Walker Hayes Launches Dream On It Tour to Meet His Fans

Walker Hayes will kick off his Dream On It Tour on Thursday, Jan. 31. The tour was named not by Hayes, but by a fan, after the singer decided to let the fans decide what the tour would be called.

"It's a great name," Hayes told PopCulture.com. "Wish I could take credit for it, but it was a fan and her name is Georgia. We had a contest to see if a fan could in fact name the tour. We had a backup plan just in case the fans let us down and didn't have anything good. We would just lie and say that a fan named it, but in actuality this girl named Georgia delivered. She actually came up with many suggestions, but Dream On It was our favorite.

"It has a lot to do with my story," he continued. "This whole tour is obviously a dream come true for a guy like me. I never would have seen myself now starting out on a 30 day tour with this excellent band and fans showing up. I just want to encourage others to dream on it. Whatever they're envisioning, dream on it."

The Alabama native feels most at home on the road, but not just because he enjoys the stage. Instead, Hayes looks forward to meeting his fans night after night, just as much as he does performing.

"I quite frequently say this and mention this, but the VIP experience is my favorite," Hayes revealed. "I get to shake everybody's hand, they get to ask me questions, and I'm always intrigued by what people are wondering about me and my life based on what they've heard from my songs. They always have the greatest questions and they always share their life with me."

Hayes endured unimaginable sorrow last year, when he and his wife, Laney, lost their seventh child, Oakleigh, shortly after her birth.

"Honestly, after last year and all the success, but also the tragedies that we endured last year, I'm looking for purpose in what I'm doing on a daily basis," Hayes explained. "I love being with my band. They're an uplifting positive group of guys, and I leave the road a better person by just hanging with them. I just want to share my life with fans and also be shaped by their lives that they share with us."

The 39-year-old might be the rising star, but in at least his mind, he works solely for the people who buy his music and pay to see him perform every night.

"I'm just forever grateful to have a job, honestly," Hayes said. "Maybe when I get more famous I'll start loving that fame, but right now it's just a job. It's my work and I really am grateful. When we schedule shows I still am insecure. I'm like 'Man, is anybody going to show up tonight?' So when I hear we're selling out the VIPs and selling out shows in Nashville, that's mind blowing to me that we have that going on right now."

Hayes' Dream On It Tour is currently scheduled to run through March, and he's also planning on putting out new music this year. But he has plans not only for the rest of 2019, but for years to come, all revolving around combining his love of music and his fans.

"Hopefully we're doing this still and it's still my job," said Hayes. "Really, that sounds silly but I would love – I will say a personal goal of mine is to have so many dollars that a second bus, I don't cringe at the thought of taking one because I would love my kids and Laney to feel welcome and free to come out whenever they would like. And our sound guy, Tucker, he loves kids a lot, so I really want to get them around him."

A list of all of Hayes upcoming shows can be found on his website.

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Scott Legato