American country superstar Chris Stapleton ‘graciously declines’ shoey requests

It’s the unhygienic rite of passage faced by every American country music performer at Australian concerts, but one superstar has declared it’s a no-go for him.

It’s the gross rite of passage fans demand of every American country superstar who steps on an Australian stage.

Luke Combs did it every night during his recent stadium tour. Lainey Wilson, Zach Bryan and Morgan Wallen have all taken up the Aussie challenge at their concerts, to equal parts amusement and disgust from American fans who saw footage of the peculiar tradition.

But first-time tourist, 10-time Grammy winner Chris Stapleton will “graciously decline” any fan demands to do a shoey.

The unhygienic concert practice has extended to pop shows with recent shoey displays from DJ Fisher and Benson Boone.

Tickets to Stapleton’s first ever concerts here sold out in mere minutes as country music audiences swell here to rival those for the big pop tours in Australia.

American country superstar Chris Stapleton sans shoey at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena. Picture: Andy Barron / Supplied.

“I’ve heard about this. I asked somebody before I went on for the first night, ‘Is there anything that I should be prepared for?’” Stapleton said in a rare interview.

“And then they’re like, ‘Yes, a shoey. They’ll want you to drink beer out of a shoe’. And I said I will graciously decline to do that. But no one has asked me to do that yet and maybe this interview will make someone want to do that. I don’t know. But I’m probably going to decline that request.

“I mean is there some kind of penalty if I don’t do it? Are they going to throw things at me?”

Ultra-marathon runner Nedd Brockmann did a shoey with US country music singer Luke Combs at his Sydney show. Picture: Accor Stadium / Supplied.

Probably not because Stapleton is one of the world’s biggest country superstars. He has had five No.1 albums in the US since releasing his hit debut record Traveller in 2015, has been a constant fixture in the Australian pop charts over the past decade.

He is in-demand from the world’s biggest stars for collaborations, recording songs with Adele, Justin Timberlake, Pink, Dolly Parton, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Post Malone, Santana and Taylor Swift.

Stapleton’s single Think I’m In Love With You, got another boost up the charts last year when he performed a new version with Dua Lipa at the Country Music Awards in Texas.

The superstar said he and wife Morgane, who performs in his band and also acts as a co-writer and producer on his records, have become close friends with the Levitating pop star.

“I always enjoy the things that people don’t expect or are outside what might be normal country behaviour,” he said.

“Dua Lipa came to us with that and we got on a Zoom and came up with the notion to write a part on the front end of the song that we did on the awards and made it a new song that involved her. I can’t recall anyone doing that before, remaking the song just for one moment.

“And she’s wonderful, by the way, a great person and a great talent and my wife was just texting with her to see if we could go see her when she’s here but we’re going to miss each other.”

In between gigs and sightseeing with his wife, Stapleton has been visiting liquor stores and signing bottles of his award-winning Traveller Whiskey which has launched here.

Whatever you do, don’t call it a side hustle. Stapleton said he had fielded many offers to lend his name to a range of bourbon but resisted until famous Kentucky distillery Buffalo Trace offered to work with him on a signature whiskey named after his debut album Traveller.

Stapleton is one of the biggest country music box office draws in the world. Picture: Getty.

“I don’t look at it as a side hustle, this is a company that makes some of the finest bourbons in the world and a bottle of something that master distiller Harlen Wheatley has made has been in the studio for every record I’ve ever made,” he said.

“This is a point of passion for me and you know it’s a bit of a hindrance, the perception that it’s a side hustle that somebody makes something somewhere and they get a celebrity to slap their name on it.

“But I’m not into that and I really believe in what’s in the bottle and the people that are making the whiskey and they’re very serious about it and I am too.”

Stapleton continues his sold-out at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Friday and Saturday and heads to Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena for shows on March 4 and 5.