CMT.com (Oct 7th 2008)

Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert Talk About Their First Tour Together

They're Co-Headlining Shows After Experimenting With the Concept This Summer

Country fans are eager for the fall tour featuring Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert — or would that be Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton?

“Everybody wants to know who’s opening — probably the No. 1 question that came up when we decided we were going to do this because we come from two totally different record labels, managers and booking agents,” Shelton says. “Everything is different with us. So, immediately all the chests started sticking out: ’Well, who’s going to open, and who’s closing?’ We decided that by the time this show is over, you won’t know who opened or closed. All you’ll know is that there was just a whole bunch of music and a bunch of stuff going on stage the whole time. It’s not gonna matter who opens or closes.”

CMT Insider recently spoke to the couple about their first tour together. Here’s part of that interview:

CMT: Part of the reason fans are going to want to come to this show is to see the romance. What is like when the two of you are on stage performing together?

Lambert: Well …

(Shelton laughs)

Lambert: Why are you laughing?

Shelton: “Fear” was the first thing that came to my mind, but go ahead.

Lambert: Fear? What does that mean?

Shelton: You intimidate me a little bit when I’m on stage with you.

Lambert: I still want us to get up there and do what we do separately because we are so different with our shows and our music and our wardrobe. … I wanted to make sure that we stayed true to what we do on stage, but also, it’s such a great thing to be with your best friend — the person that you are in love with and an amazing artist. I mean, that’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, although we get to do it every night that we can. So it’s a really, really special thing for us. … We have definitely an antagonistic kind of fun, competitive relationship. It’s all fun, though. We really respect each other so much. My favorite part is when we get to do stuff like acoustic or do a partner show that’s just us two on stage by ourselves, because that’s how we are in real life. I mean, that’s what we do at home. We just sit down with our guitars, and I love to hear him sing.

Shelton: Also, probably the most exciting part of this show for me is … this isn’t something we’re going to do for a long time. It’s probably something we’re going to do this fall for a little bit in October. Maybe after the first of the year, we may do 10 or 12 more. And she’s got her whole touring schedule all laid out for the year that doesn’t involve this thing, and I do, too. In that respect, it is kind of a one-time deal. Who knows, maybe a few years from now we’ll get to revisit it again. But you never know. I have someone who’s gonna film each and every show just so I have them.

Miranda, you brought up that he dresses differently on stage than you. Blake, do you have to check with her on her bus before you go out?

Lambert: Well, I always ask him what he’s going to wear, but I always know it’s plaid. It’s a plaid pearl snap and Wranglers. Every time, and I don’t know why.

Shelton: She asked me just a second ago what I’m gonna wear. She said, “What are you wearing for this interview?” And I said, “Well, what the hell? The shirt that I woke up in. That I passed out in last night.”

Lambert: Literally.

Shelton: What the hell’s wrong with this shirt? So, she gave me the look of death, which meant this really isn’t worth an argument, but you’re disgusting to me.

(Lambert laughs)

Shelton: I am OK with that. I can live with that.

Lambert: Blue plaid is like his staple, which …

Shelton: This is sort of a Thanksgiving-y, fall … I don’t know what some of that crap right there is, but …

Lambert: Well, anyway. On “accident,” I turned a couple of them pink in the washer, so … he still wears them.

You help wash his clothes?

Lambert: I do wash the clothes. (laughs)

Shelton: Well, brag on it!

What else do you do for Blake?

Lambert: Everything.

Shelton: You’re saying you do everything for me?

Lambert: Yeah.

Shelton: Like what?

Lambert: I take you on tour with me. Wash your clothes. I let you babysit Delilah.

Shelton: Which is the time of my life.

Lambert: He’s had to babysit my dog for the last couple of days, which is kind of a sensitive subject. (laughs)

What is your relationship like?

Lambert: Honestly, really … I don’t know. We really are what you see here. We do this in our own private time. We just pick on each other all the time. But I think we have one of the strongest relationships that I’ve ever seen. We’ve been through a lot of crap together — a lot of crap — and I think that in the beginning, being apart all the time and going through some really hard times just kind of … I’m glad we got over that hump because we really just get along great. We can make it, being away for weeks at a time. We have arguments on the phone, but five minutes later, we’re saying, “I love you,” “See you in a week,” whatever it is. We really just are best friends.

Shelton: There were times early on there that — I know that she did and I know that I did — we were just ready to give up on it and walk away from it because there’s nothing easy about having a relationship doing what we do. But we just decided that as miserable as we are together, it’s way more miserable when we’re apart.

Lambert: (laughs) Well, that’s a sweet way of putting it. Thank you, honey.

What makes it worth it for you?

Lambert: He’s home to me. I can’t go home that much, so wherever he is, is home to me. Wherever it is. It gets frustrating at times to fly across the country when I could go home for three days and get on his bus and do gigs for three days with him, but he is home, and I moved to Oklahoma for him. That’s why I’m wearing my Texas shirt.

Shelton: Golly, that’s a huge state.

Lambert: (laughs) Stop, that’s inappropriate. Your mom’s watching. Well, she will be. We live six miles apart [in Oklahoma] but we’re always at each other’s house one way or the other. … I think what makes it worth it is this will be here after all this is not here. Thirty years from now, if we’re at home on a porch somewhere, that’s what makes it worth it, I think. … If we can put up with each other for that long. It’s been three long years already. (laughs)

Shelton: God. Feels like 20.

Do you talk about that long into the future?

Shelton: You know what? She loves to do what you’re doing to me right now, which is put me on the spot. I don’t see any…. I don’t see me without her. Ever. I’ll tell you that.

Lambert: For him, that’s good. That’s a good thing. That’s the best he can do. (laughs)

Shelton: I mean, I may only be alive a couple more years. So I’m not going to say 30 years from now, we’re gonna be together.

Lambert: But we’ve tried apart and that didn’t work at all. So, it’s too far into it now to get out.