Josh Thompson Brings Another Jager Tour to an End, Without the Pranks

Tonight (May 13), Josh Thompson wraps his second Jagermeister Country Tour experience. Last year, Thompson shared the bill with headliner Eric Church, and this year, he has been out with Dierks Bentley and new duo Miss Willie Brown.

"This year beats last year’s Jager tour by far," Thompson tells Taste of Country. "Last year, first of all, we were [traveling] in a van, and I remember at least two shows where I got sick like right before I walked onstage ... like sick! Plus, I had laryngitis so bad that it turned into whooping cough. So I coughed for like six weeks [laughs]! I went to the doctor, and when I went back to him for the second time, he was like, ‘I can’t believe that I’m about to say this, but I think you have whooping cough. I haven’t seen an adult with whooping cough since 1978!’ I was like, leave it up to me, buddy!"

Besides remaining relatively healthy for the second Jager tour, Thompson says most of the tour has been smooth sailing in all areas. "Behind the scenes, nobody is guessing at what they’re doing," he praises. "Everything is running on time and on schedule. It’s real smooth and real easy. The crowds every night … it’s packed, and of course with Jager, they know how to throw a party. The fans are excited. Dierks is great, and Miss Willie Brown is awesome. It’s been another one of those experiences that has been top notch. These are the kinds of things that really help me out."

The tour wraps tonight in Norfolk, Va., giving all three acts one last chance to pull out any pranks. Two weeks ago, Miss Willie Brown started the pranking war by targeting Bentley's beloved jeep, to which he retaliated by filling every nook and cranny of the girls' tour bus with 480 cans of Bud Light. But don't expect any pranks to be coming out of Thompson's camp on this tour -- or any tour, for that matter.

"I’m not pranking," Thompson says. "I mean, the Willie Brown girls fired first on Dierks, which you never prank the headliner first. That’s kind of like a rule of thumb. Then you’re just asking for it. They tried to form an alliance with me, but I was like, ‘No, I’m not getting involved with any part of whatever you’re doing.’ I don’t know if they’re going to prank me. They might, who knows. I doubt it though. I just don’t get into that. If you get pranked first, then yeah, it's on, but if you’re going to put yourself out there and prank first, then you could potentially be in for a really long tour!"

Thompson is gearing up to hit the road on some headlining gigs of his own this summer. Click here for a complete list of dates where he will be stopping. His latest single, 'Won't Be Lonely Long,' is at radio now.

Watch the Josh Thompson 'Blame It on Waylon' Video