“We’ll play as long as they’ll have us,” says legendary Texas songwriter Robert Earl Keen about his now-annual Fan Appreciation Day. Those who were lucky enough to attend last year’s event or any of Keen’s parties and shows over the years know that he could very well mean it’ll last all night long. On September 4th, Labor Day proper, Keen, his band, and all of his rowdy musician friends will take to the legendary Floore’s Country Store in Helotes, Texas, for, in the man’s own words, “a laid-back party with great food, cold beer, and a bunch of fellow artists.” He’s quick to add a note that will surely make fans of the retired-from-the-road troubadour very happy: “…and my band and I will close the party out.”
“I love my fans and I want to be proactive in showing my appreciation for them which is why I came up with Fan Appreciation Day,” says Keen. “I want to return the love. This is one big free party with 2,000 or so of the fans who have been with me for decades. Newcomers are welcome, too.” That’s right, a free party. Due to demand, tickets will be given away via a lottery system beginning at 12 PM Central on July 17 via liveatfloores.com.
"We are extremely excited to be hosting Robert Earl Keen's Fan Appreciation Day party again this year,” says Mark McKinney of Floore’s Country Store. Established in 1942, Floore’s has been a home to American and Texas music legends for over 80 years and the de facto party-central for Keen’s Fan Appreciation Day. “All of those lucky enough to have attended last year know what a memorable day of music and celebration it was,” says McKinney. “Robert Earl Keen and his music are such a unique and special part of the history of Floore's Country Store. It's an honor for us to help bring back this one-of-a-kind event in 2023."
What: REK’s Annual Fan Appreciation Day Party
Who: The Robert Earl Keen Band and Friends
Where: Historic Floore’s Country Store in Helotes, Texas
When: September 4th, 2023
Why: Because the party never ends and because REK loves you
How: Enter the ticket lottery at this link
Though Keen has retired from touring, he’s certainly not quit making music. Earlier this year, Keen and his band released a brand new LP, Western Chill, of which The Wall Street Journal wrote, “The sounds and sights Mr. Keen and band have concocted and assembled in this box work as road maps toward getting happily de-stressed and deliberately lost.” Copies of Western Chill will be available at the party and rumor has it that Keen might even sit down and sign a few. While Western Chill isn’t available digitally at the moment, copies of the ambitious box set—including a double sleeve album (14 songs total), a graphic illustrated novel that tells the tale of how Western Chill was written, a full music video DVD of all the songs that are on the LPs, and a songbook with lyrics, notes, and chords so the purchaser can play along—are still available at robertearlkeen.com/westernchill.
More about Robert Earl Keen’s latest album, Western Chill: As befits the occasion, the Western Chill vibe is soulfully laid-back—especially compared to the crowd-amped rush of 2016’s Live Dinner Reunion or the spry, virtuosic kick of Keen’s 2015’s Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Sessions. This new album is packed with enough surprises to keep even the most seasoned fan guessing what’s coming next. The opening title track—an instant Keen classic in the easy-loping vein of “The Front Porch Song,” “Gringo Honeymoon,” and “Feelin’ Good Again”—sets the mood for the whole album, followed by back-to-back original stunners sung and written by fiddle/guitar player Brian Beken (“Waves”) and bassist Bill Whitbeck (“Bluelight”). If variety is the spice of life, Western Chill is the Silk Road to chill with more contributions are heard from Beken and Whitbeck, as well as compositions by the rest of the band. This has all been documented on the accompanying video because true to the “featuring” tag on the album cover, this really is a REK Band affair.
