Chris Young was scheduled to be hitting the road this year on his Town Ain’t Big Enough World Tour, but the coronavirus pandemic has halted those plans for Young and any other musician who had a tour planned in 2020. Speaking to Country Now, Young opened up about deciding to cancel his tour instead of rescheduling it for 2021, an option many artists have chosen amid the pandemic.
“I think we’ll start fresh when it’s time,” he said. “I think a lot of [artists] who are in the level of arenas and amphitheaters, we’re just gonna have to see. It’s probably gonna be next year. And if that’s what we need to do to keep people safe.” Young’s Town Ain’t Big Enough World Tour was scheduled to begin in April with opening acts Scotty McCreery and Payton Smith, as well as other special guests to be announced throughout the year. “It’s just easier to cancel it, let everybody know that we’ll book dates down the road, and make it as easy as possible, so that people aren’t wondering, ‘Hey, what’s going on,’” he explained.
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The Tennessee native also noted that he kept his road family’s safety in mind when making the decision. “You know, some of the guys in my band are in their 50s and 60s. My steel player has been around for a long time,” he said. “So not just my fans at shows, but the people that work with me, who are my road family. I don’t wanna put them in any situation where their safety’s at risk.”
In addition to health, Young also considered the economic impact the pandemic has had on many people and felt that rescheduling could potentially do more harm than good in that way. “It’s not just paying for a ticket, which can be refunded. [People] travel. They block those days off their schedule,” he explained. “And right now, there’s a lot of people that don’t have a lot of disposable income. Or any at all. So [canceling the shows] was the decision we made, and we figured it would be easiest on everybody.”
“Make no mistake — I would love to be playing shows right now,” he added. “I miss it way more than I even thought I would.”
Though he’s been at home, Young has stayed busy, releasing his new song “If That Ain’t God” earlier this month. “It’s such a special song,” he told PEOPLE. “I think right now a lot of people can use this. It’s just a positive, uplifting message. It’s talking about some of the things in life that you take for granted, whether it’s little stuff or big stuff, and you look around and you’re like, ‘Man if that ain’t God, I don’t know what it is.’”
