Aaron Watson Plots Summer 2017 Tour
Aaron Watson is as proudly independent as they get. The Abilene, Texas touring veteran has worked his way to the top of the country charts on his own terms, with his 2015 LP The Underdog being the first to reach Number One by an independent male singer. Now Watson has announced 35 new tour dates in support of his latest album Vaquero.
Watson announced five of the tour’s marquee stops last week on social media, including a pair of amphitheater shows in his home state and an appearance at the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas on November 2nd, which closes out the new run of shows. The biggest of those shows, however, is his first headlining gig at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, dubbed “A Night of Texas at the Ryman,” which will include fellow Texans like Jon Wolfe, Mickey Guyton, Jim Collins, and songwriter Leslie Satcher.
The tour kicks off May 27th at Lonestar Jam in Austin, Texas, makes another Nashville stop at the CMA Music Festival in June, and includes visits to Canada, Norway, and Spain.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever sign a record deal,” Watson told Rolling Stone Country in February, as he recalled the tour for The Underdog. “I don’t need to. People still call us a regional act, but if that’s the case, then we’re a regional act that can sell out shows in 40 states and 10 countries.”
The new run of show isn’t quite as ambitious as that, but Watson has already been on the road this year in support of Vaquero, which was produced by Marshall Altman and, like its predecessor, was self-released on Watson’s own label. Vaquero debuted at Number Two on the Billboard Top Country Album charts and Watson recently made his network TV debut performing “Outta Style” on Fox & Friends.
Here are Aaron Watson’s summer 2017 tour dates:
May 27 – Austin, TX @ Lonestar Jam
June 1 – Goldsby, OK @ Southwind Hills
June 2 – Salado, TX @ Johnny’s Outback
June 3 – Graham, TX @ Young County Arena
June 8 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
June 9 – Augusta, GA @ Country Club
June 10 – Nashville, TN @ CMA Music Festival
June 16 – Minden, NV @ Carson Valley Casino
June 17 – Santa Rosa, CA @ Country Summer Festival
June 23 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Cabooze
June 24 – Manhattan, KS @ Country Stampede
July 3 – Warren, IN @ Tower Park
July 4 – Lawton, OK @ Fort Sill Polo Field
July 7 – Vinstra, Norway @ Vinstra Country Festivalen
July 8 – Riaza, Spain @ Huercasa Country Festival
July 13 – Calgary, AB, Canada @ Calgary Stampede
July 15 – La Veta, CO @ Spanish Peaks Music Festival
July 21 – Hastings, NE @ Adams County Fair
July 22 – Des Moines, IA @ Brenton Skating Plaza
July 26 – Jackson, WY @ Teton County Fair
July 27 – Alpine, TX @ Granada Theater
July 28 – Midland, TX @ Cimerex Energy Pavilion
July 29 – New Braunfels, TX @ Whitewater Amphitheater
August 3 – Prairie du Chien, WI @ Country On The River
August 4 – Dodge City, KS @ Central Station
August 5 – Loveland, CO @ Thunder Mountain Amphitheatre
August 11 – Billings, MT @ Babcock Theatre
August 12 – Burley, ID @ Cassia County Fair and Rodeo
August 19 – Arlington, TX @ Globe Life Park Stadium
August 24 – Fayetteville, AR @ JBGB Amphitheater
August 25 – San Angelo, TX @ Foster Communications Coliseum
August 26 – Burnet, TX @ Haley Nelson Park Amphitheater
August 29 – Palmer, AK @ Alaska State Fair
October 4 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
November 2 – Las Vegas, NV @ PBR World Finals