Gary Allan Watches Jack Ingram Get Pranked

It couldn't have happened any better if Gary Allan himself had planned to play a prank on his traveling buddy, Jack Ingram. The pair are currently sharing the bill on Gary's Get off on the Pain Tour, and while pranks have become a way of life for artists on the road, this one wasn't even Gary's doing!

"We were in catering and Jack came in," says Gary. "He was walking around and my bus driver, Alan Thunderbird, went up to him and said, 'Hey, do you have a pass?' Now I've never seen Alan hassle anybody, so I was watching to see what would happen."

Jack showed the driver his all-access tour pass, but the devious driver wasn't giving up, says Gary. "He just looked at Jack and said, 'No, not that pass. I've seen you walking around here all day and you don't have the right pass to be in here.' Jack didn't know what to do ... Alan totally got him. Then he started laughing and Jack realized he had been putting him on all along."

Gary notes that there's a lot of camaraderie on this tour, which also features the Eli Young Band. When asked if he hand-picked his touring companions Gary quickly answers, "Absolutely. We talked about it a lot and we think we have a show that works well."

As to why Jack Ingram was chosen for the tour, Gary says simply, "Jack is great live. He's so interactive." The singer adds that he also wanted to make sure the artists opening his shows were well taken care of. "Of all the things I hate about tours, it's the stupid restrictions on opening acts, and we try not to do any of that. It's more about making sure everybody feels like it's a party. As far as me and my crew and band, it's a good time all the time."

Gary's Get off on the Pain Tour continues through Dec. 31, closing out the year with a New Year's Eve show at the House of Blues in Las Vegas.