Thomas Rhett will kick off his Hometeam Tour this Thursday in Saginaw, Michigan, and he will be bringing a ton of supporting entertainment with him to make sure his fans get their money’s worth, including Kelsea Ballerini, Ryan Hurd and Russell Dickerson.  Thomas spent a lot of time thinking about who to take on the road with him, and picking Kelsea was an easy decision because he says, “I’ve just gotten to know her over the past couple years and just watching her career explode the way that it has, three or four number ones in a row, to me just one of the most likable people that you could be around and great performer, great entertainer, great vocalist. I just really wanted a very, very strong female position in that middle slot. And Kelsea definitely is going to fulfill that role and I just know that you know our shows are going to be made better because of that.”

As for Ryan and Russell, Thomas says, “I just love putting fresh faces out there, and even sometimes people that don’t even have a song on the radio.  Because I was that person one time and I remember the people that gave me a chance. “

Ryan Hurd is Maren Morris’ boyfriend, and Thomas got to know him through her.  And it just so happens that Thomas and his wife Lauren are best friends with Russell and his wife Kaylie, and he says, “A lot of people haven’t heard what Russell is working on but I’ve heard the record and it’s just, I think he’s gonna explode and I love giving people a shot that I believe in their music and I love their music.”

You can see a complete list of Thomas’ tour dates at hometeamtour.com.

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Thomas Rhett – opening act Kelsea  :48

“You know Kelsea, a lot of people don’t know this but we actually went to the same university. I think we were there for maybe six months at the same time but I kind of dropped out early before graduating and then and so did she. So we kind of have this shared common thing about, you know, getting halfway through college and then wantin’ to write songs and get a record deal.  You know over the years my wife … my wife is way better friends with her than I am, which happens a lot of the time with a lot of people. My wife is a very easy person to get along with, but I’ve just gotten to know her over the past couple years and just watching her career explode the way that it has, three or four number ones in a row, to me just one of the most likable people that you could be around and great performer, great entertainer, great vocalist. I just really wanted a very, very strong female position in that middle slot. And Kelsea definitely is going to fulfill that role and I just know that you know our shows are going to be made better because of that.”

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Thomas Rhett – opening acts  :45

“The two openers I chose because I just love putting fresh faces out there, and even sometimes people that don’t even have a song on the radio.  Because I was that person one time and I remember the people that gave me a chance.  So Ryan Hurd I’ve gotten to know a little bit, I guess through Maren.  And then Russell and Kaylie, his wife, are two of mine and my wife’s best friends.  And a lot of people haven’t heard what Russell is working on but I’ve heard the record and it’s just, I think he’s gonna explode and I love giving people a shot that I believe in their music and I love their music.  We’ll be out there at the soundboard pretty much every night watching them open the show. So it’s going to be a very, very diverse show and basically just non-stop entertainment with four acts.  And my buddy Jesse Frasier, his deejay name is Telemetry, is going to be out there in between acts and so it’s gonna be a lot of fun. I’ve never headlined before but I’m very nervous and very excited about it.”