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WADE HAYES
Presented By Bullseye Operations DBA Outlaw Saloon
Saturday, September 11th at 6:00pm MST
Online sale ends: 09/11/21 at 12:00pm MST
Outlaw Saloon
312 South Greeley Hwy.
Cheyenne, WY 82007
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WADE HAYES Description
Country music’s power has always been in its ability to reflect
real life, and few artists have a stronger gift for capturing both
heartache and hope than Wade Hayes. In the past few years, the
singer/songwriter has navigated a complicated journey that has
produced some of the most potent songs of his already impressive
career. Surviving stage IV colon cancer, not just once but twice,
has given Hayes a unique perspective of the fragility of life and the
strength of the human spirit. Those lessons learned are embodied
in the songs on Go Live Your Life.
Far from being a heavy manifesto on pain and survival, Go
Live Your Life is actually a vibrant tapestry that is both
poignant and playful. The title track is an upbeat anthem that
celebrates living life to the fullest while “Dirt Road” pays homage
to his Oklahoma roots and “Remember the Alimony” is a tonguein-cheek slice of advice to a friend on the precipice of another
romantic mistake. “She is Home” is a tender love song about life’s
true priorities while “If the Sun Comes Up” is a powerful ballad
about moving on. Anchored by Hayes insightful songwriting and
brought to life through his warm, rich baritone, the songs on Go
Life Your Life are steeped in country’s best traditions yet
have a contemporary edge.
Hayes co-produced the album with longtime friend Dave
McAfee. “Dave and I got together and listened to songs and honed
it down to what we thought fit on this project,” says Hayes, who
wrote or co-wrote all but one song on Go Live Your Life.
“I’m very fortunate getting to this next step. After getting through
the years of ill health and bad luck, I’m kind of laser focused right
now. Getting sick has changed me immensely. It’s as if I’m
looking through different eyeballs now. “I appreciate everything so
much more. I realize how much I took for granted.” Hayes was in his early 20s when he began churning out such
enduring hits as “Old Enough to Know Better,” “I’m Still Dancing
with You,” “On a Good Night” and “What I Meant to Say.” A
second generation country singer from Bethel Acres, Oklahoma,
Hayes grew up watching his dad perform. The young guitarist’s
dream was to be the next Don Rich, Buck Owens’ revered guitar
player and one of country music’s most legendary sidemen. “I was
a big fan of Don Rich and I thought that’s what I wanted to do,” he
recalls. “That’s what I moved to Nashville for.”
Hayes began realizing that goal when Johnny Lee tapped the
young musician to be his lead guitarist, but he just wasn’t meant to
be a sideman. “Record label people started coming to watch me
play and the next thing I knew everything was happening fast,”
says Hayes, who landed a publishing deal just nine months after
moving to Nashville, and a contract with Columbia Records soon
after. His debut single, “Old Enough to Know Better,” hit No. 1 on
Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and Hayes was
nominated for the ACM’s Top New Male Vocalist honor. Two of
Hayes’ four major label albums have been certified gold by the
RIAA, and hits such as “Don’t Stop,” “The Day That She Left
Tulsa (In a Chevy)” and “How Do You Sleep at Night” continue to
be fan favorites in his shows.
In 2009, he released the critically acclaimed independent album,
A Place to Turn Around, and continued to tour
extensively until his world came to a screeching halt when he was
diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in the fall of 2011. It was a
surprise to everyone, even the doctors. Because Hayes was so
young, doctors initially thought the symptoms were the result of
him working out too strenuously and lifting too much weight.
After extensive surgery and debilitating chemotherapy, Hayes
battled his way back to health only to have the cancer return in the
fall of 2012. He’s now cancer free again, and the title track of his new album
was inspired by a conversation with his oncologist. “That’s a song
that I’m very proud of,” he says. “When I’d gotten through cancer
the second time and we were looking at my blood work, my
oncologist was talking about taking my port out. A port is
something they implant into either your chest or under your arm
where you receive chemotherapy. My oncologist said, ‘Wade, you
were stage IV and now you’re cancer free. We can take your port
out. This is a big deal and I want to tell you something. I want you
to go live your life.’
“It hit me like a ton of bricks,” Hayes continues, “because I knew
that he meant two different things: one being, it’s kind of a miracle
that you’re still here. You need to go enjoy your life. And two
being, you had cancer really bad, and when it spread as far as it
did, there’s a good chance that it can come back. He was telling me
to go live my life, because we don’t know how long this good is
going to be. I told Bobby Pinson that story and we wrote the
song.”
“Go Live Your Life” is an upbeat anthem about making the most
of every day and reveling in the things that bring you happiness.
“It’s really been an impactful song doing it live,” Hayes says. “I’ve
done it at a lot of events and people have really gravitated towards
it. They understand it and they get it.”
Writing songs has been part of his healing. “Writing is therapy,
letting my mind go somewhere else instead of worrying about
what’s on my plate,” he shares. “The thing that got me in trouble in
school has been the thing that’s saved my life. It’s daydreaming.
I’ve gotten very good at that. Writing songs like ‘Remember the
Alimony’ and ‘Bluebonnet Blues’ were just fun songs to do. It was
a good time.” The album closes with an instrumental version of the old hymn
“Just As I Am,” a tender ending to a tour de force artistic
expression. “That song was played on my very first guitar that I
got when I was twelve-years-old,” Hayes says. “That guitar is not
the easiest guitar to play. But I still love that guitar. It’s not perfect,
but it’s like me. I’m not perfect. That cut isn’t perfect, but it’s the
way it came out. That song means a lot to me.”
In addition to writing and recording, Hayes has been back on the
road, touring this spring with pals Bryan White and Mark Wills.
He also enjoys spending time at his 11-acre farm outside Nashville
where one of his favorite hobbies is restoring old pick up trucks.
He makes time to share his experience with cancer and encourage
others fighting the battle. “I’ve met so many wonderful people
during this journey, especially when I started healing and got out
and began speaking. I’ve met some incredible, brave people that
were inspiring to me and told me that my story is inspiring to them.
I heard the story of a guy who had cancer similar to mine and he
made it back to being cancer free. It gave me so much hope that
once I got through the valley I thought, ‘Man, that’s what I want to
do for other people.’ I want to help them and try to give them
inspiration and hope. With God all things are possible. I’m a
living example.”
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6:00pm to 11:45pm
General Admission: $15.00
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