Chet Hanks has always been about carving his own lane, and not riding his famous dad Tom‘s coattails … even if a little praise from him does go a long way!

We caught up with Chet days after Tom was spotted front and center at his Stagecoach set over the weekend … and Chet admits the whole thing hit him right in the feels, leaving him all “warm and fuzzy.”

As for what Tom said about his set? Nothing OTT — just a simple “great job” — but honestly, you can tell it meant everything to him.