Blake Shelton’s friendly rivalry with Luke Bryan continues!
Shelton is currently in the midst of his Back To The Honky Tonk Tour. During the show, the superstar showcases some of his biggest hits such as “Ol’ Red,” “Austin,” “Honey Bee,” and also takes time to banter with fans while on stage.
During his recent stop in Birmingham, Alabama, Shelton revealed that he was experiencing an illness that nearly left him unable to perform. He shared a hilarious story of the advice his doctor gave him, which led him to poke fun at his longtime friend and fellow country star.
“I gotta get this out there… Listen this is serious, and this happened yesterday too, but today’s even worse. When I woke up this morning I did not think that I was going to be able to do this show. I literally couldn’t speak at all, but I’m here now and we’re doing it,” Shelton explained. “Trust me, I came here to drink and play country music, which by the way my Doctor told me not to do that. Screw it man, we’re in Alabama!”
Suffered Vocal Issues From An Illness
He went on to suggest that the crowd turn his vocal issues into a drinking game to make light of the unfortunate situation.
“We can even do a drinking game and every time you hear my voice crack do a shot or take a drink or something. I don’t even care, I’m so far past caring man [and] I just want to do this [and] I don’t get to do this enough,” he said.
His doctor suggested that he get the fans involved to allow his voice to rest.
“On the phone with my doctor today, he said ‘man, I’m gonna call you in some more sh*t. You need to take it. Don’t be drinkin’ and he said ‘by the way why you don’t you just do what other country singers do, you know? And I said, ‘what’s that?’ and he said, ‘you know those country singers they just always say ‘y’all sing it’ and I told him on the phone ‘Dr. King, man, hey, my shows people don’t always sing along like that’ and he said, ‘why?’ and I said, ‘well, you know, my lyrics are so deep and when I sing ‘em people are thinkin’ really hard about them, they’re like oh sh*t thats… wow.’”
Blake Shelton Poked Fun At Luke Bryan
When speaking about his hard-hitting lyrics, the Oklahoma native went on to reference his 2013 hit, “Boys ‘Round Here.”
“That’s a deep, heartfelt hit and really makes you think,” he said. “When I sing ‘red, red, red’ I mean that gets right to your soul, I know.”
Referring to his doctor’s advice, Shelton explained, “I know what he’s talking about that ‘cause I’ve been to Luke Bryan concerts many of times and people are singing every damn word to his songs, but his songs are stupid. So when the words go by, you’re not really thinkin’ about it is what I’m trying to say here you’re just singing. You’re just like ‘oh yeah, we that rollercoaster.’”
He then did a dance and said, “that was my impersonation of Luke dancing.”
The crowd erupted in laughter as Shelton said, “Anyway, maybe I should take my doctor’s advice and have you guys sing along with me. That will actually help me through. Let me teach you the lyrics right here. This is a very intelligent lyric right here it goes ‘hey, hey’ then y’all go ‘alright.’”
Blake Shelton And Luke Bryan Have A Friendly Rivalry
Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan have an ongoing friendly feud and often troll each other on stage. Last summer, Bryan made a joke about Shelton and his music during his headlining engagement, Luke Bryan: Vegas, at Resorts World Theater.
“Well, that’s a Michael Bublè song that Blake stole,” the Georgia native joked.
As he continued to sing, Bryan mistakenly sang the wrong lyrics and quipped, “I don’t know Blake’s sh–t, y’all sing it.”
The audience joined together for a singalong before Bryan took a final dig at his good friend.
“I don’t know two Blake Shelton songs,” he said, adding, “Oh, um, what’s a good Blake Shelton song? There isn’t one!”
The country superstars previously earned the nickname of “Bluke” when they co-hosted the ACM Awards from 2013-2015.
Shelton Is Currently On His Headlining Back To The Honky Tonk Tour
Blake Shelton is currently in the midst of his 18-date Back To The Honky Tonk Tour, which kicked off on February 16 in Lincoln, NE at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
“There’s nothing like getting out on the road and taking music to the fans,” Shelton previously shared. “I feel just as excited to step on stage and perform as I did the very first time. I know my tour mates Carly Pearce and Jackson Dean feel the same, and I can’t wait for y’all to get to know them better. Break out the hats and boots, ‘cause we’re going back to the honky tonk!”
The trek will wrap up on March 25 at Keybank Center in Buffalo, NY, and features support from Carly Pearce and Jackson Dean.
In the midst of the Back To The Honky Tonk Tour, Shelton will return to NBC’s The Voice for his final season as a coach. On the upcoming season, Shelton will be joined by fellow coaches Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Chance The Rapper.
The upcoming season of The Voice is set to premiere on March 6.
