Traveling across the country with a family of six kids and two dogs seems impossible, but Walker Hayes it makes it look easy.
“It’s really crowded,” the country singer, 44, said of himself Us WeeklyBackstage Pass to the latest edition of the magazine, on newsstands now. “Our lives are very different.”
Although he has been releasing music for nearly 20 years – almost as long as he has been married to his wife, The line – Hayes recently went viral on TikTok with his song “Fancy Like,” bringing his career to the top.
Hayes kicked his own The same drunk in May, carrying 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 said Us. “There is always someone to hug him and there is always a dog to catch him. Having my wife there is the best. I can walk on stage in the middle of any song and hug him.”
Keep scrolling for more behind-the-scenes tour news from Hayes:
Family Life on the Road
It is very crowded. This past weekend, we had the in-laws on the bus with us. So it was six children, four dogs, two bus drivers and my mother- and father-in-law. I don’t know how they survived!
We have a very good practice. Our lives are very different. We go to bed a lot later than the average family because I don’t start work until 9:00 at night, so we usually have dinner after the show around 11:30. [at night]. After the crowd has left, we take the dogs and children out into the empty spaces, run and release our energy. It’s total chaos, but it beats being out there alone.
Date Night on Tour
We have to tell the children that you are alone. We are very loyal to them. We need our time, so Laney and I will go for a walk, eat ice cream or take them on the bus and hang out in the green room for a while.
My children are merciful and forgiving and understanding. They see that they exist because mom and dad love each other. I don’t know Laney and we have time together.
Tour Bus Essentials
People will probably be a little critical because it’s not that healthy, but Cinnamon Toast Crunch is up there. We have a bunch of Hershey’s with almonds, and I have a fancy, non-alcoholic beer. The fridge is always full of that. So [I have] a few of those after every show. Then again, most of my tour bus is full of dog beds, crates, harnesses, whatever my dogs need.
Green Room Vibe
Along with the kids, Lainey and the dogs, we carry plenty of toys, like corn cobs, roller blades, fishing rods, football gloves, I mean, we got it all. The whole garage is under the bus. And we have a gym, that’s kind of different. We carry a small fitness center that can be set up in a cart with a pull-up bar, a bench and lots of dumbbells. So that’s great. Wherever we go, it’s set during the day and the band can work, my kids can join me. We play the bells a lot.
With reporting by Mandie DeCamp