Photo: Getty Images
Thomas Rhett paid a heartwarming tribute to his wife of more than a decade, Lauren Akins, when he took the stage during the first night of the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival presented by Capital One on Friday night (September 20). The country hitmaker played some of the biggest hits of his career and his newest music on the T-Mobile Arena stage in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Rhett released his seventh studio album, About A Woman, last month. The 14-track record is packed with romantic tributes and volume-up, windows-down anthems inspired by Akins. The couple met while they were in elementary school, dated briefly in high school and remained friends until they rekindled their relationship a few years later. Rhett married Akins in October 2012, and now, they share four young daughters together ranging in age from 2 to 8.
Rhett kicked off his iHeartRadio Music Festival performance with “Beautiful As You,” the lead single from About A Woman. He also performed “After All The Bars Are Closed” from the record, and closed the set with “Boots,” an Elvis Presley- and Dwight Yoakam-inspired anthem that brought a honky tonk vibe to the Vegas crowd.
“From top to bottom, I wanted to exude joy and fun with this project – and really just make people move,” Rhett said as he announced new details about his album in early June. “I went into making this record with a fearless attitude, put my blinders on and my head down to try and make really fun music. …I feel like if you were to ask me what this record is about, the answer would be it’s about one woman, my wife, and it gave me an opportunity to say ‘I love you’ in a lot of different ways.”
Rhett also performed previously-released fan-favorites, “Look What God Gave Her,” “You Make Me Wanna” and “Die A Happy Man.” Between songs, the country star included shout-outs to other performers in the genre-spanning lineup, which included Big Sean, Camila Cabello, Doja Cat, Gwen Stefani, Hozier, Keith Urban, New Kids on the Block, Paramore, Shaboozey, The Black Crowes, Victoria Monét, and others. It was all hosted by Ryan Seacrest.
If you missed any of the action this weekend, or just want to re-live it all, an iHeartRadio Music Festival special including highlights from the event will be available to stream on Hulu on October 7th.
BETTER IN BOOTS TOUR 2025 Dates:
6/5 - Rogers, AR - Walmart AMP *
6/6 - Southaven, MS - Bank Plus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove *
6/7 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre *
6/12 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Broadview Stage at SPAC +*
6/13 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Pavilion at Star Lake
6/14 - Indianapolis, IN - Ruoff Music Center *
6/26 - Charleston, SC - Credit One Stadium *
6/27 - Birmingham, AL - Venue TBA +*
6/28 - Orange Beach, AL - The Wharf Amphitheater *
7/10 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center ^
7/11 - Philadelphia, PA - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion ^
7/12 - Wantagh, NY - Northwell at Jones Beach Theater ^
7/17 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage +*
7/31 - Raleigh, NC - Coastal Credit Union Music Park ^
8/1 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion ^
8/2 - Alpharetta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre ^
8/7 - Buffalo, NY - Darien Lake Amphitheater ^
8/8 - Detroit, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre ^
8/9 - East Troy, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theatre ^
8/15 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center *
8/21 - Syracuse, NY - Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview *
8/22 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live *
8/23 - Virginia Beach, VA - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach +*
9/4 - West Palm Beach, FL - iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre *
9/5 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre *
9/6 - Savannah, GA - Enmarket Arena *
9/18 - Spokane, WA - Spokane Arena *
9/19 - Boise, ID - Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater *
9/20 - Salt Lake City, UT - Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre *
9/26 - Ridgefield, WA - RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater *
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