The Shires have announced they are taking time away after 13 years together, and their November tour will be the last for the foreseeable future. The news came on Friday in an Instagram post that put a near-term end point on one of the country duo’s longest-running chapters.
For readers looking up the Ben Earle Crissie Rhodes Break today, the immediate reason is simple: this is not a vague pause, but a public decision with a final tour attached to it. Rhodes said she will step back to focus on family life and spend more time with her quickly-growing girls, while the pair left open the possibility that they may one day make music and tour again.
Rhodes and Earle have spent 13 years building The Shires, sharing six albums’ worth of stories on stages all across the world. In her message, Rhodes said the move was bittersweet and thanked fans for the support they have shown over the years, adding that she and Earle cannot wait to sing, dance and make beautiful memories together on the upcoming tour.
The announcement also lands with a personal edge. Rhodes welcomed twin daughters with her husband on Sept. 23, 2022, and she has previously shared the strain that young children can place on life as a touring musician. This break gives her a chance to choose family time over the road, and it turns the coming dates into a last stretch before the duo steps back.
Earle, who also hosts The Country Show on Radio 2, said he completely understands and supports Rhodes as a parent himself, but he did not hide the effect the decision has had on him. He said it has been a big adjustment, something he has been processing and working through, and added that he has found it hard to show up lately even as he turns a corner and looks ahead to new music and other projects.
The timing leaves fans with one clear chance to see them together before the break sets in. That November tour now carries the weight of an ending, even if it is not necessarily permanent, and the unanswered question is how long this pause will last. For now, The Shires are stepping away on their own terms, with the door left open but no date set for when they might walk back through it.
