffled feathers with his comments on reality singing competitions during an interview with Rolling Stone: “Honestly, if Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green turn around in a red chair, you got a deal? That’s crazy. I don’t know what would make an art­ist do that. You’re not an artist. Once your career becomes about some­thing other than the music, then that’s what it is. I’ll never make that mistake. I don’t care if I starve.” The comments didn’t sit well with artists like Miranda Lambert, who not only got her start on a TV singing competition but had also taken Church on tour as an opener back in 2010, something that she reminded Church of when she fired back: Thanks Eric Church for saying I'm not a real artist. Or @kelly_clarkson, @carrieunderwood & @KeithUrban. Your welcome for the tour in 2010. — Miranda Lambert (@mirandalambert) April 30, 2012 And Blake Shelton also expressed his disappointment with the comments from Church: “I wish I misunderstood this… Why? Just why?” All the backlash forced Church to go into damage control, clarifying that his comments weren’t directed at any of the artists who got their start on those shows, but were simply an observation that the shows present themselves as a shortcut to stardom that, in reality, doesn’t exist: “The comment I made to Rolling Stone was part of a larger commentary on these types of reality television shows and the perception they create, not the artists involved with the shows themselves. The shows make it appear that artists can shortcut their way to success. There are a lot of artists due to their own perseverance that have gone on to be successful after appearing on these shows, but the real obstacles come after the cameras stop rolling. Every artist has to follow up television appearances with dedication towards their craft, but these shows tend to gloss over that part and make it seem like you can be ordained into stardom. I have a lot of respect for what artists like Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and my friend Miranda Lambert have gone on to accomplish. This piece was never intended to tear down any individual and I apologize to anybody I offended in trying to shed light on this issue. I am grateful for all of the artists and fans that have supported me along my journey and certainly did not mean for my comments to undermine their talent and achievements.” The feud didn’t last long, with Miranda later coming out and saying that she understands artists sometimes say things during interviews that come out wrong: “I think that anybody can get roped into a really bad interview situation, and I’ve had things printed about me that sounded way worse than they were. I know he said what he said, but it died off just like anything else that happens. Everybody loves to call it a feud. It’s not really a feud, it’s just, ‘Dude, you totally messed up, and you know it,’ and you move on.” And the two have even gone on to write together in recent years, penning the Jon Pardi & Lauren Alaina duet “Don’t Blame It On Whiskey” a couple years ago. Looking back at his comments now, it seems like he was on to something. I mean sure, there were a few artists who appeared on those shows who got famous, but I would venture to guess that most people don’t even realize Miranda Lambert or Chris Young were on a reality show. They didn’t become stars because they finished third on Nashville Star. They did it because they put in all the work afterwards that was required to get to where they are today – which is something that no reality show can replace, especially today.The post Remember When Eric Church Accidentally Started A Feud With Miranda Lambert & Blake Shelton After His Comments On Reality Singing Competition Shows? first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The reason is completely obvious. Continue reading…

A year-end chart not claimed by Morgan Wallen. It’s safe to say it’s been a pretty busy week for music publications and charts across the world this week. Over the course of the past four days, we’ve seen Apple drop their year-end “Apple Music Replay” which crowned Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem the most-listened to album on the platform, Spotify Wrapped also name I’m The Problem the most-streamed album in the U.S. (and eighth-most globally) and Billboard award both Wallen and Shaboozey on their year-end country chart. Unsurprisingly, this resulted in the “Last Night” singer taking home Top Country Album (I’m The Problem) and Shaboozey notching his second-straight #1 spot on the Hot Country Songs chart with the continued popularity of 2024’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” Though it’s safe to say that Apple Music, Spotify and Billboard are undoubtedly the most popular of the large batch of year-end charts, there’s plenty of other major streaming services/radio outlets who are slowly rolling out their charts and other data surrounding listening habits throughout 2025. Today, it’s none other than iHeartRadio on their yearly “iHeartRewind.” In case you’re not familiar with the overall reach of iHeart, they own over a staggering 860 different radio stations in 160 markets across the country, easily being the #1 audio company in the U.S. Beyond that, they reach an average of nine out of every 10 Americans every month, also averaging 250 million monthly listeners across their wide array of radio stations, podcasts and digital services. Simply put, their reach is huge, and it’s not just limited to the traditional radio one might think about when turning the dial in their car. What makes iHeart’s year-end chart a bit unique compared to the likes of a streaming service such as Spotify or a traditional radio chart such as Mediabase is that it combines both spins on the plethora of different stations they own across the country with user listens/streams on the iHeartRadio app. A brief description of their data process is the following: “To find this data, we compiled total audience spins (TAS) and streams across iHeartRadio broadcast stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app.” When it was all said and done, Koe Wetzel & Jessie Murph’s “High Road” was named the #1 Top Country Song of the 2025 on iHeartRadio, beating out the likes of Morgan Wallen’s “I’m The Problem” and “Love Somebody,” Jelly Roll’s “Liar” and Corey Kent’s “This Heart,” which all appear in the Top 5. While it might seem a bit surprising due to the sheer dominance Wallen has shown across all the other year-end charts, “High Road” has been nothing short of a powerhouse for Wetzel. Though the “Good Die Young” singer has been one of the biggest artists flying out of the Texas scene for the better part of a decade at this point, in many ways, “High Road” was his big mainstream breakout. Beyond its massive streaming numbers (309 million on Spotify alone), it also scored Wetzel his first-career #1 on both Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and Mediabase on its way to a 3x platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which is his highest-certified song to date. Unsurprisingly, Morgan Wallen would claim iHeart’s Top Country Artist of 2025 spot, garnering over two billion streams across the platform throughout the year. His two billion streams also aided him to be the sixth-most listened-to artist overall on the platform, behind global superstars such as Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar and Bruno Mars. Rounding out the Top 5 Country Artists are Jelly Roll, Jason Aldean, Luke Combs and Post Malone. iHeart’s Top 5 Country Artists of 2025 Morgan Wallen Jelly Roll Jason Aldean Luke Combs Post Malone iHeart’s Top 5 Country Songs of 2025 “High Road” – Koe Wetzel & Jessie Murph “Liar” – Jelly Roll “I’m The Problem” – Morgan Wallen “Love Somebody” – Morgan Wallen “This Heart” – Corey Kent iHeart’s Top 10 Artists of 2025 Sabrina Carpenter (2.7B streams) SZA (2.6B streams) Kendrick Lamar (2.4B streams) The Weeknd (2.1B streams) Bruno Mars (2B streams) Morgan Wallen (2B streams) Lady Gaga (1.9B streams) Benson Boone (1.4B streams) Post Malone (1.3B streams) Shaboozey (1.3B streams) The post Koe Wetzel’s “High Road” Named iHeartRadio’s #1 Country Song Of 2025, Morgan Wallen Claims Top Country Artist first appeared on Whiskey Riff.