Carrie Underwood Reveals the 'Hardest Part' of Touring: ‘I Always Get Sad’

Jack IrvinFri, April 3, 2026 at 4:35 PM UTC

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Carrie Underwood in June 2024Credit: Shutterstock / lev radin -

Carrie Underwood says choosing which songs to cut from her tour setlist is the most difficult part

Her tours balance new music with fan favorites but often leave her wishing she could include more songs

Underwood’s setlists typically feature over 20 hits, including "Before He Cheats" and "Jesus, Take the Wheel"

Planning a tour isn't always easy for Carrie Underwood.

In a recent conversation with reporters at a media room in Nashville, according to Taste of Country, the "Before He Cheats" performer, 43, revealed the "hardest part" of touring and why it becomes emotionally taxing for her.

"The hardest part of touring is figuring out what songs you're not going to do," said the Grammy winner.

Carrie Underwood in March 2024Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty

Underwood, whose catalog includes over a dozen No. 1 hits on the U.S. country charts, continued, "Finding that perfect balance of just enough new stuff and obviously the ones that people expect to hear, but I always get sad, I'm like, 'Aww, we're not gonna do that one?'"

"I can't be on stage for four hours singing my songs," she joked. "After two hours of my songs, I'm like, 'Eww,' and, 'I'm hurtin'.'"

The "Blown Away" singer wrapped her Reflection residency at Resorts World Las Vegas last year after more than 70 shows. Her last major tour, in support of her Denim & Rhinestones album, ran from 2022 to 2023 — and the setlist generally featured more than 20 songs, including her hits "Before He Cheats," "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Cowboy Casanova," among others.

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In November 2025, Underwood spoke to PEOPLE about the 20th anniversary of "Before He Cheats" and reflected on making the song.

"I remember even when we were talking about recording that song, it was kind of like, 'Oh, is this too aggressive? Is this too...,'" she said at the time. "Because I was like a sweet farm girl on [American Idol] — and I hope that's who I still am — but it was almost, 'Maybe we don't do this song.'"

"But everybody loved it so much, we went for it and it ... worked," added Underwood of the classic hit, which hit No. 1 on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and No. 8 on the all-genres Billboard Hot 100.

"But, yeah, 20 years later, we still see people perform it, and it's a lot of fun," she said.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”