Brad Paisley’s Happy to Do for Others What Alan Jackson Did for Him

Brad Paisley knows he owes one to Alan Jackson for helping him along on his journey to stardom. It's why he's so happy to do it for country music's new crop, too.

In May, Paisley — who's been a genre staple for the better part of a quarter of a century now — will set out on a new tour, the 2025 Truck Still Works World Tour. He's armed himself with some quality opening acts who will more or less take turns in the opening slot each night.

Relative newcomers (to Paisley's resume, anyway) Walker Hayes, Alexandra Kay, Avery Anna, Dylan Scott and Mae Estes have signed on for the run, and Paisley is leaning into his role as a guru. He knows how to entertain an audience, and he knows how to treat his openers and crew. He learned from the best: Jackson.

"I remember that first tour, it was Alan Jackson for me in the beginning," Paisley says in a new interview with Country Now, recalling how he was once an opening act himself. "I was new, and I only did a few songs, and it was way early in the set."

"And it's a challenge, first of all, because half the people aren’t in their seat yet, but it’s part of the process," he remembers, "And we always try to make sure everybody … I want them to say, ‘No one ever treated us that well again.'"

It's anybody's guess what that will look like, but no previous opening acts have ever had a bad thing to say about Brad Paisley. He's a man of his word, so he'll make sure this group is well taken care of.

It's what Jackson would do.

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Paisley's new tour is named after his song "Truck Still Works."

• The 2025 Truck Still Works World Tour begins May 21 in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
• He shared 20 new dates for May, June, July and August.
• Tickets for most shows are on sale now at Paisley's website.

He plans to bring his opening acts onstage to sing the 2004 Alison Krauss duet "Whiskey Lullaby" with him. "So you’ll get to hear three different variations of that at some point," he explains.