Chris Stapleton Reveals He's Anti-Shoey While Touring Australia

Chris Stapleton may be currently touring Australia—all dates are sold out, mind you—but that doesn’t mean he’s keen on all of the country’s traditions.

When international artists tour Down Under, they’re often pressured by fans in the audience to do a shoey. Yep, fans ask artists they love to drink beer (or another alcoholic beverage) out of a shoe. In country music, that shoe would likely be a boot.

More often than not, fans don’t always find it disgusting and go along with the request. Country artists including Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan, Lainey Wilson, Riley Green, and Megan Moroney have obliged with fan wishes and done a shoey.

However, the practice isn’t popular with all artists. Sam Carter, the vocalist of the British band Architects, rapper Earl Sweatshirt, and country singer MacKenzie Porter have expressed disgust with the practice.

Porter said in a 2022 interview with Countrytown, “I’ve heard about shoeys, and I do not want to do that. Everyone’s like, ‘You have to.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s like my worst nightmare!’ It’s just so gross. Everyone knows I hate feet!” 

Now, it turns out that Chris Stapleton also isn’t a fan, stating that he’ll “graciously decline” to do it if he’s asked.

“I’ve heard about this. I asked somebody before I went on for the first night, ‘Is there anything that I should be prepared for?’ And then they’re like, ‘Yes, a shoey. They’ll want you to drink beer out of a shoe,’” Stapleton said in a new interview with news.com.au. “And I said I will graciously decline to do that.”

He continued, “But no one has asked me to do that yet and maybe this interview will make someone want to do that. I don’t know. But I’m probably going to decline that request. I mean, is there some kind of penalty if I don’t do it? Are they going to throw things at me?”

When he’s putting on utterly spectacular shows, we don’t expect that fans would throw anything at him.

Reviewing his first of two sold-out shows at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena this week, Countrytown’s Monique La Terra wrote, “For his Australian debut, Stapleton exuded a commanding yet down-to-earth presence, effortlessly anchoring the experience with his long hair, ZZ Top-esque beard, and feathered cowboy hat.”