Going on a national tour with a family of six kids and two dogs seems like an impossible feat, but Walker Hayes makes it look easy.
“It’s absolutely jam-packed,” the country singer, 44, exclusively tells Us Weekly’s Backstage Pass in the latest edition of the magazine, on newsstands now. “Our life is pretty unique.”
While he has been releasing music for almost 20 years — about the same amount of time he has been married to his wife, Laney — Hayes recently went viral on TikTok for his song “Fancy Like,” bringing his career to new heights.
Hayes kicked off his Same Drunk tour in May, bringing along Laney, their daughters Lela, 18, Loxley, 11, and Everly, 8, their sons Chapel, 17, Baylor, 15, and Beckett, 13, and their two dogs, Magnolia and Hazel.
“It’s chaotic,” Hayes tells Us. “There’s always somebody to hug and there’s always a dog to pet. Having my wife there is the best. I can literally walk side-stage between any song and give her a hug.”
Keep scrolling for more behind-the-scenes tour stories from Hayes:
Family Life on the Road
It’s absolutely jam-packed. This past weekend, we actually had the in-laws on the bus with us. So it was six kids, four dogs, two bus drivers and my mother- and father-in-law. I don’t know how they survived!
We’ve got a pretty cool routine. Our life is very unique. We stay up much later than the average family because I don’t start work until about 9:00 p.m., so we usually eat an after-show dinner around 11:30 [at night]. After the crowd’s gone, we get the dogs and the kids out in empty venues, run around and get our energy out. It’s complete chaos, but it beats being out there alone.
Date Night on Tour
We just have to tell the kids you’re on your own. We’re pretty honest with them. We need some us time, and so Laney and I will take a walk, have an ice cream date or make them get on the bus and hang in the green room for a while.
My kids are merciful and they’re very forgiving and understanding. They realize that they exist because mom and dad love each other. They’re no stranger to me and Laney having some time together.
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Tour Bus Essentials
People are probably gonna be a little critical because it’s not so healthy, but Cinnamon Toast Crunch is on there. We have a lot of Hershey’s with almonds, and I also have a fancy, non-alcoholic beer. The fridge is always stocked with that. So [I have] a couple of those after every show. Then, also, most of my tour bus is full of dog beds, crates, leashes hanging up, anything my dogs need.
Green Room Vibe
With the kids, Lainey and the dogs, we carry quite an abundance of toys, like corn hole, roller blades, fishing rods, ball gloves, I mean, we got it all. The whole garage is underneath a bus. And we also have a gym, that’s kind of unique. We carry a little fitness center we can set up on a cart with a pull-up bar, a bench and a lot of dumbbells. So that’s pretty cool. Everywhere we go, it gets set up around noon and the band can work out, my kids can join me. We hit the weights pretty hard.
With reporting by Mandie DeCamp