Young is used to being recognized at country shows, but some of his most memorable fan encounters have happened far outside of the country music world.
It’s no surprise that after years in the spotlight, Chris Young has grown accustomed to being recognized by country music fans in typical settings like a country concert, a festival or local Nashville hotspots. But according to the singer/songwriter, there have also been some pretty memorable fan encounters that have happened in places where he least expected them.
During a recent conversation with Audacy’s Katie Neal, Young was asked to share some of the most wild or random places that a fan has recognized him. After taking a moment to think back, he first recalled an unexpected encounter that took place at a concert by rapper J. Cole.
“I was standing out at front of house because one of my friends worked for him and I wanted to go see that show. And so I’m just standing there. I’m like, ‘Nobody’s going to know me.’”
That assumption didn’t last long because Young said the next thing he knew a fan spotted him near the soundboard and immediately did a double take.
“He’s like, ‘Are you…?’ And I’m like, ‘How do you know that? I’m not popular enough for you to recognize me at a J. Cole concert. Stop it,’” he joked.
The surprise recognition reminded him of another random experience that happened during a special concert outing with his mom. Young says he has made it a point to take everyone in his family to at least one big show of their choosing to see their favorite artist perform. For his mom, that artist was Billy Joel.
They ventured out to New York City together on a fun mother-son adventure to see the superstar perform during his residency at Madison Square Garden. This was one of the last places that Young ever expected to meet one of his own fans, as he was far beyond the typical country music setting.
“I took my mom to go see Billy Joel when he was doing the residency where he broke the record for a number of shows and we were getting up to leave and someone ran me down and was like, ‘Oh my God, you’re my favorite country artist,’” he recalled. “I was like, ‘oh, there’s zero reason for you to recognize me here. It’s just me and my mom watching Billy Joel.’ I was like this is completely random.”
