For the first time in its history, the AVA at Casino del Sol is hosting a concert in January.
Since its first concert on Oct. 14, 2001 β a nearly sold-out show with country singer Alan JacksonΒ β the amphitheater on the Pasqua Yaqui Nation had curated a concert season that starts a week or so after Easter and extends into late October/early November.
With Chris Janson's show on Thursday, Jan. 22, the AVA is tiptoeing into year-round concerts, AVA officials confirmed. So far, the only other show that's been announced is rapper Ice Cube on April 17.
We get Janson as he kicks off his "Wild Horses Untamed Tour" supporting his fifth studio album, released last August.
In a phone call from his Tennessee farm, Janson called "Wild Horses" his favorite album that "I've made to date."
"I recorded it at my cabin, which I'm sitting in now on the farm, and it was real organic and cool," said the singer-songwriter whose No. 1 hits include his 2015 breakout single "Buy me A Boat" and "All I Need is You" off his 2024 album "The Outlaw Side of Me."
Janson's imprint Harvest 60 Records partnered with his first major label Warner Bros. on the album, which Janson said is his "coming of age" record.
" 'Wild Horses' was the album I wanted to make, and it's just very unashamed me, which is nice," he said in a phone call from home late last week. "I wrote all the songs, co-produced all the songs and did it right here at home, which was nice. It was different. We didn't go into to the traditional studio to do that this time, and we set up shop here. It was really a good vibe."
The first single, "Me and a Beer," has been holding steady in country music's Top 30 since December after climbing into the Top 20 last fall.
The album builds on Janson's early career success, which has seen five singles top the charts and billions of streams worldwide, including more than 280 million for "Buy Me A Boat" and more than 133 million for "Good Vibes."
But this album is a bit of a departure. It showcases a maturity in his writing and singing, with songs focused largely on grief, faith and family.
"The Bride" is a love song to his wife of 15 years, Kelly, while "Father Figure" is a love letter to his two "bonus kids," who he credits with helping him learn how to be a father.
"My bonus kids, man, they taught me how to really be a father, honestly," said Janson, who had two children of his own with his wife. "I always say that we basically raised each other, you know. So they raised me just as much as I was a part in their life, and I'm just proud to be a small part in their life."
Janson said Kelly's two kids participated when he proposed to his wife.
"She's the only girl I ever had eyes for, and the only girl I ever loved," he said. "I called marrying her three years before we actually got married, and my dream came true. One unique thing about my life is everything I have spoken, I have spoken into existence. I don't know anybody else who can actually say that, but I know for me and mine, that's how my life goes, and it's pretty awesome."
"Wild Horses" includes the powerful ballad "The Broken," a song Janson wrote with his wife after she had seen a woman with a black eye at their local Waffle House diner.
"The Broken" is a social justice song of sorts, but not the kind that seeks to right the wrongs of a specific group. This song is aimed at society at large, the ordinary folks we bypass on the daily whose stories we may never know or fully understand or even care to understand.
"It's this whole idea of give a break to the broken. You don't know where they've been through or how much hell they're going through," he said. "We should all have a bit more compassion in our lives. ... I hope that song really resonates with people, and it just pays a reminder to do the right thing. Be as nice as you can, be good to people. ...Β Don't be afraid to stand up for things, but just be kind, man. Kindness matters, and it comes back tenfold."
Janson's Tucson show, his first since he played the Pima County Fair in 2024, will include his big hits and several cuts from "Wild Horses," which he admits can be tricky.Β
"But I feel really confident in this album," he said. "It goes over well live."
Tickets for Thursday's 8 p.m. show at the AVA, 5655 W. Valencia Road,Β are $32.40-$107.40 through casinodelsol.com.
