In the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, the thought occurred to many artists that they may never get to tour again. That's one reason why The Head and the Heart's Jonathan Russell is so happy to be returning to the road.

"I'm just so, so excited and so grateful that this isn't over," the vocalist/guitarist tells ABC Audio. "I mean, there was a lot of time spent thinking about, 'OK, if that was the end, you had a good run.' But then you start thinking, 'Man, I always thought I would eventually get to this thing.'"

Perhaps channeling one of his band's biggest hits, Russell feels that, for him, being back on tour will be about "connection" and "actually really being more vulnerable and a part of ... the audience and people onstage."

"I just feel like I've kinda been skating around that for 10 years," Russell says. "So I'm really looking forward to seeing what connecting with people is like."

In addition to a whole lot of emotion, The Head and the Heart is bringing new music on the tour, having released an album called Every Shade of Blue last month. With a new record comes a whole new batch of songs to try to fit into a set list, which Russell admits is a "good problem to have."

"I feel like there's so many of our fans [that] would probably come to us see and just listen to the first record over and over again," Russell says. "So there's a lot of other songs to give their credit and their due onstage."

The Head and the Heart's tour kicked off last Friday and continues Tuesday in Kansas City, Missouri.

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