A country artist and songwriter with an outlaw persona, Brantley Gilbert will soon near the end of his The Ones That Like Me tour, but not without making a stop in Cedar Rapids first.
On May 10, the Georgia resident will bring his same “adrenaline-based kind of good timing show” to U.S. Cellular Center, just as he did for folks who attended his show in April 2016 for his Black Out tour.
Notable singles, all of which placed No. 1 on country airplay, include “One Hell of an Amen,” “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do,” “Country Must Be Country Wide,” and “Bottoms Up.”
“What makes this tour different, for the most part, we used social media, let people send in lists of songs that maybe we haven’t played in the last few years …” he said. “What a lot of folks wanted to see was an acoustic set, and it just worked out that two of the new songs that they wanted to hear … just happened to be songs that we could do acoustic.”
Also, just like the last tour, Gilbert’s show will include a photo gallery slide show of him and his wife, Amber, during “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do.” The couple married in 2015, though they had known each other for years previously.
“You know, [the photo slide show is] what that song is all about,” Gilbert said. “The records tell a story of my life; I want the show to do the same thing, visually.
“It’s always been important to me, as far as our show goes as well, is to not only keep your ears busy but your eyes busy, too, so they’re not staring at me every step of the way. It’s good to feel like there’s stuff going on behind ya that can grab some folks’ attention … Give them something pretty to look at.”
Gilbert joins fellow country artists Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, and Eric Church in being the only four country acts to have back-to-back platinum albums. Gilbert’s albums to reach that status are 2010‘s Halfway to Heaven and 2014‘s Just as I Am.
On the tour, Wonderful Union has partnered with Gilbert to host exclusive events for his fans the night of his show dates.
He says he wants to let his fans know he appreciates them, which is why he values opportunities like meet-and-greets and other personal experiences as his way of giving back.
“We’re able to do the things we’re able to do and reach the people we’re able to reach …” he said. “I’ve put a lot of food on a lot of tables because of [my fans]. I think it’s important to let people know that I pay attention to them.
“[Getting to know the fans is] really taking us back … when we used to play at bars and clubs, we used to be able to get there early, have a beer with folks, get to hang out a bit. These days, it’s a glorified handshake and a picture, and they call it a meet-and-greet … The [Wonderful Union] thing helps, we’re able to kick back and hang out with folks, and spend some face time, and answer some questions.”
Concert attendees can purchase the packages prior to the show for an additional cost.
In March, while on tour, Gilbert’s tour bus caught on fire. He said the bus was more like a home to him, considering he kept all his clothes, photos, and other valuables on it.
It was especially disappointing, he said, because he and his wife had just finished setting up the bus to be compatible for a crib for their baby boy, 5-month-old Barrett Hardy-Clay.
“We just got this bus revamped, the bus we’re on right now,” he said. “We got the crib set up in there, so we’ll see. I hope they still come out as often as they were.”
Meanwhile, as Gilbert prepares for his tour to wrap up just two days after his Iowa show, he said he’s been preparing and writing music for his next album. Each album he has put out has been a different chapter in his life, he noted.
“The next chapter is shaping to be a recap of Amber and me and bringing the little man into the world, and still trying to hold on to a little bit of my wild side …” he said. “It’s about being the same fellow I’ve always been but with a wife and kid in the picture. And that’s a different life altogether. I’m still learning, and I guess I’m writing songs about learning, about what I have learned, and kind of life and love and the whole nine.
“I’m ready to get in the studio with this thing. We’ve been writing our asses off, and we’re pretty close.”
And later next fall, Gilbert will headline an exclusive cruise-concert event that will head to the Bahamas, even though the singer is “scared to death of sharks and deep water.” The event is already sold-out.
Joining Gilbert in Cedar Rapids will be opening acts Aaron Lewis and Josh Phillips.
Ticket prices range from $35-$60. A range of VIP packages are available as well.
For more information or to buy tickets, go to the U.S. Cellular Center website.
