Dan + Shay Co-Host 1/13-14

The co-hosts this weekend are Dan + Shay, who’re in the Top 5 with “Save Me The Trouble.” They talk about their CMA performance of that song. They also talk about their new role as coaches on NBC’s The Voice. They’re about to kick off a big arena tour in February. Plus Lon speaks with the artist who has this week’s #1 song.

They performed Save Me The Trouble on the CMA Awards.  Dan said, “Shay just crushed it, he did that knee-slide, he was rockin’ it.” Lon asked Shay about the knee-slide: “I tried it in rehearsal, but felt I needed to commit.  I slid so far that I slid to the end of the stage, and I had a little bloody knee, and a hole in my pants.” 

Lon then asked if the performance was before or after the award for Duo Of The Year. Dan responded, “After.  Immediately after.  Notice anything? We were angry up there for sure. Awards are tough for us. When we didn’t win, we got back to the bus, and said, ‘The win was getting to perform on the CMAs.” We went out there and channeled it into that performance.”

Last year, there were stories that the duo had almost broken up, but reconciled to make this new music: “It was awesome to have that moment where we reconciled and had that moment. There was a change in our relationship that people could see. So we felt we had to be open and honest with our fans and the public. Life is about hard times and coming out on the other side.” 

Dan + Shay will be the first duo to coach The Voice: “They built us this big chair, two seats, but one button. Everyone asks us how we make the decision, and we say ‘Tune in.’ We finished taping all of the tryouts, everything except the live shows.  We go through hundreds of auditions.  They’re long days, cameras always rolling, and you gotta always be on high alert.”

Last year, Thomas Rhett said he started a 5AM workout with Shay, but Shay didn’t show up.  Lon played that for Shay, and he responded: “There’s a lot to unpack there. Let’s get the truth out.  Thomas told me it was going to be a group workout.  I didn’t make the first one.  But the first time I made it, it was just Thomas & I, no big group.  It was his idea. I see Thomas there now every day.  But not at 5AM.”

This week’s #1 is “Mind On You” by George Birge, and it’s his first #1, as well as the first #1 for the RECORDS label. George & his team dropped by our studio to speak with Lon.  “It’s unbelievable. I’ve chased this dream as long as I can remember. I’ve wanted to be on country radio. I fell in love with country radio as a 5 year old in my father’s truck. To be sitting here starting the new year with the #1 song is the most special thing I could think of. I could not be happier hanging out with you.”

Dan + Shay also have great stories this week about Chris Stapleton, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Keith Urban, and Russell Dickerson.

NEXT WEEK: Chris Stapleton

Tags: featured

Category: CO-HOST