On March 22, 2025, Blake Shelton headlined the Mohegan Sun Arena for his “Friends and Heroes 2025” tour, and I was lucky enough to go to it.
Shelton is one of country music’s biggest superstars, and has been releasing music since his 2001 debut record, “The Dreamer.”
Shelton has been a household name ever since he became a coach on “The Voice” in its inaugural season. He even met his current wife and fellow artist Gwen Stefani on the show in 2014.
Alongside Shelton on this tour, he took his friends Trace Adkins, Deana Carter, and Craig Morgan, as well as up-and-coming and former “The Voice” finalist Emily Ann Roberts.
Roberts opened up the festivities with some of her newest and most popular songs, including “He Set Her Off,” “Whole Lotta Little,” and a cover of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.”
About a half hour after Roberts closed her opening set, Shelton came on stage and opened with his and Post Malone’s most recent hit, “Pour Me A Drink.”
After singing “Sangria,” Shelton spotted a woman in the audience with a sign that read, “This is my 20th Blake Shelton show, can you please draw my next tattoo?”
It didn’t take long for Shelton to invite the woman on stage and gave her a big hug while singing “All About Tonight.” After the song ended, Shelton drew something on the poster, which he later announced was a poop emoji, and ushered the woman off stage.
Morgan was the first “friend” to come out, beginning his set with “Redneck Yacht Club,” which got the crowd really amped up. After two more songs, Morgan left the stage and Shelton came back out.
He sang a duet to “Nobody But You” with an on-screen Stefani, before singing “Honey Bee” and letting Carter come on stage.
A country icon of the late 90s and early 2000s, Carter sang some of her biggest hits, including “We Danced Anyway,” “How Do I Get There” and “Strawberry Wine,” the latter of which is probably her most popular and most covered song.
After Carter left the stage, Shelton came back out, singing two of his oldest songs, “Ol’ Red,” and “Austin.”
“Austin” was Shelton’s first ever song he released as an artist, and in my opinion was the best of the concert. The slow melody matched with longing lyrics make it a timeless tune.
The last of Shelton’s friends to come on stage for their solo was Adkins, who sang “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk,” and “You’re Gonna Miss This.” He then stayed on stage as Shelton came back out to close the concert, and they sang “Hell Right,” and “Hillbilly Bone,” two songs they both feature on.
Then came the acoustic part of the concert, which was my favorite. All four of the artists walked to center stage, sat on a stool, and each played their most acoustic and slow song. I love a good slow song, so this moment was awesome. Shelton announced to the crowd that the acoustic part would be a competition, and the winner would be whoever received the loudest applause. Shelton joked that Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, and Post Malone were all backstage to help judge. In the end, Shelton called off the competition after Adkins received a louder applause. Adkins, Morgan, and Carter then exited the stage, ending their performances for the night.
After playing a cover of “All My Exes Live In Texas” by George Strait and “Mountain Music” by Alabama, Shelton played arguably his biggest hit, the HARDY penned “God’s Country.” This song in concert was awesome, as the country and rock mix made it one of the most popular of the past decade.
Shelton and his friends played over 30 songs, making it one of the longest concerts I’ve ever been to, but he was able to keep the crowd engaged the whole time. Shelton closed out with “Boys ‘Round Here,” and “God Gave Me You,” as fans then made their way out of the arena.
Overall, this concert was a ton of fun, as Shelton and his friends played some of their greatest hits and made the audience feel welcomed. Shelton is set to release another album on May 9, titled “For Recreational Use Only,” featuring Morgan and Stefani. Time will tell if he heads on the road again to advertise his new music.
