We all know Australia is insane. Box jellyfish, gators, flying snakes, trap-door spiders; the land down under is a freak show of wild species. Speaking of freak shows and wild species, what they don’t have is Ernest.
Morgan Wallen, the biggest name in country music is currently touring Australia, and he brought some friends with him. Country rocker Hardy, up and comer Bailey Zimmerman, Ernest and Morgan Wallen have been selling out stadiums all across Australia.
While there is plenty of crazy to go around, did Australia prepare itself for a shirtless Ernest, chugging a beer from his boot? Technically it is called a “shooey”, and apparently it is an Australian thing. Go figure. Check this out.
As Ernest joined Morgan Wallen on the ‘One Night At A Time’ World Tour, the rising country artist got in on Aussie tradition in the only way he knew how— shirtless. He popped his top and crushed a beer out of his boot!
Ernest, most famous for his song ‘Flower Shops,’ has long been considered one of the best songwriters in Nashville.
Currently on tour with Wallen, Bailey Zimmerman, Hardy and Parker McCollum, Ernest and the SR gang pulled up in Australia for CMC Rocks QLD 2023. It’s the largest country music festival in Australia. They also played one night in Melbourne while overseas.
It never fails to amaze me how popular American music is all over the world. Most music from other countries barely makes a blip on the radar in America, but the Aussies love their country music! They also apparently love drinking from their footwear. I shudder to think about how they eat.
"*" indicates required fields
That's how it's done.@ernest615 https://t.co/HHvvaKxC2n
— Whiskey Riff (@WhiskeyRiff) March 26, 2023
One of the most famous Aussie drinking traditions, which has more prominently made its way to the States over the last 10 years, is ‘The Shoey’ or ‘Das Boot.’ Origins of the tradition are murky and likely stem from Germany, but it is believed to have first become popular in Australia during the late 1990s.
The concept is simple. Put a full beer in your shoe, and chug the beer out of your shoe.
Beer, particularly Australian beer isn’t the tastiest beverage, so a sweaty boot probably doesn’t affect the taste that much. Ever had a Fosters? Tastes a bit like sweaty foot straight out of the can. So why not punch it up a bit and chug it out of an Ariat?
The way Ernest did it absolutely screams ‘MERICA!
Well, while performing at CMC Rocks CLD, Warren Zeiders surprised the audience by removing his shirt. Ernest was not going to be outdone.
He proceeded to rip off his Def Leppard cutoff, put his snapback atop his head, shout “whole lotta f—king man up in here!” and crushed a beer out of his cowboy boot. Most of the beer made it in his mouth, but a large portion ended up spilling all over the “whole lotta f—king man.”
Not going to lie, sometimes it gets hard to be a proud American, but seeing Ernest rip off his Def Leppard shirt and chug a boot full of suds brought a small tear to my eye. Country music may not be everyone’s thing, nor is drinking out of a shoe, but the Aussies sure love it!