MANSFIELD — Being forced off the road and out of live performances during a pandemic gave Michael Britt a chance to appreciate what his work, and his family, mean to him.
“We had been on the road for like 28 years straight with never more than three or four weeks off,” said the lead guitarist for the award-winning country band Lonestar, which performs at The Renaissance Theatre in downtown Mansfield on Friday, Jan. 14.
(Click here for Renaissance box office information.)
When COVID-19 began in early 2020, Britt and his bandmates found themselves with an incredible, and unusual, amount of free time.
For a band in business for almost three decades and armed with a string of No. 1 hits longer than Nashville’s Music Row, downtime is something that just never happens.
“I realized I had time to do what I always wanted to do,” he said during a recent phone interview. “I bought an old RV trailer and loaded up the family. We went to Moab, Utah … Yellowstone … took the kids to see some of the cool places I have been that they had never gotten to see,” Britt said.
When the pandemic began to ease last spring, Lonestar and their fans began to emerge, eager to reunite with live shows and the chance to renew such mega hits as “Amazed,” “I’m Already There” and “What About Now.”
“It makes you appreciate being out and being able to do what you do for a living,” said the 55-year-old Texas native, whose original musical influences come from rock and blues, including legendary Lone Star rock/blues performer Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eddie Van Halen.
“It’s still not what it was when everything shut down. But it’s more normal. Working every other weekend is better than not working at all.”
The touring pace is just fine with Britt and his veteran bandmates.
“There are not a lot of shows Sundays through Thursdays. It’s mainly weekends, which is a really good pace for guys who have been doing this for 30 years,” he said with a laugh.
Lonestar is back on the road in support of its Ten to 1 record, taking a fresh look at and improving on its chart-topping country hits.
Part of that is an homage to its past, now featuring new lead singer/songwriter Drew Womack (an award-winner on his own), and also testament to the fact that in today’s entertainment industry, it can be tough to get new material heard.
“Every time we try to put a new record out, it’s hard to reach people,” Britt admitted. “Everyone is always on their phones. Radio is tough because their is a handful of people making (radio) decisions for the whole country.
“We are still looking for the right avenue to let people know we have new music. We are not just competing with other country artists. We are competing with all forms of entertainment.
“Everyone has access to everything all of the time,” Britt said.
Britt said Lonestar, including long-time band members Randy “Keech” Rainwater and Dean Sams, was thrilled to have Womack join the group in 2021 after the departure of Richie McDonald.
Womack is an award-winning singer and songwriter, the artist who penned Kenny Chesney’s No. 1 “She’s Got It All.” With his previous band, Sons of the Desert, Womack had top 10 hits and collaborated with Lee Ann Womack (no relation) on her crossover hit “I Hope You Dance.”
“Drew is phenomenal. I can’t say enough about him,” Britt said. “He has made Lonestar fun again. Having him come around has invigorated everyone again.”
Keeping anything together for 30-plus years, much less a band, is admittedly difficult. One of the early departures was popular vocalist/bass player John Rich, who left the group in 1998 and later said the band “fired” him over “creative differences.”
“I wanted to write songs like ‘Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy,’ and they wanted to write songs like ‘Mr. Mom,’” Rich told the interviewer.
In that same interview, Rich admitted he was a “knot-headed kid from Texas” who felt no one could tell him what to do and that the band made the right decision.
Britt said a band’s long-term success is based on shared goals.
“It’s everyone wanting to pull in the same direction. As long as everyone is doing that, you will make it. When someone starts going in another direction, then you need to find someone else to help push.
“There is just something about being in a band. It’s a business, but you are brothers. We still have three out of four original members. It’s a chemistry you build. As new people come in and old people go out, you help them adjust to your culture,” Britt said.
A self-professed guitar technology geek who has done videos explaining how it all comes together, Britt said he loves playing in all venues, especially theaters like The Ren.
“We have played so many places over the years. I love playing in theaters. They always have the coolest vibe. The crowds are so close and the acoustics and sound is really good,” he said.
“We are promoting our No. 1 songs on this tour. People will hear all the songs they know and love. But we have a few surprises for people who have seen us a lot over the years, some new arrangements and some fresh stuff,” Britt said.
Lonestar performs Friday, Jan. 14, at 8 p.m. at the Renaissance Theatre in downtown Mansfield, featuring opening act Dan Devault & Friends.
Ticket prices range from $55 to $15.
Visit The Ren website to purchase tickets and obtain more information, including the theatre’s current COVID-19 safety protocols.
