Chase Rice is shutting down for the season.
Country singer Chase Rice announced Wednesday he will pause touring in 2026, citing exhaustion and burnout after 13 years on the road. The former North Carolina linebacker emphasized he is not retiring, but stepping back with a TBD return date. With the self-imposed downtime, Rice has stated he plans to “go live life” and give his creativity a much-needed reset.
In an fairly emotional social media post, Rice said the grind of constant performances for more than a decade has begun to numb him from the joy that originally drew him to music after an injury forced his football career to come to an end.
“I’m exhausted,” he wrote on his Instagram. “I haven’t been able to be myself on stage in quite a while and really enjoy music and why I got into it in the first place. After 13 years, it’s finally beat me up to the point where I need to step away for a while.”
Rice, 40, said the decision was a necessary solution in order to maintain his well-being. “It wasn’t even really a decision,” he shared. “It was something I know that I just have to do for myself.” He added that while he won’t be planning a tour for 2026, he plans “a handful of shows” for the. He did say, however, that the year will look far different from anything he’s been used to over the past 13 years.
“This isn’t a goodbye thing,” Rice said, acknowledging it may appear that way to many. Instead, Rice explained he hopes time away will yield “more real experiences to write down,” helping him reconnect with the stories and feelings that fuel his songwriting.
In a post, Rice said the following:
“Alright everybody, I wasn’t sure whether I was gonna talk about this or not but here we are. I’ve been touring for 13 years and I’ve lived a dream far greater than I could’ve ever expected. This isn’t a goodbye thing or anything like that to be clear upfront, although it may feel like that, but I’m exhausted. I haven’t been able to be myself on stage in quite a while and really enjoy music and why I got into it in the first place. I love songs, I love living them, hearing stories from other people, and figuring out how to put that life into music. After 13 years it’s finally beat me up to the point where I need to step away for a while. I need to go live life so that I have more real experiences to write down. I won’t be touring this year and it wasn’t even really a decision, it was something I know that I just have to do for myself.
A lot of artists do this all the time, but it’s new for me so it’s kind of a big deal in my life. To my band and crew, I love y’all. You’ve seen me at my worst yet you still love me back like I’ve lived my best. I hope we can all get together in the coming years and get back to enjoying life on the road again. To any fans that have followed me along this journey, I love y’all too, you have truly made a dream of mine come true. I’ve got a handful of shows this year, but it will not look like anything like what I’ve done the last 13 years of my life. I hope this year brings new experiences for me to put into songs that will make y’all happy. Until then, thanks for the ride🤘🏼”
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What’s Next for Chase Rice?
Rice thanked his band, crew and fans, saying, “You have truly made a dream of mine come true,” and expressed hope that they can regroup in future years “and get back to enjoying life on the road again.”
Rice launched his career in 2010 and built a following through relentless touring and chart recognition. He previously played linebacker at North Carolina and worked on a NASCAR pit crew before breaking into country music as a singer-songwriter, helping the Florida-Georgia Line diamond-selling classic “Cruise” before blowing up as a solo artist later appearing on “Survivor: Nicaragua.”
As a singer, Rice is also 10-time platinum selling artist, with two No. 1s at Country Radio with “Eyes On You” and “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.” He’s sold out international tours and shared stadium bills with Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney before exiting the major-label system. Now fully independent, Rice has surpassed 3 billion streams. In 2025, he released his eighth studio album, ELDORA, written in Colorado after a Red Rocks performance and created with co-writer/producer Oscar Charles.
In a 2024 interview, the ex linebacker said in an interview the differences between football and music were massive, adding that it required a different type of creative mindset. “Football, it was do your job and be an absolute assassin on the defensive side of the field. That’s the goal. And music is not that it’s very it’s artistic, it’s feeling, it’s vulnerability, it’s being the most real version of yourself.”
With the time away from music, you’ll likely find Rice pursuing another passion—the outdoorsman life. Rice owns a buffalo ranch outside Nashville, and is an avid hunter, spending time elk, deer and duck hunting with his dog, Jack, and sometimes turns to snowboarding in winter. Rice said in 2024 that the discipline from such pursuits now supports his mental health and focus when he returns to writing and recording.
This newest break from music, he says, is no way permanent. “I love songs, I love living them, hearing stories from other people, and figuring out how to put that life into music,” he wrote.
Photo: Ben Christensen