Blake Shelton Opens Up About Getting Burned Out On Touring

Country superstar Blake Shelton, who is getting ready to hit the road with his “Friends and Heroes Tour” this summer, recently opened up about how he got burned out on previous tours.

Although Shelton didn’t tour last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he has only announced 17 tour dates, which begin on August 18, which is completely opposite from the lengthy tours he used to do earlier in his career.

During an interview with Kelleigh Bannen on “Today’s Country Radio” on Apple Music Country, “The Voice” coach revealed that at a time he had lost interest in touring.

He said that in 2012, as he entered the second season of “The Voice,” he struggled to balance that with touring

“I was touring full time, or as much as I could, and it became too much, it was too much for me personally,” Shelton told Bannen. “I mean, there was never a day off, it was just crazy, and I started resenting touring a little bit. I was like, ‘Oh my God, what is the point, what are we doing? I’m not enjoying it anymore.’”

Shelton says that since 2013, he’s probably played 25 shows a year.

“That’s obviously not very many for any artist that is trying to maintain that touring profile,” he admits.

“But what it has done is, it’s kept me so excited about when I go on stage now,” he told Bannen. “It’s like, ‘Hey, we get to go be country stars this month.’ And it’s so exciting, and it’s something that I look forward to, I really do.”

Shelton is set to hit 16 cities on a 17-date run, including a stop at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and a two-night residency in Washington D.C. The tour will feature special guest Lindsay Ell, with special appearances by Martina Mcbride, Tracy Byrd and Trace Adkins.