"I Look At Everything I Do In My Career As A Fan": Riley Green On How He Constructs Setlists, Albums, And More

In a recent interview with singer-songwriter and professional American sports analyst Pat McAfee, Riley Green shared the mindset he maintains when crafting setlists for his concerts, and how he performs and writes those songs to be played live.

At the NFL's very own Tennessee Titans training facility, Green and McAfee spent time conversing about Green's recent songwriting endeavors as well as how the 'Think As You Drunk' songster likes to put himself in a fan's boots when approaching his musical services.

In between breaks of the two tossing a football around and bonding over their shared love for the sport, Green shared how he likes to have a sense of versatility in his setlists - songs that fans at his shows seeking out all different types of emotion can relate to. He takes his loyal fan base through a setlist he thinks he would like to hear, if he were going to watch himself.

"I look at everything I do in my career as a fan," Green explains, as he goes into how he tries to embark on everything he does - from writing room, to studio, to stage - as seeking out what he would like to see from his favorite artists and then trying to replicate that exact essence.

The Alabama native himself proudly attributes his upbringing in the southern U.S. to many of the themes surrounding his work. Similarly, Green stays grounded with the working folk he grew up around by giving them a show he believes they would like, putting his fans first and foremost.

He continues, "It's not necessarily the songs I want to play. It's what songs do I think somebody that bought the ticket that saved up, that works you know, a construction job, what do they want to see me do?"

The 'Worst Way' hitmaker also credits his love for music as the bridge that takes himself from simply being a songwriter and performer, to a genuinely passionate artist that can feel out what works and doesn't work on an album, a single, or a stage.

He expresses that while some of his songs are based on personal life experiences, many of them are ideas sparked from his fanbase's demographic, and how he believes regardless of his own personal relatability, it's imperative for the country star to maintain range - from light-hearted windows-down country to good ole crying-at-home sad songs.

As the 'Go Again' crooner adds on, he rather enjoys the traditional sense of an album: a project that truly tells a story from start to finish between lyrics, sound, track list placement, and everything in between.

Though this type of work declines in popularity in today's listening world, Green likes to maintain, at the very least, a sense of it through orchestrating his project's track placements to his liking by starting off on the slower side, and then easing into a build-up with every song, ensuring that all different types of sounds are included in his work.

Judging by the current lead singles on Green's 4th studio That's Just Me album, such as the slow tempo and gut-wrenchingly sad 'My Way,' to the Toby Keith-inspired infectiously fun and humorous 'Think As You Drunk,' it's clear that Green takes this sentiment to heart. Which has us clamoring all the more for the full release, excited to see how he takes the high degree he holds diverse song inclusion a step further. In songs alone, it's clear how much Green appreciates a good build-up, with title track 'That's Just Me' slow then suddenly electric, and with further insight, a love letter to how much he enjoys the craft. Regardless of how he chooses to construct the record, Green can certainly add this writer in his list of fans he continues to please through each carefully curated track.