Chris Lane delivered a heartfelt performance of the title track from his brand-new album Shade Tree on the TODAY Show’s Citi Concert Series. Filmed live during the July 9 episode, Lane sang with warmth and nostalgia, showcasing a song that reflects on his North Carolina roots and childhood memories.
🌳 About the Album Shade Tree
Released on June 20, 2025, Shade Tree is Lane’s first full-length album since 2018’s Laps Around the Sun, featuring 12 tracks infused with Southern charm and personal storytelling. Produced by Grammy winners Dann Huff and Jay DeMarcus, the album’s stand-out title track opens with nostalgic mandolin and fiddle, and delivers heartfelt lyrics such as:
“Underneath the shade tree / Are the roots that shaped me / In the backyard of the farm town that raised me”
Lane explains the inspiration behind the album: “I wrote Shade Tree as a nostalgic look back on my life growing up in Kernersville, NC. Life was hard. Life was beautiful. We didn’t have much, but somehow, we had it all at the same time”