Chase Matthew Once Lost His Glasses on Stage: How Fans Found Them

Rising country star Chase Matthew doesn’t usually get nervous before shows, with one exception: if he’s playing the Grand Ole Opry.

“The majority of the time, if I’ve got the jitters, it’s ’cause I’m ready,” Matthew, 27, exclusively told Us Weekly. “Like, I want to go. I want it now. Like, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go. So, I don’t really give myself time to get nervous, but when there’s time that it has to build up, [like] any time I play the Opry stage. People come there to see the best of the best, you know? And that’s something to live up to, for sure.”

The “County Line” singer was on hand earlier this month for the Opry’s 100th anniversary celebration, which featured performances from everyone from Reba McEntire and Garth Brooks to Lainey Wilson and Post Malone. Matthew didn’t want to pick favorites because he loved the whole show, but he pointed to Carrie Underwood’s rendition of “Forever and Ever Amen” by Randy Travis and The War and Treaty’s gospel moment as two highlights.

The Opry extravaganza came just weeks after Matthew released his third album, Chase, which includes the hit “Drives My Truck.” Since the LP dropped last month, Matthew has been thrilled to see his new music “resonating” with his fans.

“There’s a lot of songs on here that are very vulnerable and very from the heart,” he told Us. “That’s something I’ve always tried to do is just be as genuine and from the heart as possible. … I’ve got a few songs that talk about loss and songs about being from where you’re from and being proud of it. A lot of people in the comments are [sharing] the names of people that they’ve lost and talking about their hometown stories.”

Chase is out now. Matthew is currently on his headlining world tour before he joins Keith Urban’s High and Alive World Tour this summer. Ticket details here. Keep reading for more of Matthew’s behind-the-scenes secrets of life on the road:

Pre-Show Ritual

I really like Cup Noodles, the ramen cup of noodles. Something about the salty broth helps you sing, gets you warmed up. That’s pretty good. And maybe pop a Tum or two. That way you don’t get indigestion on stage. That’s probably the best thing for me.

Ideal Afterparty

Probably a rum and Coke in my hand, loud music and recreational good times. I like to chill, but I like to chill with loud music. I don’t have to talk to anybody, you know? Just listen. Just listen to the music.

Lucky Charm

I always wear my cross necklace. I never take it off. It’s on right now. I sleep in it most of the time. This one I got from my manager. He bought me this one for a gift at the end of the Jason Aldean tour. I have my original one that I’ve worn for a really long time, and I got kind of scared that I was gonna damage that one and then lose it. And then I was like, “If I lose this, I would cry.” So, he got me this one and it’s my baby girl. We can’t let her go nowhere, so I just wear it all the time.

Favorite Song to Play Live

Right now, it’s probably “Darlin’” or “Drives My Truck.” “Darlin’” has become a real crowd favorite. You start singing the first line and they just go wild, so that’s a lot of fun.

Most Challenging Song to Play Live

“Drives My Truck,” for sure. I just recently smashed my finger pretty bad, so it’s like learning how to walk again. I can’t really play the guitar that well like I used to.

Most Embarrassing Moment

One time my glasses came off, and they went in between the barrier between the pit and the catwalk. I was trying to flag down the security guy, like, “Hey, my glasses!” He didn’t understand what I was saying and walked off, and finally the fans were like, “He’s talking about his glasses!” This one dude just hops the barrier and grabs my glasses, hands ’em to me. And then they tried to kick him out because he hopped the barrier. And I was like, “No, no, no!” I had to stop the whole show to save that guy. But yeah, embarrassing, ’cause when I don’t have my glasses, I’m so blind. I swear I can’t see my hand in front of my face. It’s wild.

Wildest Fan Encounter

One day somebody wanted me to sign their prosthetic leg. So this prosthetic gets carried through the crowd and they hand it to me, and I’m like, “OK, yeah, cool.” And so I sign it and then there’s this girl, like, hopping up to the stage. She’s like, “Thank you so much!” It was just a wild encounter, but it meant the world to her and I’m glad I could do that. Put a smile on her face, you know?

Most Cherished Souvenir

I do have a souvenir that Jason Aldean gave me after the Highway Desperado Tour. At the end of the last show, he gave me a Rolex. I’ve got it in a case. Coming soon, I’m gonna put it in a curio cabinet where I can display it and brag about it. I’ve worn it once. I wore it to one of his events he invited me to after that. That was the day I showed it off, but I’m scared to mess it up. It’s got the Highway Desperado Tour engraved into the back of it, and it’s very special. I didn’t even know what it was at first. I’m from the holler. I don’t know a lot about that fancy stuff, but I know now!