Image Courtesy Greenroom PRThomas Rhett spent a lot of time watching other acts, including his father Rhett Akins, perform concerts before he ever played a show of his own. As a kid, Rhett took Thomas to see The Rolling Stones quite a few times, and the legendary rock band had a big effect on how Thomas performs to this day.
He says, “When you watch Mick Jagger or somebody, who’s like 70-years-old move around the stage as good as he does, it makes you want to move twice as hard.”
Thomas finds inspiration in current stars like Eric Church as well. Thomas actually credits Eric’s music as one of the biggest reasons he started writing his own songs.
Says Thomas, “[Eric] was a huge inspiration in my songwriting and in my performing. Watching somebody get up there and do the kind of badass thing. I’m not near as much of a badass as Eric Church, but I’ve tried in the past.”
Though he can’t pull off the “tough guy” act quite like Eric, Thomas has learned the value of studying his favorite artists’ live shows.
“A lot of it is practice and trying to do other things that other artists do, and noticing that you can’t do it as well,” Thomas explains. “You kind of take that from them and make it your own. A couple years later, you kind of have your own show and your own moves and your own things that you do that nobody else does. So, it’s just kind of a big growing process.”
Thomas continues his on-the-road education as a special guest on Florida Georgia Line‘s Anything Goes tour this year. They have shows in Canada starting Thursday in Ottawa, Ontario.
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