Gary Allan Smiles Through the Pain

Despite a rough past few weeks, Gary Allan was all smiles when he played host to more than 800 people at his annual fan club party on Tuesday. He took the stage with his his left hand in a splint, as an MRI earlier that day confirmed torn ligaments in his hand. Still, the country heartthrob played an hour and a half set for the crowd, taking requests and questions from fans.

Joking throughout his banter with the audience, Gary seemed unphased by his recent legal battle involving a woman accused of stalking him. However, he did have one requirement for those in attendance: "I hope none of you come over and trash my car," Gary deadpanned, according to CMT.

Court issues aside, Gary was thrilled to be able to acknowledge his fans, who traveled from all over to see him during this week's CMA Music Fest activities. Next on his agenda are more than 100 shows this fall, some with buddy Jack Ingram also on the bill.

Gary is also busy working on another album that is scheduled for a fall release. He has only recorded four songs so far for the project, but he is particularly excited about one upcoming track, a cover of 'Gasoline and Matches' that he'll record as a duet with LeAnn Rimes. Gary jokes the pairing with LeAnn has a lot to do with his less-than-squeaky-clean image: "I think when somebody wants to dirty up their image a little bit, they come to us," he says.

In addition to his upcoming album, Gary also hopes to record a live DVD and possibly a Christmas album in the near future. Gary's latest single, 'Today,' hits country radio today.