Scotty McCreery’s Tour With Jimmie Allen Is Seven Years in the Making

Scotty McCreery is a country veteran who's now three albums deep into a still young career. Jimmie Allen is brand new and still working his first single. It's the typical headliner/opening act arrangement, except for one detail.

McCreery says he met the "Best Shot" singer during American Idol, where both were contestants. Of course the "This Is It" singer would win Season 10, but Allen earned a ticket to Hollywood, too, getting cut just before the Top 24, according to March 2011 article in Delaware's Cape Gazette.

Check out his audition at the 19-second mark:

"He's great," McCreery says of his opening act on the Seasons Change Tour. "I feel like he's everywhere in Nashville — Whiskey Jam tonight and parties and stuff. He's a talented dude."

Heather Morgan is also set to open a tour that will find McCreery scratching the itch to play new songs from his 2018 Seasons Change album. The recently-married North Carolina native says that older songs from his first album will be pushed out of the setlist in favor of new ones like "Still" and "Barefootin," an uptempo country beach song that's filled with horns. In North Carolina they do a dance called the shag to beach music. So, how 'bout it, Scotty?

“I got a couple moves I kno,w but not enough to showcase in front of the world,” he says, smiling.

Fans who've seen the 24-year-old recently know he'll include songs like "Over My Head" by the Fray to mix his set up. "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne is in contention for this 12-date fall and winter tour. Expect his biggest hit "Five More Minutes" to be tucked within the setlist, too, and for the encore, don't be surprised if he throws it way back to his first "hit." "Your Man" is the song McCreery has been eyeing for that slot recently.

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