One of the biggest stars in the constellation of country music is performing in Western New York tonight. Brad Paisley, the man with 16 number-one singles and the 2010 Country Music Awards Entertainer of the Year, brings The Escape Virtual Reality Tour to the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center. Gates will open at 4:30 p.m. for this highly-anticipated show, whose bill features fellow country notables The Band Perry and Scotty McCreery.

Even though he has been on the road, Paisley has been a busy man—he’s found time, for instance, to set up some songwriting sessions with singer / guitarist Mat Kearney. Kearney was blown away by the opportunity, as he noted in an interview with the Leesville (La.) Daily Leader:

“Brad says he’s a fan and invited me over to write songs. You don’t say no to him. It was a little nerve-wracking at first. But then you get out there, and he’s super humble. He’s like a workaholic, awesome musician. After the first 15 minutes, it was like writing a song like you would with one of your friends.”

Paisley also found time in his busy schedule to agree to host the Country Music Awards with fellow celeb Carrie Underwood in November. He’s also deflecting rumors that he will be the next judge on the hit television show American Idol, a program that is reeling a bit from some high-profile defections over the past few seasons. Other rumored judges include Sean Combs and Alanis Morrisette. The attention isn’t that shocking—The Escape is the fourth-highest grossing tour in America, trailing only Roger Waters, Bruce Springsteen and the Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson tribute, Immortal. Heady company indeed!

If you want to head out to the show, look for tickets on the official Live Nation site and StubHub.