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Cover Story
Going ‘All In’
Country star Chris Janson set for show at the Palladium
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Richard Duckett
Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK
Chris Janson SUBMITTED PHOTO
When country star, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Chris Janson performed at Indian Ranch in Webster last October, the show was definitely “engaging.” h As Janson performed his upbeat hit love song, “Done,” a couple who had been allowed up on stage sealed their own deal. It was reported that the soon to be fiancé identified as Ryan got down on one knee, engagement ring box open in his left hand, and proposed to Melanie. “What’d she say?” Janson asked. “Yes!” Ryan happily confirmed. The free-spirited audience roared its approval.h “Those people are from Florida,” Janson said of the couple during a recent telephone interview. “They’ve actually been to five or six shows since then, traveling all over the country. Pretty awesome.” h Appropriately, “Done,” was inspired by Janson’s wife, Kelly. It went to the top of the Country Airplay charts in 2019. h There may not be the peal of wedding bells in the background when Janson travels again to these parts for a 7 p.m. March 26 date at the Palladium in Worcester, but he knows that he feels more than welcome in New England. SeeJANSON,Page15
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“New England’s always been a great market for me. I’m very grateful for that,” Janson said.
Janson, 35, will be at the Palladium as part of his “Halfway to Crazy Tour.” Scheduled guests are Ray Fulcher and Shane Profitt.
Janson’s latest album, “All In,” is scheduled to be released April 29 from Warner Records.
When it comes to performing live, “engaging” is an understatement and was only meant to apply when a couple proposes on Janson’s stage.
Janson’s stage shows are more typically known as all in, so to speak. One review of a show in Columbus, Ohio, said, “The entire crowd is singing along as Janson bounces around the stage. His stage presence is incredible and he really knows how to work the crowd. Not only does he shred on the harmonica, but continues to dance like nobody is watching.”
That was pre-pandemic. Janson took extended time off touring in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, and he slowly built back up throughout 2021 as conditions allowed.
“We’re getting there. I can feel the progress,” he said.
But make no mistake, performing live is what Janson likes best when it comes to music.
“All the time, man. I was born to play live. All my life probably since I was eight or nine. It’s like what I do, like raising my left arm. I don’t have to think about it.”
There will be no set list when he comes to the Palladium March 26. Every show is different, he said. Will he play any new stuff from “All In”? “I would imagine so,” he said.
Chris Janson — ‘Halfway to Crazy Tour’
When: 7 p.m. March 26 Where: The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester How much: $35, $55, $100. (508) 797-9696. wwww.thepalladium.net
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Janson’s big breakthrough song was “Buy Me a Boat,” which he released as a single without any label support
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However, “I don’t like to follow any strategic plan. I just kind of wing it when I get up there.”
He likes to have someone type the titles of songs, “so I’ll have something to look at, and just play them start to finish like I feel they should be played,” he said.
“We have a punk rock approach — it’s free-spirited.”
The Palladium show is being presented by the country-themed restaurant and bar Off The Rails at 90 Commercial St., which says it is “Bringing a little bit of Nashville to Worcester.” The Music Venue at Off The Rails is set to open this spring. Ricky Duran, who grew up in Grafton and found fame on “The Voice,” will perform there May 7.
Janson is originally from Perryville, Missouri, but moved to Nashville to pursue music the summer after finishing high school.
Asked if back then he could ever have imagined the success he has gone on to achieve, Janson said, “Oh yeah, absolutely. I always believed you dream big
Chris Janson’s newest album, “All In,” is set to be released April 29.
SUBMITTED
to win big. I never had any doubts at all.”
He didn’t sound at all arrogant in saying that. It was more down to Earth — just like his music.
There were struggles. Janson has talked in the past about borrowing gas money from his opening act. But no matter. He wasn’t talking about that this time.
“Every job has its growing pains. I always imagined it (success). I’m grateful for the opportunity. I absolutely believed it. If I didn’t believe it, who else is going to believe it?” Janson said.
Janson’s songs have been called very relatable and the mood can range from funny to emotional.
In the early years in Nashville he cowrote singles for Tim McGraw, LoCash, Randy Houser and Hank Williams Jr., and co-wrote and recorded two duets with Holly Williams. His debut single, “‘Til a Woman Comes Along,” came out in 2010.
But Janson’s big breakthrough song was “Buy Me a Boat,” which he released as a single without any label support in 2015. A catchy tune was successfully combined with such lyrics as “I know everybody says money can’t buy happiness/But it could buy me a boat/ It could buy me a truck to pull it/ It could buy me a Yeti 110 iced down with some silver bullets.”
Janson also sings, “They call me redneck, white trash and blue collar/
But I could change all that if I had a couple million dollars.”
“Buy Me a Boat” brought Janson to the Top Ten of the country charts, a deal with Warner Music and the debut of his first full length album, “Buy Me a Boat,” which also charted well.
Subsequent hit singles have included the boisterous “Power of Positive Drinkin’” and the heartfelt “Holdin’ Her,” as well as “Fix a Drink,” “Good Vibes” and “Done.” He is an Academy of Country Music and iHeartRadio award winner and has also had several other major nominations.
“The thing I’m proud of, my music has always spoken for itself,” Janson said.
“All In” will be Janson’s fourth album. The first single off “All In,” a poignant song titled “Bye Mom,” has already been released and had made chart waves.
“Bye Mom” was derived from the real-life story of co-writer Brandon Kinney whose mother died in 2020. The music video features Kinney and his family with his children playing younger versions of himself and his wife starring as the titular mom.
The lyrics are very moving and Janson’s singing conveys a fitting sense of perspective and loss.
“I know that’s just the way it is/ When you think you grown but you’re still a kid/ And you don’t know you’re somebody/ That somebody loves more than themselves/ And there’s a beauty in the innocence/ Of not knowing that the time they’ve spent/ Is more than one could ask for/ And that’s a special kind of love/ And it’s only there for a lifetime, then it’s gone/ And it’s bye mom.”
The song has been widely praised, with The Nash News saying, “Janson’s flawless, emotion-tinged vocals complement the depth of this introspective song that showcases what might be his best song to date.”
“We wrote it as a tribute and it turned into something greater that we could have ever imagined,” said Janson.
“All In” has 16 tracks in all, and Janson has said, “There are all kinds of songs on this project, but they all flow together because they are genuine to me. I went all in on every part of the process, from writing to singing to playing to producing.”
The title track of the new album “All In” finds Janson in typically good spirits saying he’s a little bit “fast car” a little bit “pick up,” but when it comes to his love he was “”All in when I saw you.”
The fun continues with “Cold Beer Truth” with lines like “Yeah, life looks better after you’ve had a few” and a video including NASCAR driver Richard Childress, famed fisherman Bill Dance, and singer Kid Rock.
