Walker Hayes about touring with wife, 6 children and 2 dogs: ‘Very unique’
Going on a national tour with a family of six children and two dogs seems like an impossible task, but… Walker Hayes which makes it look easy.
“It’s really packed,” the 44-year-old country singer says exclusively We weekly‘s Backstage Pass in the latest edition of the magazineon newsstands now. “Our lives are quite unique.”
Although he has been releasing music for almost twenty years – about as long as he has been married to his wife, Laney — Hayes recently went viral on TikTok with his song “Fancy Like,” taking his career to new heights.
Hayes kicked his off Same drunk tour in May, with 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,” says Hayes Us. “There is always someone to cuddle and there is always a dog to pet. It’s best to have my wife there. I can literally walk on stage between every 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 packed. Last weekend we even had the in-laws on the bus with us. So it was six children, four dogs, two bus drivers and my mother-in-law and father-in-law. I don’t know how they survived!
We have 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 around 9:00 PM, so we usually have dinner after the show around 11:30 PM [at night]. After the crowds clear, we take the dogs and the kids to empty locations, run around and get our energy out. It’s complete chaos, but it’s better than being there alone.
Date Night on tour
We just have to tell the kids that you are on your own. We’re pretty honest with them. We need some time, so Laney and I are going to take a walk, go for ice cream, or let them get on the bus and hang out in the green room for a while.
My children are merciful and very forgiving and understanding. They realize that they exist because Mom and Dad love each other. They are no strangers to me and Laney having some time together.
Tour bus essentials
People will probably be a little critical because it’s not that healthy, but Cinnamon Toast Crunch is on it. We have a lot of Hershey’s with almonds, and I also have a fancy non-alcoholic beer. The refrigerator is always filled with that. So [I have] a few of those after every show. Plus, most of my tour bus is full of dog beds, crates, hanging leashes, everything my dogs need.
Green room atmosphere
With the kids, Lainey and the dogs, we carry quite a plethora of toys like corn on the cob, roller skates, fishing poles, ball gloves, I mean we have it all. The entire garage is under a bus. And we also have a gym, which is quite unique. We have a small fitness center with us that we can put on a cart with a pull-up bar, a bench and lots of dumbbells. So that’s pretty cool. Everywhere we go it gets set up around noon and the band can practice, my kids can come with me. We pressed the weights pretty hard.
With reporting by Mandie DeCamp
