Hunter Hayes is no newbie, but he's still anxious — and excited — as he gears up for a big opening spot on the Lady Antebellum Wheels Up tour. In a chat Taste of Country Nights host Sam Alex, Hayes opened up about the opportunity.

The Wheels Up tour also features hot newcomer Sam Hunt. Hunt and Hayes are both locked in for the North American leg, which kicks off on May 1 in Lubbock, Texas. Hayes tells Alex he's "rethinking" his part of the set to ensure it's unforgettable for fans.

“It’s gonna be big. There’s a lotta fun stuff," Hayes shares. "I’ve seen Sam’s show a few times and it’s different. He’s doing a great job. He’s got a new sound and a new kind of show and it’s really cool to watch and it’s inspiring to watch. We’re kinda rethinking our show, too. I’ve been rethinking it since we started talking about the tour. I wanted to do something different for the fans.”

Although Hayes won't ever stray his country roots (no rapping for this country singer!), he does reveal it "will be a different kind of show." The experience is one the 23-year-old is pumped for, because opening for Lady A is a dream come true.

“One of my first gigs when I moved to Nashville that I was so excited about and I remember thinking, ‘I don’t know how they got me on this gig. I’m not going to let them down' ... I opened for Lady A a long time ago. We did like two songs and it was on like their first headline tour, I remember that," he says. "My first time going to a concert at the Ryman Auditorium, when I moved to Nashville was Lady A. So I remember that like it was yesterday. So now the fact that we’re teaming up, in this context, in this way, is really cool."

In addition to the tour, Hayes has also been working on new music ... but he's staying pretty quiet about what to expect there, too.

Sam Alex is the host of Taste of Country Nights radio, a syndicated night show which airs on more than 60 Townsquare Media Group stations nationwide. 

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