By Josh Crutchmer At 70 years old, Robert Earl Keen is as surprised as anyone to find his foot still on the gas. The beloved Texas songwriter and composer of the timeless singalong “The Road Goes on Forever” is still touring, even after his ballyhooed retirement in 2022. There’s a major difference, though, between the current version of Keen and the one from four years ago. Today, he is being thrust into the spotlight by a handful of friends who cut their teeth on Keen’s music. Thanks to the support of A-listers like Tyler Childers, Turnpike Troubadours, and Cross Canadian Ragweed, Keen and his music are being discovered by new fans, and in new arenas. “They give me a chance to just be myself,” Keen tells Rolling Stone of his post-retirement encore. Artists who once aspired to be in Keen’s shoes now find themselves introducing Keen to the massive crowds they draw, paying tribute in song, or even welcoming Keen to the Grand Ole Opry to make his debut, as Childers did last summer.…