Little Big Town is having a summer to remember. The four-person group, made up of Kimberly Schlapman, Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet, is opening for George Strait for his summer run of stadium dates, joined by Chris Stapleton. For an act that has both opened for acts, and had openers on their major tours, they are still blown away that they get to tour with the King of Country Music.
“That man is exactly who you want him to be,” Schlapman boasts to Kicks 99 radio station. “Most of country music is. There are a few exceptions, also, which I can’t talk about. George Strait is exactly who you want him to be. He is devastatingly handsome. He has all the Texas charm imaginable. He sings like a dream. And he’s warm and inviting, and he always invites us into his parties or his gatherings, or whatever it is.”
Little Big Town was also fortunate enough to open for Strait for several shows last year, when Strait gave them, and their children, a memory they will never, ever forget.
“Last year when we did some shows with him, we drove up to the bus — now he has grandkids — we drove up to the bus parking lot, and it looked like an amusement park,” Schlapman recalls. “It had bouncy houses — not just bouncy houses, like y’all get, but George Strait bouncy houses. Water slides. He had a mechanical blow-up bull in the parking lot. My kids got off the bus and were like, ‘Wow! It looks like we’re at Six Flags. His grandkids were out that weekend, so he did it up.
“He had ice cream in the parking lot,” she continues. “He had all these bouncy houses, parties, glow sticks, everything you can imagine. That made us love him even more. Not only does he care about his music and his fans and all that. He adores his grandkids, and he wants to give them memories. He not only gave his grandkids memories, he gave my kids memories.”
Little Big Town was just announced as hosts of the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards, taking place on September 28 at the Grand Ole Opry. The ceremony will air live at 8:00 PM ET on NBC and Peacock.
“We are honored to host the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards, especially on one of our most beloved stages in the entire world,” Little Big Town says in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming so many of our talented peers to take the Opry stage for this magical night of music.”
Find all of Little Big Town’s music and upcoming shows, including their dates with Strait, at LittleBigTown.com.
