The Cowboy's final season on the singing competition kicks off Monday, March 6.
Blake Shelton's getting ready to say goodbye to The Voice -- but the emotions haven't hit him just yet!
The Cowboy is stepping away from the NBC singing competition's famous spinning chairs after the upcoming 23rd season. Shelton has been the only coach to participate in every season since the show started in 2011, and as the winningest coach, he's leaving some big boots to fill.
"I don’t think it’s really gonna hit me until the last episode," he shared with ET's Cassie DiLaura over the weekend, catching up backstage at the Birmingham, Alabama, stop on his ongoing Back to the Honky Tonk Tour. "But there's been a few moments, especially in the Blind Auditions. The last person that I hit my button for, that I got on my team, it dawned on me when I did that: 'Oh my god, I’m never gonna do that again. I'm never gonna beg somebody to be on my team again. I'm never gonna hit this button again."
While he says he didn't cry at the time, Shelton admitted, "It surprised me how it hit me."
He also conceded that, whether Team Blake wins or loses, the season 23 finale is "probably gonna be an emotional night."
"I mean, my god, it’s been 23 seasons, 12 years," he reflected. "My friends, I've seen their kids literally grow up... It’s unbelievable, all the life that’s happened. I met my wife on there, you know, everything good that could come from something like that, I've maxed it out."
For now, however, Shelton is enjoying a brief stint on the road before it's time to get back to Los Angeles for The Voice's live shows.
True to The Cowboy's style, the Back to the Honky Tonk Tour is a party every night -- along with supporting acts Carly Pearce and Jackson Dean, Shelton takes the stage in each city surrounded by a full, working bar, where lucky fans can sit and enjoy the show like they're back in their favorite Nashville dive.
"It's just fun," Shelton shared. "It really is like what I started out doing -- you know, we played the bars and in some of them old honky-tonks and stuff that I played back in the day, the bar would be kinda there on the side and people would come turn around and [listen]. So it's fun to kinda relive that a little bit."
However, the country star couldn't help but admit that touring feels different now that he's leaving behind wife Gwen Stefani and his three step-sons when he hits the road.
"I don’t do a lot of these -- I think we're doing 18 of these shows this year," he shared. "I try to limit it as much as I can, because the whole reason I’m even stepping away from The Voice is so I can just be there more, and that’s what I’m gonna do."
Blake Shelton's Back to the Honky Tonk Tour runs through March 15 -- click here for ticket information -- and The Voice season 23 premieres Monday, March 6 at 8 p.m. PT/ET on NBC.
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