Alan Jackson‘s Freight Train Tour rolls into its final three concert stops this weekend, and for Chris Young, who’s been opening the two-month run of shows, it’s been a great experience. Chris says the crowds have been amazing, and he’s loved having the chance to see Alan’s show throughout the tour. In fact, Chris would have probably tried to slip into the front audience more often, instead of watching from the wings, but he smiles that it’s not always easy to be inconspicuous when you’re six foot four. (AUDIO INFO BELOW)

• The tour wraps with shows Friday night in University Park, PA, then on to Charleston, WV, on Saturday, and Lexington, KY, this Sunday. 
• Later this summer, Chris will hit the road with Rascal Flatts. Keep an eye on chrisyoungcountry.com for all the latest tour news!

  Chris Young says the crowds have been great to him on the Alan Jackson tour. (:21)
“Being the opening act…’cause usually people are kind of filling in as you’re startin’ to play, and it’s still not really full when you get done, but we’ve had a pretty full crowd every time we’ve gone out to play, and it makes us feel good. I mean, it makes me and the band feel good when you walk out there on stage, and it’s people that are really excited to see you. You know, they’re really there for Alan, but they’re showin’ up early so they get your show.”

  Chris Young has really enjoyed touring with Alan Jackson, in part because he’s a big fan of Alan. (:17)
“Alan was a huge, huge influence on me and still is. And you know, I think that’s one of those things. I mean, he is that guy. He is a traditionalist, singer/songwriter. I probably run around on stage a lot more than Alan does, but other than that…. I mean, it’s really been amazing to watch his show.”

  Chris Young says it’s a really cool thing to watch Alan Jackson on stage. (:52)
“I find myself watching him do stuff on stage that…how he interacts with the audience is just so seamless for him. It’s so cool to watch that. I’m like, man, I gotta be able to do it that well. And he just does some really, really amazing things. He started putting a part in the show where he actually comes out and sits down on a stool with him and, like, four of his players, and they sit out on stools at the front end of the stage. For about thirty minutes, he tells the stories of how he wrote all of those hits that he has. You know, he starts talkin’…I mean, he plays and then he’ll play like a verse/chorus of the song. But I guarantee you if he spent thirty minutes out there, he spent twenty-five of it tellin’ stories. And the crowd was just on the edge of their seat, because it’s so cool to hear that from him about stuff that you love, that you, you know, you really grew up with, or that you have always listened to, and it’s really, truly amazing.”

  Chris Young admits he’d probably have slipped out to watch more of Alan’s shows from the audience instead of the wings…but he tends to stand out. (:13)
“If I wasn’t so dang tall, it would probably be a lot easier, because people notice tall people. And so it’s, you know, I’m 6’4, so when I walk by you, if you’re taller, you kind of look up, and then people tend to realize who I am.”