Drake White hit the road on Toby Keith’s Hammer Down Tour recently, and the newcomer has become fast friends with Kip Moore, who’s also on the bill. The two artists and their bands and crew hang out backstage playing cornhole and other assorted games, and they sometimes gather around for an impromptu jam. Drake and Kip are also major students of their craft, soaking up and learning all they can from Toby. After their sets in Pittsburgh, the two went out in the crowd to catch Toby’s show…with the help of a disguise.

“Kip’s like, ‘Man! I really wanna go out and check out what [Toby] does.’ And Manny, his bass player, said, ‘Man, I’m not going out there with you, unless you take your red hat off, take your sleeveless shirt off and put some sleeves on.’ Kip was like, ‘Alright man, I’ll do it.’ And Manny was like, ‘Watch – he’ll come out with like a backwards green hat on’ and this and that. I was like, ‘That’d still be fun. We might get attacked a little bit, but it’ll be fun,’” says Drake. “He comes out with a straight up Twisted Sister look – a long blonde wig, borrowed a headband from my drummer, and wore the headband, wore the shades. I put a different hat on, and we walked around the side and just got up on the grass. If you come around from the back, [you] can just kinda slide in. As a matter of fact, a couple of places that we slide in, people are like, ‘Y’all can’t stand there. Y’all can’t stand there. We’ve been sitting here all day.’ We’re like, ‘Cool.’ So, we move, and after about two or three of those, we found us a spot.”’

Drake, who’s making his way up the country charts with “The Simple Life,” returns to the Hammer Down Tour Friday (June 21st) in Holmdel, New Jersey.

AUDIO: Drake White talks about tourmate, Kip Moore, dressing up in costume to go out in the crowd to watch Toby Keith perform on the Hammer Down Tour.

Drake White (on tour with Kip) OC: …us a spot. 1:01
“After we get finished with our show and Kip gets finished with his show, and we’re kinda sitting [backstage] decompressing, chilling out, having a good time, and Kip’s like, ‘Man! I really wanna go out and check out what [Toby] does.’ And Manny, his bass player, said, ‘Man, I’m not going out there with you, unless you take your red hat off, take your sleeveless shirt off and put some sleeves on.’ Kip was like, ‘Alright man, I’ll do it.’ And Manny was like, ‘Watch – he’ll come out with like a backwards green hat on’ and this and that. I was like, ‘That’d still be fun. We might get attacked a little bit, but it’ll be fun.’ He comes out with a straight up Twisted Sister look – a long blonde wig, borrowed a headband from my drummer, and wore the headband, wore the shades. I put a different hat on, and we walked around the side and just got up on the grass. If you come around from the back, [you] can just kinda slide in. As a matter of fact, a couple of places that we slide in, people are like, ‘Y’all can’t stand there. Y’all can’t stand there. We’ve been sitting here all day.’ We’re like, ‘Cool.’ So, we move, and after about two or three of those, we found us a spot.”