Sixteen years after she auditioned for American Idol on the Ryman Auditorium stage, Lauren Alaina came back to headline it, sold the room out, and closed The Stages Tour with a night built around family, friends and surprise guests.

On Thursday (Nov. 12), Diamond-certified Country superstar Lauren Alaina made her SOLD-OUT Ryman Auditorium debut – a full-circle moment for the small-town Georgia native who auditioned for American Idol sixteen years ago on the very same stage.

Taking a well-deserved victory lap, Alaina surprised her sold-out crowd with several star-studded guests, including her brother, Tyler Suddeth (“Babies Raising Babies”), Scotty McCreery (“When You Say Nothing At All”), Emily Ann Roberts (“I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”), Chase Matthew (“All My Exes”), HARDY and Devin Dawson (“ONE BEER”) and Luke Bryan (“Drink A Beer”) for an emotional tribute to the loved ones they have both lost.

Concluding her 15-stop headlining The Stages Tour last night, Alaina has donated $1 for every ticket sold throughout the tour to her foundation, My Kinda People – contributing to several causes that are meaningful to her and her “Kinda People.”

“I was introduced to the world on the Ryman stage in my American Idol audition 16 years ago. It was the perfect and only place to end The Stages Tour,” Alaina shares. “It was even more special because the night supported our military heroes who sacrifice so much for us.”

At the start of the show, Alaina announced her new My Kinda People initiative with the Fisher House Foundation. An exclusive signed CD,“For The Boots,” was available for purchase and included “Boots On The Ground” and a Live at The Opry performance of “When You Say Nothing At All” featuring her dad and brother, Tyler. For those who were unable to attend the show, the remaining signed CDs are available for purchase as well as an Amazon exclusive “Boots On The Ground” t-shirt. All proceeds will go to the Fisher House Foundation, helping military and veteran families when a loved one is in the hospital.

After nine years of dedication to her craft, Lauren recently topped the charts at country radio, earning her fourth No.1 with smash hit “All My Exes (feat. Chase Matthew), becoming one of only five female country artists to reach the top of the charts in 2026, joining an elite group of powerhouses including Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Stella Lefty, and Taylor Swift. Alaina is now one of eight women to have earned multiple Country Airplay No.1s this decade. Adding to her milestones, Alaina performed “Never Been In Love” (which features childhood friend Kane Brown) on Live with Kelly and Mark last month from her 17-song collection Stages. The confessional track has become Alaina’s highest streaming debut to date.

About Lauren Alaina

Lauren Alaina, praised by Rolling Stone for her “powerhouse, honey-toned vocals that meld timeless twang with modern sass,” continues her “limitless upward trajectory” (American Songwriter) as one of country music’s most magnetic entertainers. Her new album Stages, out now (8/28) builds on the momentum of smash hit “All My Exes (feat. Chase Matthew)” that just topped the charts at country radio, making it the fourth No. 1 of her career. A proud member of the Grand Ole Opry since 2022, Alaina has earned four No. 1 hits: “All My Exes (feat. Chase Matthew),” Platinum-certified “Road Less Traveled,” the 4x Platinum “ONE BEER” with HARDY and Devin Dawson, and Diamond-certified “What Ifs” with Kane Brown. With “What Ifs,” Alaina became the only solo female country artist in history to receive the RIAA’s Diamond song certification. The vocalist has performed on some of the highest-profile stages in the world including PBS’ A Capitol Fourth, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, CBS’ Beyond The Edge, ABC’s The Bachelorette, TODAY, Good Morning America, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, ABC’s CMA Fest specials, CMA and ACM Awards, Nickelodeon’s All That, Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day halftime performance, MLB’s World Series national anthem performance, a performance at the White House for President Obama, and more.

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