Blake Shelton Gets ‘Loaded’ in Los Angeles

Los Angeles went a little 'hillbilly' Wednesday night, as Blake Shelton brought his first-ever headlining tour to town. While his first greatest hits collection, 'Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton,' doesn't hit stores until November 9, the singer brought the CD to life at the Club Nokia.

"Los Angeles is a collaboration of the prettiest people from every small town in the U.S.," Blake explains to The Boot. "For the most part, they were country music fans before they got to town. It always surprises me talking to people that they love country music, and it's mostly older country music that they heard before they ended up in L.A. I wouldn't want to drive a block here, and for someone to drive across town to come to a concert it shows you they do have a passion for it."



Some famous faces made that drive to see Blake, including actor Scott Baio, comedienne Chelsea Handler, pop star Kelly Clarkson, 'Dancing With the Stars' contestant Bristol Palin and, of course, his fiancé, country songbird Miranda Lambert.

Joanna Smith opened the show, with a song from her debut album entitled 'Kissin' in Public.' She followed it with the story of her parents, which she called "one hundred percent true," with 'Borrowed Wedding Dress.' That led into her next single 'Georgia Mud' and her debut song, 'Gettin' Married.'

Blake kicked off his set with, "Let's raise some hell, y'all!" before busting out the tour's title song, 'All About Tonight.'

Referencing L.A. traffic again, Blake shared with the crowd and incident that took place just before the show. "In case you don't know, traffic sucks. I thought we were going to be late getting here and I turned on the radio to see why traffic was so bad. This song came on when I turned on the radio," he said before playing 'Some Beach.'

He dedicated his cover of Conway Twitty's 'Goodbye Time' to all the "hardcore country music fans" before performing 'Nobody But Me,' to which the crowd sang back every word.

"Even after Miranda and I get married, I will never live in Texas," Blake confessed. "It has nothing to do with the old Oklahoma-Texas rivalry, either. I got into this business because I wanted to meet girls and when I first started I played Texas a lot. I have a lot of 'old friends' in the area [laughs]. You don't want to go out to eat with Miranda Lambert and meet some skank." With that he went right into George Strait's 'All My Ex's Live in Texas.'

"I stopped playing this song because it's so sad, but since you people have been drinking, I'd like to dedicate it to all the mamas," Blake told the crowd before playing his No.1 hit, 'The Baby.' "Now ya see why I quit doing that freaking song," he said with a laugh when he was done.

Just when it seemed the crowd couldn't get any more pumped, Miranda Lambert walked out for her duet with Blake, 'Draggin' the River.' "This is bulls***," Blake joked with audience as they cheered. "It's a hell of thing when your fiancé is Female Vocalist of the Year and blah, blah. To me, she's the person I go home to; this is the first song we ever recorded together." The couple then delighted their fans with Blake's hit, 'Home.' When it was done, he kissed the side of her head, and she smacked his rear as she walked off stage.

Blake closed the show with a string of fan favorites -- 'The More I Drink,' 'Austin' and 'She Wouldn't Gone' -- before being called back out for a four song encore. He started with the Bellamy Brothers' 'Redneck Girl,' and then switched it up with a little pop feel-good song, Rupert Holmes' 'Escape (The Pina Coladas Song).'

"You're acting like a bunch of freaking hillbillies," Blake proclaimed before giving them exactly what they wanted, 'Hillbilly Bone.' The crowd started screaming for 'Ol' Red,' and Blake obliged before saying goodnight.

Blake will be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry Saturday, October 23, while 'Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton' will be available November 9.