ConcertHub
Toby Keith Blog
I Love This Bar and Grill to Open in Detroit
Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill epidemic only continues to snowball, and it was recently announced that the country music superstar will open yet another I Love This Bar and Grill restaurant in Detroit, Michigan, taking his smash single “I Love This Bar” to all new heights. The upcoming Detroit location of Keith’s namesake bar is set to be his sixth to open nationwide, following suit from other I Love This Bar and Grill hotspots in Las Vegas, Kansas City, Mesa, Oklahoma City and Catoosa (OK).
Just like any other I Love This Bar and Grill, the one opening in Detroit will come equipped with an 85-seat guitar-shaped bar, a mechanical bull, patio seating, retail shop and, of course, the occasional guest visit by Keith when he’s passing through town. Menu items for this star’s namesake restaurant include the all-too American dishes like Freedom Fries, fried-bologna sandwiches, Southern-fried Twinkies, meatloaf, chicken-fried steak and pulled-pork sandwiches, and Keith’s restaurant will pride itself on the popular American Soldier Burger, which will be served free of charge to any military personnel with a valid military ID. Construction for the Detroit location will begin soon.
To get Toby Keith tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Keith Plots Upcoming Shows with Trace Adkins
Toby Keith only recently wrapped up the last leg of his Biggest and Baddest Tour, and now that he’s back Stateside after performing overseas with a USO Tour in Afghanistan, the country music tough guy is looking forward to June, when he kicks off the America’s Toughest Tour in Holmdel, New Jersey alongside fellow country music mainstay Trace Adkins. The summer tour is set to commence on June 18 with a show at Holmdel’s PNC Arts Center, and the much-anticipated string of performances will run through the end of September, wrapping up with a performance at Tinley Park, Illinois’ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre on September 19.
Keith’s upcoming tour will be to promote his recently released studio album That Don’t Make Me a Bad Guy, his 13th career album that was released last fall. The album includes the smash singles “She Never Cried In Front of Me” and “God Love Her,” two songs that are sure to be played with regularity at Keith’s several concert stops this summer. Adkins, on the other hand, is hitting the road in support of his eighth studio album X, which was released last fall and has spawned the hit singles “Muddy Water” and “Marry for Money.”
To get Toby Keith tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Keith’s Overseas Expedition
Toby Keith recently packed up and headed out to the Middle East for a string of live performances for the U.S. military and troops abroad, playing 15 shows in Afghanistan as part of his tour with the United Service Organization. Keith has spent the last 10 days touring military bases both large and small, putting on fascinating shows to boost morale abroad.
From Forward Operating Bases Tillman and Boris (near Pakistan) and larger bases like Sharana and Salerno, Toby Kieth rocked ‘n’ rolled in true fashion, visiting several war zones and using his musical talents to entertain American troops. Of his self-proclaimed duty to perform for the troops abroad, Keith has said, “It’s a break from the monotony in their life. They’re under fire and tremendous workloads trying to accomplish their goals, so when we show up, it changes that for a little while. We try to put smiles on their faces.”
While a true concert review is out of the question, all thumbs are up for Keith’s recent endeavors abroad. Army Spc. Jennifer Cook spoke of her thoughts on the performance after the show, saying, “The energy level was so high. It brought all the soldiers in, no matter what kind of music they liked…. It’s great to be supported by someone in the music business. It also keeps us on people’s minds back home.” Keith ended his performance with the words “I’ll see you next year,” and we’ll believe it.
To get Toby Keith tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Toby Keith Loves His Bar and Grill
We learned from his recent Las Vegas trip that Toby Keith loves his I Love This Bar and Grill in Las Vegas at Harrah’s Casino, and now we bet he’ll come to love his restaurant of the same name that recently opened to the public in Mesa, Arizona. Following what seems to be Jimmy Buffett’s lead (with his chain of highly-successful Cheeseburger in Paradise and Margaritaville restaurants,) Keith has successfully put into the works another bar and grill with his namesake, this time opening in Mesa. The restaurant is complete with the works – an 85-foot guitar-shaped bar, live music, dancing, televisions with HDTV for sports events, a mechanical bull (named Toby)and, of course, some of that good old-fashioned home cooking, and the restaurant is sure to become an Arizona favorite just has it has already become a Las Vegas staple.
Last weekend was the first that I Love This Bar and Grill in Mesa was open to the public, hosting a private party with 300 guests and kicking off the weekend with a slew of live performances. The grand opening to this lively establishment is projected to happen in late May or early June and will likely include a guest appearance by Mr. Keith himself.
To get Toby Keith tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Keith Makes Forbes List of Top-Earning Country Stars
Who’s laughing now, Ethan Hawke? Toby Keith has been exposed once again, but this time it’s for his outrageous earnings as a country music standout. According to a recent list released by Forbes revealing the top-earning country music stars in the industry, the “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” vocalist is the third-grossing Nashville star, trailing only Kenny Chesney and Rascal Flatts as the highest-paid artist in the country music business from June 2008 to May 2009 with a projected $52 million in earnings (based upon concert, merchandise, album and endorsement revenues, as well as licensing deals.)
Chesney, Flatts and Keith each earned almost triple what the fourth-grossing artist and beyond have raked in over the past year, and the rest of the top 10 country music earners are as follows:
1. Kenny Chesney - $65 million
2. Rascal Flatts - $60 million
3. Toby Keith - $52 million
4. Taylor Swift - $18 million
5. Brooks & Dunn - $16 million
6. Tim McGraw - $16 million
7. Brad Paisley - $15 million
8. Sugarland - $14 million
9. Carrie Underwood - $14 million
10. Alan Jackson - $12 million
To get Toby Keith tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Keith’s Political Stance Surprises Many
You’d think from songs like “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” that Toby Keith is a hardcore Republican, but as yesterday’s blog indicated, Keith actually leans more toward the left than the right when it comes to politics. Claiming that his Democrat friends think he’s a Nazi and his Republican friends think he’s a hippie, Keith recently told the media at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. that “It really freaks people out when they find out I’m a Democrat. It really does because they’ve read so much lies and stuff in the press that they just assume that I am a right-wing loco.”
We know that Keith’s staunch stance on the military puts him slightly in the conservative sector, but the country crooner has also recently announced that he is so far pleased with President Obama and his somewhat liberal leanings, saying, “He hired one of my best friends who I think should run for president someday… Gen. James Jones as a national security advisor… He’s sending troops into Afghanistan, help is on the way there. And I’m seeing some really good middle range stuff… I’m giving our commander in chief a chance before I start grabbing. So far, I’m cool with it.”
To get Toby Keith tickets, go to StubHub.
Keith Takes on the Media
In another frenzied week of media excitement, Toby Keith is at it again. The “God Love Her” vocalist met with the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. yesterday prior to his departure on another USO tour, this time stamping out rumors that he’s going to be running for a political office anytime soon. Keith started out his interview joking around about the recent Ethan Hawke/Rolling Stone fiasco, telling the media, “I’ll take you all on. I don’t care Bring it baby.” Getting more into politics (so to speak), Keith explained that despite his staunch support for the military and his portrayal in the media, he actually stands on the left of the political scale, saying that his ‘lefty friends’ think he’s a Nazi and his ‘righty friends’ think he’s a hippie.
Keith went on to say that despite rumors he “couldn’t” run for public office, as “I couldn’t shake your hand and walk over there five feet and say something bad about you – so to me, that’s all politics are.” He went on to say that being in politics would mean he would have to get along with too many people, and “I’m not political, so I couldn’t do that.” Glad that’s all cleared up!
To get Toby Keith tickets, go to StubHub.
Keith Among List of Performers at CMT Music Awards
The first batch of performers at this summer’s CMT Music Awards has finally been announced, and of course the tough cowboy Toby Keith is in the mix. Keith was announced today as one of the performers at the 2009 awards show, and other top Nashville acts Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift will also share the stage with him at the June 17 extravaganza. Keith and Co. will perform at the 2009 CMT Music Awards at Nashville’s Sommet Center as part of this special night in country music, and his performance won’t be the only time we’ll see him onstage.
Toby Keith has already been announced as a CMT Music Awards nominee for Video of the Year (“God Love Her”), Male Video of the Year (“God Love Her”) and CMT Performance of the Year (“She’s a Hottie”), and we’re guessing he’ll rock the audience with a rousing performance of “God Love Her” at the awards show in Nashville in June, though nothing more has been revealed yet. Toby Keith failed to garner any CMTMA Awards last year, so will he avenge the empty-handed night from last year come June? Stick around to find out!
To get Toby Keith tickets, go to StubHub.
Keith Makes Rock Band Wii Debut
Toby Keith’s Rock Band six-pack of hits dropped earlier this month for DLC PlayStation 3, and this week the country music superstar is ready to take this newfound Rock Band fame to a higher level, releasing the same six tracks on Rock Band Wii. Keith favorites like “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” “Beer for My Horses,” “Who’s Your Daddy,” “How Do You Like Me Now,” “She’s a Hottie” and “I Love This Bar” will all be available to Wii users with Rock Band tomorrow, along with another slew of songs from popular mainstream artists.
Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen’s “Red Devil,” “Damnation Game” and “Caprici di Diablo” will also be made available on Rock Band Wii in tomorrow’s batch of released songs, as will indie kings the Shins’ “New Slang,” hard rockers Black Tide’s “Warriors of Time” and metalcore band Bullet for My Valentine’s “Waking the Demon.” Each of these songs is available starting tomorrow for $2 each (200 Wii Points), and country music fans with Rock Band for Wii are anxiously awaiting the arrival of these new tracks.
To get Toby Keith tickets, go to StubHub.
Truth to the Rolling Stone Story?
It’s been weeks since Ethan Hawke exposed a supposed Toby Keith/Kris Kristofferson melee that occurred at Willie Nelson’s 70th birthday party years ago, but the media is still making a big stink out of the now-controversial Rolling Stone article written by none other than actor Ethan Hawke. While Toby Keith denied the incident from the start and Kristofferson backed him by saying he couldn’t recall such an incident, interesting news is now coming out that could suggest otherwise.
Kristofferson recently made a statement to the media saying that he doesn’t remember the incident Hawke described but that his wife may have, saying, “That’s something that happened six years ago, and I can’t even remember what I had for breakfast.” Is the legendary Kris Kristofferson just trying to be nice and cover Toby Keith’s rear end, or is the media taking this so-called incident entirely out of proportion? We’re compelled to think that it doesn’t really matter whether or not Kristofferson and Keith had a tiff at an event five years ago. What does matter is Keith’s USO tour he’s about to embark upon, so stay tuned for coverage of his Middle Eastern escapades.
To get Toby Keith tickets, go to StubHub.
