Country artist Aaron Pritchett is ready to get rowdy with his Prince Albert fans at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre in a couple of weeks.
Pritchett said he’s played in the city a few times before and is looking forward to returning to a province that clearly loves its country music.
“I always like coming back there because…Saskatchewan folks are really grassroots people and (Saskatchewan has) probably the biggest number of country music fans,” he said.
His 2019 Out on the Town tour began with its first leg in January and February, in which Pritchett played 35 shows in 44 days. He’s continuing the tour with a second leg in September and October and playing 24 shows in 29 days.
“The first leg was unbelievable. We were kind of all sad that it was ending and then we found out that we were going to do a second leg,” he said. “We’re all looking forward to it. Every year my band and crew, everybody, is looking forward to getting back on the road and doing it all again.”
Pritchett hits Prince Albert on Sept. 27 with country artists Kira Isabella and David James.
“The theme of it is basically ‘in-your-face country.’ It’s a little bit of rock and pop and element to it I would say. It’s kind of fun, it’s kind of a big bang and a huge bang at the end.”
Pritchett said his favourite song to perform live is his 2006 hit Hold My Beer: “It’s going to be my legacy. When I’m long gone people will know me for that song.”
The crowd’s energy chanting ‘hold my beer’ is unlike any other song, so he typically saves it for the end of his shows.
But Pritchett said don’t expect him to play it as you hear it on your music playlist because he usually plays it as a medley of songs.
“That’s kind of my way of doing it so that people really build up for it and they’re not expecting the kind of thing that we end up doing to it, but it’s not something I feel like I could do at the beginning or middle of the set at all.”
When he’s doing autographs and meeting fans, many say at home they like to listen to songs such as Better When I Do or Worth a Shot.
As the winner of several Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) awards, Pritchett said the key to success is picking the right people to work with.
“(That’s) where it starts—choosing the right producer of your music, working with the right record label and then making sure that the right team is pushing the single and pushing events like this,” he said.
“I’ve got the right team, I’ve got the right songs.”
Playing a show every one or two days, Pritchett said it’s important to eat right and get enough rest, although it’s difficult to do so living in a bus.
“Mentally, physically, it all matters. I have to make sure that when I go out on stage, I’m in the best shape possible and that there’s nothing lacking in that show,” he said.
“(But) there’s never any lacking energy that’s for sure. It seems to build more and more as the tour goes on.”
Prior to the kickoff of the second leg of his tour on Sept. 15 in Meaford, Ontario, Pritchett dropped a new single called Good Thing.
Tickets for his Prince Albert show are available online or at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre box office.
You can follow Pritchett on Instagram @aaronpritchett, on Facebook @aaronpritchettofficial or visit his website at www.aaron-pritchett.com.
