NFR Las Vegas With Scotty McCreery
Scotty McCreery is set to headline the Fremont Street Experience’s Downtown Hoedown on November 30th. Scotty will be performing his first live show as a new dad at the event, which is the official start of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. We caught up with former “American Idol” winner Scotty McCreery about the show, his Las Vegas faves and what’s to come in 2023.
Back on the Road
“It’s always good to be in Las Vegas. I’ve always loved going there, and there are a lot of great country music fans there, which I’ve always enjoyed playing for. This will be my first show back —from my little hiatus, paternity leave, whatever we’re going to call it—from having our kid, so I’ll be ready to rock. I’ll miss my little guy, but I’ll be ready to get back on stage and see the band and have a good time. So there’ll be a lot of pent-up energy that I’m sure we’ll be coming across on stage. We’ll be having a good time letting loose, playing hopefully all the songs that fans have heard on the radio over the years, some new ones and some covers. Just have fun, you know?”
Vegas Favorites
“You might catch me at the blackjack table after the show. It’s always fun; we don’t get much of that here in North Carolina. I’ll play by the $5 tables! There’s no shortage of things to do. There’s great food and great entertainment. We’ve gone to see a few Cirque shows over the years; we’ve seen David Copperfield; we’ve seen “The Beatles LOVE.” We loved that one.
Keeping the Season Merry & Bright on the Road
“It’s our favorite time of the year. So every now and then, we’ll throw like a Christmas tree and some festive things on the track. And we’ll put those on stage, and we’ll bring out Santa hats. I made a Christmas record in 2012. So we’ll play some of those that we remember and love. There might be some Christmas cocktails or something whipping up on the bus instead of our usual. So we have a good time out there.”
What’s New in 2023
“We’re going to be recording next year; we’re writing a lot of new songs and hoping to put together a new album for the next year. So that’s going to be the focus, I think, for the first half of next year. We’ll see what that looks like; it’s a new season of life for my wife and me, and a share of the songs will reflect that. We’ll see how the album comes together. But I’m excited to start making new music, and we’ll get on the road next year going on tour, and it’ll just be another fun year.”
Fremont Street’s Downtown Hoedown
The Downtown Hoedown begins at 5 p.m. at the Fremont Street Experience with Neal McCoy on the Main Street Stage, then heads to the First Street Stage at 6:30 p.m. for Lainey Wilson before continuing the night at the Third Street Stage for Nate Smith at 8 p.m. and the show’s headliner Scotty McCreery at 9 p.m.
*Interview has been edited for length and clarity
