Country music’s most electrifying pre-show ritual does not involve vocal warm-ups or prayer circles. On Jon Pardi’s Honkytonk Hollywood Tour, crew members and opening acts gather around a spinning bottle that determines who gets tased on the chest. While traditional country tours once relied on standard backstage routines, today’s artists are finding new ways to build camaraderie. This is not hazing—it is team building with a literal jolt that would make your grandfather’s honkytonk heroes raise an eyebrow.
“It’s so exhilarating to everybody… when we play taser roulette 30 seconds before we hit the stage,” explains opening act Corey Kent, who regularly participates alongside fellow opener Kassi Ashton. The ritual creates an undeniable buzz that carries into their performances and transforms your typical pre-show nerves into electric anticipation.
The game operates like a twisted version of spin the bottle. Participants gather in a circle, someone spins, and whoever gets selected receives a brief shock from a handheld taser device. Crew members place bets on the outcome, turning nerves into excitement before facing thousands of fans who expect nothing less than full-voltage energy. While some popular songs hide dark facts behind their cheerful melodies, this ritual puts its intensity right on the surface for everyone to see.
Pardi himself has not participated yet, but his crew plans to invite him soon. The country star built his reputation on authentic, high-energy performances that blend traditional honkytonk with modern production. This backstage ritual perfectly captures that same spirit—unconventional but genuinely fun in ways that would make your typical Nashville executive nervous.
The Honkytonk Hollywood Tour showcases Pardi’s commitment to keeping country music’s rebellious edge alive. Between his fiddle-heavy arrangements and now this pre-show shock therapy, he proves that traditional does not mean predictable. Like Margo Price’s recent revival of country’s dangerous, defiant spirit, Pardi understands that authentic country music has always carried an element of risk. You will not find this kind of raw authenticity on every tour bus rolling through Nashville.
Since launching in April, the tour has generated buzz for both its musical performances and unique backstage culture. The fall leg continues through October 25, featuring Jake Worthington and Colby Acuff as additional openers who may soon discover the shocking reality of tour life that awaits them.
Some might question the wisdom of voluntary electrocution before performing. But in an industry where authenticity often gets polished away, Jon Pardi and his crew has found something genuinely unpredictable that brings them together before delivering the goods to fans who deserve every volt of energy they can muster from your concert ticket investment.
