Thomas Rhett just kicked off The Home Team Tour, and he explains that he got the concept of The Home Team from his uncle Eli. He says, “My Uncle Eli (my dad’s brother), when I was in about 3rd grade, was battling leukemia and for an entire year him and a buddy traveled all over the country and went to almost 200 Widespread Panic concerts. Don’t know why but that was what he wanted to do. And he noticed every night when Widespread was up on stage they would always you know, every time we’re in a town we’re like, ‘What’s up Chicago. Or what’s up Atlanta. How you doin’ Los Angeles?’ And Eli was just like, God, everywhere they go they’re just pulling for that town. So he started just making stickers and he made T-shirts and it just said Home Team on it.”
When it came time to pick a name for his fan club, Thomas asked his uncle if he could use The Home Team. And Thomas says, what that means to him is “Being in Chicago it’s like we want to eat local, we want to drink local, we want to pull for your team. If I’m in Cleveland I’m gonna wear a Cavaliers jersey, that kind of thing and really letting those fans know that I am from Nashville, but tonight, I’m with you. And so that’s kind of where Home Team from.”
The Home Team Tour will run through May 8th, with Kelsea Ballerini, Ryan Hurd and Russell Dickerson opening for Thomas in the U.S., and Brett Young opening for him in Canada.
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Thomas Rhett – Home Team 1:01
“Long story short it came from my dad’s brother Eli. My Uncle Eli, when I was in about 3rd grade, was battling leukemia and for an entire year him and a buddy traveled all over the country and went to almost 200 Widespread Panic concerts. Don’t know why but that was what he wanted to do. And he noticed every night when Widespread was up on stage they would always you know, every time we’re in a town we’re like, ‘What’s up Chicago. Or what’s up Atlanta. How you doin’ Los Angeles?’ And Eli was just like, God, everywhere they go they’re just pulling for that town. So he started just making stickers and he made T-shirts and it just said Home Team on it. And so as I started getting into what I wanted in my fan club. I mean this was like maybe 2013, didn’t have a name for my fan club and I just was talking to Eli and I was like, ‘What if I called it the Home Team?’ That being said being in Chicago it’s like we want to eat local, we want to drink local, we want to pull for your team. If I’m in Cleveland I’m gonna wear a Cavaliers jersey, that kind of thing and really letting those fans know that I am from Nashville, but tonight, I’m with you. And so that’s kind of where Home Team from.”