Kenny Chesney Tour 2009, Kenny Chesney Sun City Carnival Tour 2008, Kenny Chesney Tour 2009 Setlists, Kenny Chesney Tour 2009 Reviews, Kenny Chesney Tour 2009Merchandise
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Setlist:
She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy Live Those Songs Summertime Beer in Mexico Keg in the Closet Out Last Night Big Star No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems I Go Back Anything But Mine Down The Road Me and You There Goes My Life Living In Fast Forward Young Back Where I Come From Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven When The Sun Goes Down Don't Happen Twice Jack and Diane
Kenny Chesney And Friends Bring Smiles To Ford Field
DETROIT -- Smiling faces are not the norm at Ford Field, at least not when people are leaving.
But this was no Detroit Lions game on Saturday night. It was a Kenny Chesney concert -- what he noted is "almost becoming a tradition" in the Motor City -- and it was the kind of beer-hoisting country music party tailored to lift the spirits even as the near-capacity crowd was lifting spirits (preferably, of course, Corona beer, the sponsor of Chesney's Poets And Pirates Tour). It was also an affair for the stalwarts, running six acts and more than seven hours. And by putting Chesney and Keith Urban on the same bill it also gave the fans a chance to A-B country's two hottest male stars of the moment.
It was more complementary than competitive, however -- not quite apples and oranges but definitely a case of two artists who, taken together, equal a sum greater than the total of their parts. And they were well set up by LeAnn Rimes, who preceded Urban and told the Ford Field faithful that she has "the best job ever this summer; it's me and a bunch of guys... a bunch of cute ones, at that." Rimes -- whose husband, Dean Sheremet, hails from the Detroit area? -- showed she can play with the boys, too, and maybe look better doing it in a spangled black mini-dress that she later covered with a custom-made Lions jersey and spent an hour-long set mixing in her own hits with covers of Janis Joplin's "Summertime" and Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me."
Urban, meanwhile, brought his own production, including a massive video screen behind him and his band, and a 65-minute collection of hits ranging from uptempo, rock-leaning gallops such as "Days Go By," "Where the Blacktop Ends," "You Look Good in My Shirt" and "Somebody Like You" to the melodic balladry of "Stupid Boy" and "Raining on Sunday" and a soulful rendition of "You'll Think of Me." Demonstrating plenty of instrumental virtuosity during his numerous guitar solos, Urban also worked the network of ramps that extended into the Ford Field floor and thanked fans for their good wishes after the birth of Sunday Rose, his month-old daughter with wife Nicole Kidman. It seemed a bit odd that Urban, who went through a well-publicized rehab in 2006, asked "how's your buzz kickin' in now?," but the fact of the matter was he left the crowd buzzing -- about his set and in anticipation of Chesney.
And, as is his wont, Chesney made good on that. Sporting a sleeveless Lions T-shirt and a straw cowboy hat, the frenetic singer upped his stage production a notch or two, with a more extensive video presentation and an expanded band whose four-piece horn section, including longtime Rolling Stones saxophonist Jim Horn, brought some extra muscle to favorites such as "Live Those Songs," a tandem of "Beer in Mexico" and "Keg in the Closet," "Big Star," "Living in Fast Forward" and "Young." "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems," defined Chesney's position as country's Jimmy Buffett, and he thanked radio programmers for supporting "Better as a Memory," the gentle and atypical chart-topper from earlier this year.
Chesney also had a couple of treats for fans on Saturday, too. He tossed the set list at one point to reach deeper into his catalog for gentle, piano-led arrangements of "The Woman With You" and "There Goes My Life." Then, two songs later, he brought on Detroiter and good pal Uncle Kracker to recreate their duet on a loose version of the 2004 hit "When the Sun Goes Down," then -- with former Howling Diablos guitarist Jeff Grand sitting in -- offered an even looser rendition of "The Joker," which slipped into a bit of Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" as Chesney and Kracker vamped around on the ramps.
And when Chesney sang afterwards that "this is how forever feels," there was no doubt those at Ford Field will be happy to enjoy the "tradition" of his summer visit, if not forever than at least for a few more years.
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Before Kenny Chesney took the stage at Riverbend Thursday night, the video screen showed prerecorded clips of celebrities welcoming fans to the singer’s Poets and Pirates Tour.
One of the famous faces belonged to none other than the father of the Nashville beach bum sound, Jimmy Buffett.
So if Chesney has earned Buffett’s endorsement, why should anybody care if the younger fellow is ripping off the old guy’s act?
The crowd assembled at Riverbend certainly didn’t. The show was just as sold out and just as booze-fueled as Buffett’s appearance earlier this month. There even seemed to be more beach balls bouncing around the pavilion at Kenny’s show than at Jimmy’s.
Still, there’s something that feels secondhand and plotted about Chesney’s tropical persona, even if his music is of a more muscular pop-country style than Buffett’s country-calypso fusion. Chesney was backed by a big, loud ensemble, complete with a four-piece brass section and four guitarists.
If the show was about poets and pirates, that makes Chesney a pirate. A poet would presumably feature his own compositions. Most of the hits he played during the 24-song, hour-and-45-minute show were written by the hands of poets other than him.
That was the case of a four-song block of cover tunes busted out near the end of the set that excited the crowd more than any other part of the show.
As for his own hits written by others, such as “Young,” “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” and “Live Those Songs,” they all had the twin elements of cleverness and soullessness inherent in Music Row songwriting.
They could have been sung by any other country singer. Chesney just happens to be the guy that cut them.
There’s more promise with the sun-baked fare, whether it’s a cut on someone else’s song like “Summertime” or his own “Beer in Mexico,” because they tell us something about who Kenny Chesney is.
They tell us he likes to vacation at the ocean, and who doesn’t? This, in a small way, tells us something about a man who goes nowhere without his cowboy hat, sleeveless T-shirt and shell necklace. It’s a sweet, sweet look, and lots of Kenny’s admirers in the crowd were rocking the same gear.
“We’re going to play everything we know,” Chesney warned before launching into the mini-set of covers. Apparently he and his band don’t know any more than the average neighborhood-bar cover band. The songs they chose included “The Joker” by Steve Miller (with a snippet of Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” shoehorned into the middle), “Gimme Three Steps” by Lynyrd Skynyrd and “Take It Easy” by Jackson Browne.
Borrowing a page from Buffett, who is known to play covers by fellow singer-songwriters Steve Goodman and John Prine, Chesney did a Goodman-Prine tune. Not surprisingly, he opted for what’s perhaps their most trite composition, made famous by David Allan Coe, “You Never Even Call Me by My Name.”
The crowd loved it.
Opener Leann Rimes was a pleasant surprise. Her band, rounded out nicely with an organ player, was hipper than might be expected, since the production on Rimes’ radio hits is typically Nashville cheesiness. The band revved up the honky-tonk for her 1999 hit “Big Deal” and went straight-ahead rock ‘n’ roll covering Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me.”
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Setlist: (thanks to the readers who helped with this setlist ... if you think we missed something please add a comment)
live those songs again summertime beer in mexico keg in the closet i go back wild ride no shoes, no shirt, no problem dont blink shiftwork got a little crazy last night livin in fast forward guitars and tiki bars back where i come from young never wanted nothing more old blue chair big star shes from boston dont happen twice when the sun goes down how forever feels
It’s no wonder that country megastar Kenny Chesney opened his annual Gillette Stadium show last night with “Live These Songs Again” - that’s exactly what his audience has been doing the past four summers.
Chesney’s a rare showman in commercial country. His nonstop, feel-good concerts are served with Jimmy Buffett-like party spirit. And even though he’s recently turned 40, nothing’s changed for his 2008 Corona-sponsored Poets & Pirates Tour.
But while consistency is a fine trait, Chesney would do well to change things up some; merely adding a few tunes from his new album each year isn’t enough.
And yet, last night’s capacity crowd seemed not to care. From such boozy faves as “Beer in Mexico” and “Keg in the Closet,” to the freewheeling sentiments of “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem,” Chesney and his ample band kept the well-marinated throng in a state of overstimulated frenzy. The generous 21-song set, occasionally buoyed by a four-piece brass section, also traversed more contemplative territory with the new “Don’t Blink” and “Back Where I Come From” (featuring, as usual, video footage of Beantown landmarks).
But for those of us who can take or leave Chesney, the entertainment value of his show is largely measured by the quality of the support acts. LeAnn Rimes and Keith Urban provided rock-solid support this year.
Rimes’ voice rang clear as a bell through sassy tunes from her new CD, “Family,” including “Nothing Better to Do,” the Southern-fried title track, and older hit singles “Can’t Fight the Moonlight” and “How Do I Live?” The once-cherubic teen, now just shy of 26, proved she’s grown into her big voice on such tunes as the bluesy “Summertime,” from “Porgy and Bess.”
Aussie babe magnet and nimble-fingered guitarist Keith Urban’s set oozed with contagious anthemic rockers like “Days Go By.” But it was his ability to manage emotional resonance at a stadium-sized gig with acoustic runs through “Raining on Sunday” and “You’ll Think of Me” that was most remarkable.
Sammy Hagar got off to a shaky start. Presented in a country context, Hagar’s testosterone-pumping thumpers were initially jarring. But there was just enough Southern twang on such cuts as “Three Lock Box” and “Standing on Top (of the World)” that he soon won the crowd over.
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Chesney Stays on Top Band, video screen enhance the star's performance
Kenny Chesney knows he has to do something very special to stay on top of the country music world.
So Tuesday night, he brought a big band to the Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center, 10 fine pieces strong, including a four-piece horn section to pour some soul into his work.
He brought an even bigger video screen, say, 100 feet wide and a couple of dozen feet high. Huge. Sharp. Forever active with live shots of Chesney and the band, video clips, panoramas of the crowd and even some good, old-fashioned film. The screen became an important supporting actor in the show.
Chesney armed himself with a good attitude, way more modest than the opening clip that featured stars as varied as Willie Nelson and Uncle Kracker dropping their pal's name. His first proclamation to the crowd was a simple, "We're proud to be here."
Most importantly, Chesney, the band and the screen had all these great songs of his to perform.
Chesney is on top because he's an exciting entertainer, using that solid Tennessee voice with just a hint of pure Southern accent to deliver 25 songs that touched on old stuff, new stuff and other stars' great stuff.
The 40-year-old mined his ever-widening catalog, 12 years deep now. And the crowd stayed on its feet for all 25 songs. He started with "Live Those Songs," and the crowd was ready for a big party.
The fans dug the old stuff, particularly "Back Where I Come From." Smart producers sent a camera crew around Rochester to shoot High Falls, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Frontier Field, Kodak and more, finally settling in on the sign that welcomes the world to Canandaigua.
"Don't Happen Twice" was a sweet ballad.
"Young" was a sweet trip through the years.
"I Go Back" soared to the roof of the amphitheater, and most likely back to the stars overhead to those sitting on the packed lawn.
From his latest album, "Just Who I Am: Pirates and Poets," Chesney's "Better as a Memory" pulled the heartstrings.
As far as covers go, Chesney tipped his cowboy hat to Steve Miller with "The Joker" and Bob Marley with "Two Little Birds."
But he couldn't leave without an encore that started with his own sweet hit, "Anything But Mine," with the crowd singing along.
Opener LeAnn Rimes was having so much fun she kicked off her high-heeled shoes and danced around the stage while covering the timeless Cheap Trick rocker "I Want You to Want Me."
And that was only after she bent low to get her smiling face in a photo of a woman posing in front of the stage for a friend.
Why not be happy? Rimes doesn't turn 26 until August, and already she's had what seems like two decades worth of country music success.
She delivered the song that burst her to fame, "Blue," when she was 11. All these years later, she still sings with ballad with passion and some very cool yodeling.
Rimes and her seven-piece band had the fans moving to plenty of her hits, including the soaring ballad "How Do I Live" and party-hardy song from the film "Coyote Ugly," "Can't Fight the Moonlight."
She struck up a rapport with the women in the crowd, telling them, "all you need is a good friend and a glass of wine."
She also got the men onboard when she asked who thought they came from a dysfunctional family. Loads of hands shot up as she went into the title cut of her latest album, "Family."
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By the time Kenny Chesney took the stage at Lincoln Financial Field a little after 9 Saturday night, some of his fans had been baking in the 90-degree heat for more than six hours, their bodily fluids sapped by salty foods and 16-ounce beers. But Chesney wasn't about to let the festivities wind down on this stop of his Poets and Pirates Tour.
"Thank you so much for letting us join the party," he told the crowd of more than 50,000, as if he'd wandered in from the parking lot while looking for a good time.
Good times are to Chesney what lawbreaking was to Johnny Cash, or heartbreak to Patsy Cline. Over the course of two hours and two dozen songs, Chesney never went more than a few minutes without referencing the joys of letting loose, usually with the aid of a handy six-pack.
Such mindful devotion to mindless indulgence is bound to exhaust the available material, and even Nashville's finest songwriters haven't been able to prevent Chesney's keg from running dry. "Everything is hotter when the sun goes down" sounds less like a call to all-night partying than the slogan for a tropical resort. Framed by beer-company banners, Chesney's concert came off as one big lifestyle ad.
With the help of a dozen musicians, including a four-piece horn section and a steel drummer, Chesney flavored his easygoing anthems with touches of ska and calypso, mixed with guitar solos out of 1970s album rock.
Although he's nominally a country artist (you could tell by the muscle shirt and cowboy hat he wore on stage), Chesney's the musical equivalent of the guy with the lamp shade on his head. He'll do anything if people seem to like it enough.
His dogged desire to please has paid dividends: more than 25 million albums sold and four consecutive awards for Entertainer of the Year from the Academy of Country Music.
But when Chesney reminisced about the songs of his youth in "I Go Back," it clarified what's missing from his own songs. The pungent details of John Mellencamp's "Jack and Diane" handily eclipse "Shiftwork," a vague blue-collar anthem Chesney dedicated to people who "work for a living." Sorry, trust-fund Chesney fans.
Keith Urban, whose alcohol-related rehab stays have been tabloid fodder for several years, steered clear of party anthems, although he did give a shout-out to the designated drivers in the crowd. Less than two weeks after the birth of Urban's first daughter, his songs about weathering turmoil and making the best of second chances seemed to have gained extra weight, though not enough to interfere with their feather-light construction.
In the post-alternative era, the banished cliches of stadium rock found a new home in the country arena, which is why it was only slightly odd to see Sammy Hagar amid the big-hat crowd. Dressed in performance sandals and plaid cargo shorts, Hagar looked like an aging beach bum. He even set up his own onstage tiki bar. But the music was pure '80s metal, a version of Toby Keith's "I Love This Bar" notwithstanding. A little of Hagar's party-boy scream goes a long way, but not nearly long enough to sustain an hour-long set.
Leann Rimes' songs are nearly as single-minded as Chesney's. She sings about being in love, looking for love, and getting over love, all with the same soaring voice. As a teenager, Rimes was bruited as the heir to Patsy Cline, but when she sang a few bars of her first hit, "Blue," rearranged as cocktail jazz, the heartbreak never pierced to her core.
Rimes' voice is an astonishing instrument, but it's as malleable as plastic, and about as soulful.
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It was a lovely night at the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater. The weather was ideal, there was a pleasant breeze and a beautiful full moon.
It seemed the perfect setting for a romantic evening - until Kenny Chesney and company showed up. Then, 'all-hell-broke-loose' and the night became rowdy and riotous.
He performed before a full house - a 'house' full of fans who shouted their approval from top to bottom.
Chesney is loud and, to quote one of his songs, he "Got A Little Crazy."
The concert was upbeat - way upbeat, with songs delivered in a frenzy by a four-times-in-a-row Entertainer Of the Year.
Chesney is a bundle of energy moves around as if he had swallowed a vial of Mexican jumping beans.
All of that is accompanied by splashy visuals.
Chesney has a big voice, the enthusiasm of a kid on Christmas morning, an infectious smile and a catalog of pretty decent songs.
The hits were present and accounted for - "Beer In Mexico," When the Sun Goes Down," and the Deere gem, "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy."
All pretty good stuff, but the night's highlights came when he offered songs by some of his noncountry heroes. There was "The Joker," from the Steve Miller Band, Bob Marley's "Don't Worry About A Thing."
The highlight of highlights was a song from before Chesney hotbed of mass adulation, a song he sang constantly in his club days, David Allen Coe's, "You Don't Have To Call Me Darling, Darling."
One of country music's darlings opened the show with an energetic performance. Leann Rimes and her powerhouse voice offered her raucous offerings. Good stuff, but it became one shout after another.
She must be tired of "Blue," the song that made her a star. She sang about a minute's worth.
The opening act was a complete unknown, Kevin Mack, a young man with a very good voice. If luck matches his talent he could have a decent future in this rough business.
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Wedding anniversary got the party started at Country Concert
"It's summer, so this must be Ft. Loramie," Kenny Chesney declared after taking the Hickory Hill Lakes stage just after 10 p.m. Friday night, July 12, where he was the day's headline act.
"I just walked into the biggest party of the summer," he added.
For most visitors to the annual Country Concert at Hickory Hill Lakes, the four-day concert and camping event is as much a party with friends as it is a music festival.
But then that's how the whole thing started nearly 30 years ago.
Mike and Mary Jo Barhorst, owners of the Hickory Hill Lakes RV sales and campgrounds decided to mark their 20th wedding anniversary with a big celebration. They invited all their family, friends and neighbors, and even invited all the park's 100-so campers for good measure. And they set the stage, so to speak, for today, by hiring some regional musicians to put on a concert.
They had so much fun, they did it again the next year, and after several similar to-dos, they brought in nationally known country performer Louise Mandrell.
And it just kept getting bigger.
This year's event features more than 20 nationally touring acts, including such top names as Trace Adkins, Travis Tritt and, of course, Chesney.
Chesney, who holds this year's Entertainer of the Year Award from both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music, alluded to a main aspect of the event's attraction early in his 90-minute set: "I know we've all got problems. I've got 'em, we've all got 'em. But let's just relax and listen to some music for the next hour and a half."
That attitude — and Chesney himself — proved earlier Friday evening to be a major draw to this year's concert.
"I'm here for Kenny," said Ryan DeForest, 21, of Hamilton, Ind., just after buying a Chesney T-shirt.
"Me, too," said Ashlie Kryder, 15, clutching a glossy color photograph of the singer.
"We're huge Kenny Chesney fans," agreed Brooke Koeppe, also 15, and also the new owner of a Chesney T-shirt.
Brooke, Ashlie and DeForest were part of a seven-person group from Hamilton who had come in just for the Friday lineup.
Besides being attractive to the eye, Chesney has terrific, meaningful songs, the friends said.
"He has really powerful lyrics," DeForest said.
Janene Gahler and Jared Lattimore, both 21, of the Oak Harbor suburb of Toledo, said they were looking forward to Kenny Chesney's set, too, but they were enjoying the whole festival as well.
They said they came in on Wednesday with a group of about 50 people who are all camping.
Gahler is making her first visit, while Lattimore is on his fourth.
"He likes the 'scenery,'" joked Gahler, who added that she came because she "heard it was a good time ... and we get to be out with our friends for five days straight."
Teresa Wacker, 51, of Minster is on her seventh festival.
Visiting with friends on the show grounds between performance acts, she said that events like the Country Concert are good for people, especially when life gets hard.
"It gets people away," she said. "You forget your troubles, and you relax. It's country living at its best."
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Review: Evansville Courier & Press by Rebecca Coudret
CONCERT REVIEW: Country star Chesney delivers at Roberts Stadium
It’s been a long couple of years since Kenny Chesney cast his musical spell over — oh, roughly, 9,000 or so people at Roberts Stadium.
In that time, he’s gotten a little older (he turned — gasp! — 40 in March), a lot wealthier, maybe a bit more introspective, and certainly, he’s gotten another gazillion awards.
But as Thursday night’s installment of his “Poets and Pirates Tour” proved, he hasn’t lost any of the enthusiasm or energy that made him one of the most surefire draws in country music history.
And country music has a long, long history.
From the opening chords of “Live Those Songs Again” to the final notes of his quirky “Tractor” song, Chesney had the jam-packed, on-its-feet, screechingly loud crowd rockin’.
It must be terribly gratifying for a performer to sing a song and have 99.9 percent of the people who are watching you be able to sing it back, word for word — including gestures and inflections.
That’s what it was like Thursday night. From “Beer in Mexico” and “Keg in the Closet,” to Chesney standards “I Go Back” and “When the Sun Goes Down,” to the newer “Don’t Blink” and “Never Wanted Nothing More,” he sang — and the Tri-State sang back.
And when it was time for the obligatory “Back Where I Come From,” complete with videos of Evansville, the crowd roared its approval.
It must be terribly gratifying to make so many people so happy.
It must be terribly gratifying to know you’ve taken people on a “Wild Ride” because you’ve honed your craft to the nth degree.
It must be terribly gratifying to be Kenny Chesney.
Opening the concert was Sgt. Rodney Watts, a serviceman stationed in Fort Campbell, Ky., and a native of Vincennes, Ind., who has strong ties to Evansville. Watts was the local winner of a national talent search.
He has a nice voice and a good back-up band, and while he was a little nervous in the beginning, he grabbed the crowd with his second and third songs.
That third song, “I’m Coming Home,” which was sung with six soldiers standing onstage, was warmly received — and it’s difficult to imagine any video having more impact than those six young men, in uniform, standing at ease as people cheered.
Following Watts was Gary Allan, who sauntered onstage and had his share of fans in the crowd.
His voice is a bit gravelly, and his music often sounds more heavy metal than country, but he might just be an acquired taste.
Time will tell.
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Live Those Songs Again Summertime Beer In Mexico Keg In The Closet I Go Back Wild Ride Big Star No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems Don’t Blink Shift Work Living In Fast Forward Young Never Wanted Nothing More Better As A Memory Back Where I Come From Stay (lead vocals by Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, with Chesney harmonizing) Don’t Happen Twice When The Sun Goes Down How Forever Feels Anything But Mine She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy
Review: Tennesean by Peter Cooper
Kenny Chesney headlines the Poets & Pirates Tour at LP Field
It’s tough to draw a crowd in Nashville.
We see big stars at the Kroger and the Pancake Pantry, and every third person here is a close, personal friend of Vince Gill. We can adopt pets from Emmylou Harris and brawl with Kid Rock and Adam “Pac Man” Jones at the strip clubs, so maybe the glitz factor isn’t much of an attraction in the 615.
And while we’re justifiably known as the Music City because of the staggering array of talented players and singers based here, we’re also known as a “soft” live market because… it’s tough to draw a crowd in Nashville.
World-class musicians play clubs like The Family Wash and Norm’s River Roadhouse, where a good night brings in an audience of, say, 45-50 people.
Tonight, Kenny Chesney and his Poets and Pirates tour draw more than 49,000 to LP Field. This is a place that usually sits idle and empty when it’s not football season, save for the annual CMA Music Festival.
And this is a time when fuel costs and the general decline of the music business make it nearly impossible to fill stadiums in America.
And, why Chesney? He’s more than twice Taylor Swift’s age, and he’s not a deft guitar player like Keith Urban and his show isn’t one long, choreographed musical backdrop to pre-recorded videos, and he doesn’t even use a vocal tuner to correct any mistakes (“I’m pitchy, and I know that,” he said. “If I have too good a time the night before, the fans can hear it. Just part of the moment.”).
Tonight, there were more than 49,000 people who raised their voices in a big and unified, “That’s why Chesney.” He promises, and delivers, a good time.
There are contemplative moments, like current No. 1 single “Better As A Memory,” which is as good a big country radio hit as there has been since “Whiskey Lullaby.”
But for the most part, this is an up show, in tempo and volume and message. In Chesney’s set, hard work reaps rewards, youth and home and real love sacred, life has meaning and music is to be loved but not analyzed.
That said, if singing positive songs was the key to stadium-filling success then Miley Cyrus would be attracting massive audiences… okay, bad example. My point, and I do have one, is that Chesney has also figured out how to deliver those songs in a way that plays to the furthest reaches of the third deck.
People talk a lot about the performing arts, but Chesney has studied the performing craft. His is a show of intention, in the same way that Springsteen’s is.
I’m not saying that a Chesney show is the equal of Springsteen’s show — and Springsteen is a for-the-ages writer and recording artist whereas Chesney is a new millennium superstar who has written some of his own hits — but I am saying that both of those men think a lot about the arc of a performance, about the importance of stage plots and physical space and comments and gestures and other things beyond the song.
It’s possible to luck into enormous success, but such success does not continue unless people continue to be entertained.
Saturday, they were entertained. Chesney opened with “Live Those Songs Again,” emerging via elevator to a spot that would have been the 35 yard line had the Titans been playing.
His show a greatest-hits set of sorts, with the biggest surprise coming when he invited Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland to come out and sing “Stay.”
It was a nicely paced set, with the only oddity coming at the very end. Chesney closed with the wish-it-was-forgettable “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” a (hugely popular) novelty number that doesn’t fall much in line with the rest of the set list.
As that song neared its conclusion, lots of folks began to leave, probably to beat the intense traffic.
And when the song ended, Chesney stayed and signed autographs and shook hands while the band played a groove-based instrumental and thousands of people filed out.
Chesney is a master of timing, so it seemed odd that he would allow himself to watch fans leave, rather than the other way around.
Otherwise, the show was pretty well beyond criticism. He was, as he’d promised, pitchy at times, but the concert was much more about the spirit of the moment than about any technical issues.
Earlier, Keith Urban went over great even after losing his voice. Chesney played to every part of the stadium, without ever seeming frenetic or overly anxious the way that some performers do when they find themselves in such massive environs.
My point, and I do have one, is this: Kenny Chesney gets to do this because Kenny Chesney knows how to do this. At this point, it’s tough for him not to draw a crowd. Even in Nashville.
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Oddly enough, Kenny Chesney would be hard pressed to find a more fitting audience for his beach bum persona than in the farmlands that make up Country Fest.
Chesney fuses the storytelling of John Mellencamp with Jimmy Buffet island philosophies. Add some rock riffs, put on a cowboy hat, and call it country. It's the escapism-whether from the glum daily news or a job's daily grind-that seduces the fans. "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" equals Big Audience.
Opening with "Live Those Songs" and "Summertime," Chesney showed off some mega-star perks. A giant video screen behind him displayed videos clips along with live footage of the band, which included a four-piece horn section. Chesney darted around the stage, working hard while singing songs about kicking back.
Unfortunately, muddy sound prevented Chesney from owning the crowd in the first half of his set. And no matter how much award-winning hype a singer has, many fest-goers treat the performers like a bar jukebox-something in the background to talk over and ignore.
Chesney had a pile of hits on his side, though, ones that could focus fans in any condition. "Shiftwork" and "Young" built momentum all the way up the hill. Chesney then hit on all cylinders with "Don't Happen Twice." Sing-a-longs for "When the Sun Goes Down" and "Anything But Mine" brought everyone together in a group chorus.
Chesney was joined by Dierks Bentley on vocals for the goofy "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy." An extended coda of Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" allowed Chesney time to sign autographs, shake hands, and give his guitar away to a lucky fan.
Earlier in the evening, Dierks Bentley went out of his way to include nearly everybody in the audience by saying, "I'm gonna make a toast: To the cowboy hats, the backward baseball hats, and the girls that came to rock, especially those in the little white tank tops...have a beer and maybe a shot." The "white tank top" was a reference to his lyric in one of his biggest songs of the night, "What Was I Thinkin.'"
Anyone not included in Bentley's first dedication was certainly included in his next: "We did a couple of songs for all the single people that are out tonight," he said. "How about one for everyone who came here with somebody else?" This led to "Soon As You Can," a song about life-long commitment.
For his hit, "Come a Little Closer," Bentley grabbed a dancing partner from the audience and spun her until she could barely stand. After she regained her balance, Bentley let her lead the crowd on a sing-a-long of the chorus.
Bentley also cajoled front row females during "How Am I Doin,'" a song he referred to as group therapy for the crowd.
Bentley's band shone on a bluegrass version of "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)," with impeccable banjo work. A cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" showcased more generous solos, with especially fine steel guitar playing, proving that a band can sneak some country into the fest without losing the crowd.
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A little bit country and a whole lot hot Rimes, Chesney, Urban reflect country's hipper new vibe
To paraphrase one of the songs from Kenny Chesney's new album, "Poets and Pirates: Just Who I Am," things got a little crazy Saturday night at Soldier Field.
Country music powerhouses Chesney, Keith Urban and LeAnn Rimes, along with Luke Bryan and Gary Allan, sailed into town for the much-anticipated "Poets and Pirates Tour."
In an evening where each act successfully topped the last, it was evident that today's male country star is a different breed altogether from years past. He no longer has to even attempt to fit the cowboy archetype or bask in a glow of patriotism, as was once the fashion. They don't even have to be, in Aussie Urban's case, American.
These guys prefer designer jeans to Wranglers, often look like underwear models and enjoy the type of devotion from female fans previously reserved for guys named Timberlake.
It makes sense, though. It would be hard for anyone to buy the tear-in-my-beer story from a dude who's swimming in cash and sharing a tour bus with Nicole Kidman.
So the mood is generally kept positive.
Many of Chesney's most popular anthem songs that he broke out Saturday, such as "Summertime," "No Shirt (No Shoes, No Problem)" and "Beer In Mexico," are celebrations of leisure, good times and flip-flops. In trying economic times and uncertainty in politics, it's natural and good that Chesney's (and Urban's for that matter) brand of escapism would keep fans on their feet for hours on a memorable Chicago evening.
When Chesney slowed the tempo a bit -- as those country stars are often wont to do -- the lyrics remain generally upbeat with carpe diem undertones, as with "Don't Blink," during which the crowd matched him passionately lyric-for-lyric.
Although Chesney wore a sweat-drenched Murphy's Bleachers T-shirt, thereby pledging his allegiance to the Cubs, for a moment he also managed to unite the North- and South-Siders in the crowd even as the city was in the midst of its own civil baseball war. During the chorus of "Back Where I Come From," Chesney was joined on stage by Nick Swisher of the White Sox and the Cubs' Jim Edmonds, as photos of iconic Chicago locales flashed on the big screen behind them.
Urban taught us during his too-brief set that in order to marry Nicole Kidman, you have to have the power to prompt a crowd of 50,000-plus to sing "Happy Birthday" to your pregnant wife the day after she turns 41. And there she was, Mrs. Keith Urban in the porcelain flesh -- hair pulled back, smiling just offstage.
From the opening notes of his smash hit "Days Go By" to his closing song "Love Somebody Like You," Urban had the crowd enthralled with his every syllable, every note and every strand of his highlighted hair.
If Chesney, Urban, Bryan and Allan are the pirates of the "Poets and Pirates Tour," its resident poet is Rimes. With Disney energy and a smile that supplanted the evening's setting sun, she showed with pro-gal songs like "Good Friend and a Glass of Wine" why women love LeAnn Rimes. And when she opted in the middle of her set for a costume change -- an oversize Nathan Vasher Bears jersey -- it was clear why men love LeAnn Rimes.
It was a shame that the stadium was barely a quarter full for charming newcomer Luke Bryan, country music's twangy answer to Jason Mraz. If he keeps churning out crowd favorites like "Country Man" and "All My Friends Say," we may someday see him headline his own stadium tour and leading the charge for the new generation of metro-country stars.
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Herds of country fans clad in cowboy hats, belt buckles, and steel-toed boots streamed into the i wireless Center last night to sing along to their favorite tunes and party with country's hottest star: Kenny Chesney. The arena was packed with a sold-out crowd composed of fans of all ages, including bouncing young children, starry-eyed teenagers and veteran country fans.
WLLR's J.D. Justice and Laura Lynn kicked off the night by introducing the Next Big Star Contest: 50 Pound Rooster, J.D. Justice, joking that we could forget about sand-bagging for a night and have a "different kind of beach party." The band started that party with a 15-minute set consisting of four toe-tapping numbers that were met with enthusiastic applause.
At. 8 p.m. LeAnn Rimes took the stage and brought a large portion of the crowd immediately to its feet. Her 50-minute set was a even split between songs from her newer albums and old favorites from her days as a young teen country star. Ms. Rimes graced the stage comfortably, her smile sparkling as brightly as her silver dress.
Partially through her set, Rimes gave the audience a chance to meet her and her band after the show via a text-message promotion. The arena was immediately illuminuated with cell-phone screens and eager texters buried their noses in their keys.
One of the crowd favorites included a shortened acoustic version of her debut single "Blue." Although Rimes's entire set was enjoyable and fun, she shined most during her older matieral, breezing through singles from her early teens like a seasoned pro.
When Kenny Chesney took the stage at 9:15 p.m., the crowd was deafening, as they sang along to the chorus of one of his opening numbers, "Summertime." Mr. Chesney's set had an impressively full sound, as his band consisted of not only the standard guitars, drums, and keyboards, but also a four-piece brass section and a fiddle as well.
Herds of country fans clad in cowboy hats, belt buckles and steel-toed boots streamed into the i wireless Center Thursday night to sing along and party with Kenny Chesney, country's hottest star.
The arena was packed with a sold-out crowd of bouncing young children, starry-eyed teens and veteran country fans.
WLLR's J.D. Justice and Laura Lynn started the night by introducing the Next Big Star Contest, 50 Pound Rooster, and joking that the crowd could forget bagging sand for a "different kind of beach party." The band started that party with four numbers met with enthusiastic applause.
Much of the crowd then rose to its feet as LeAnn Rimes took the stage. She evenly split her 50-minute set between newer songs and favorites from her teenage country-star days.
She graced the stage comfortably, her smile as bright as her silver dress.
Amidst her set, Rimes invited the audience to meet her and her band after the show via text messages. The arena immediately filled with illuminated cell-phone screens and eager texters burying their noses in their keys.
A shortened acoustic version of her debut single "Blue" was among the crowd's favorites. While her entire set was enjoyable and fun, she shined most during her older material, breezing through singles from her early teens like a seasoned pro.
When Kenny Chesney took the stage at 9:15 p.m., the crowd was deafening as they sang along to the chorus to "Summertime," one of his opening numbers.
Chesney's set had an impressively full sound, with a band comprised not only of the standard guitars, drums and keyboards, but a fiddle and a four-piece brass section.
He couldn't shake hands fast enough to keep up the crowd's overwhelming enthusiasm. From the first note of his set, it was clear that Chesney was going to share the spotlight with the thousands of voices in the crowd.
This - combined with dozens of beach balls bouncing across the i wireless floor - made the night feel less like a concert and more like a giant beach party. Neither the crowd nor Chesney stopped, as he fed off fans' energy to run laps back and forth on stage.
It wasn't until 50 minutes into his set that he took a second to pause and admire the crowd he had drawn, giving the audience a grin.
"Wow," he said. "We're going to have some fun tonight."
It's hard to pinpoint the strongest attribute for Chesney's overwhelming success: his smooth, relaxing vocals, his catchy lyrics or his heart-melting grin.
Whatever it is, the i wireless crowd embraced it whole-heartedly.
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The Kenny Chesney Poets & Pirates Tour Caravan rolled mightily into Heinz Field last night for a sold out show on the premier stop of the 2008 tour.
Besides Chesney, the other main acts were country superstars LeAnn Rimes, Keith Urban -- and the amazing stage they performed on.
It must be said. Besides looking good and being versatile with long risers that reached into the belly of the audience, it was outfitted with the best digital projection this reviewer has ever seen. The four main screens appeared to be high-def movie quality and just got better as the day turned into night. Wow.
Back to the show (... and what a show it was.)
After early sets by Gary Allan and Luke Bryan and the last of the rains moved through, Rimes strutted her yoga-svelte self onto the stage in a slinky-silver top, matching platform shoes and short-shorts perfect for the steamy evening air. She tore through an hour of music including her country and pop hits and gave a generally pleasing performance with those superstar pipes of hers.
Keith Urban was up next and from the first note on the guitar, he worked the crowd like the A-list professional he is. His musical chops are some of the best in the business and he showcased them as he rocked out on "Where the Black Top Ends" and "Shine." On "Better Half" he wailed on lead guitar getting up close to the audience and I had to remind myself this was a country show.
His songwriting is masterful and was displayed on such ballads as "Raining on Sunday" (Urban and acoustic guitar only) "You'll Think of Me" and "Making Memories of Us." He rocked out his set strolling into the audience on "Better Life." It was a treat to see him on this bill.
The main event rose out of the floor at exactly 9:30 p.m. amid stadium lights, smoke, flashy screens and applause that shook the very floor of the Mustard Palace to its core as the thousands who milled around waiting for him took their seats and fist-pumped his arrival in a unison of cheers.
He tore through his 21 song set list with utter precision starting with "Live Those Songs." I don't know who was more ecstatic, Chesney or the fans -- who in fact sang and knew every lyric to every song. Impressive.
Chesney favorites included "Beer in Mexico," "Wild Ride," "Don't Blink" and "Young." He played 13 songs on full throttle until he finally eased up on the pedal with "Better as a Memory." Afterward, he roused the crowd back to a fever pitch on "Back Where I Come From" as those digital screens displayed recent video of some of Pittsburgh's greatest local landmarks and sports teams. He turned in a poignant performance of "Old Blue Chair" accompanying himself on acoustic guitar for a nice change of pace. I could have used a little more of that. Right after, he brought Urban back to the stage for a cover of The Eagles' "Take it to the Limit."
This town loves Chesney -- and he loves them right back. His blue-collar sensibilities and work ethic fit right into his fan base here. They come to rock, and he delivers it straight on. So, as the sea of cell phone cameras illuminated this hearty audience like stars in the night sky, I thought about their devotion and decided they are in a class by themselves, too.
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Kenny Chesney hosts memorable all-day show at AT&T Park
Kenny Chesney doesn't have the leather lungs of Sammy Hagar or the smooth guitar chops of Steve Miller. He hasn't written as many hits as Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn.
But as an entertainer, country music fans know, Chesney is second to none. And the seven-hour extravaganza he hosted Sunday at San Francisco's AT&T Park - featuring all of the above plus LeAnn Rimes, Gary Allan and Luke Bryan - will go down as one of the year's most memorable shows.
Chesney pulled out all the stops for his San Francisco ballpark debut, after years of toiling at Shoreline Amphitheatre and Oakland's Oracle Arena. He seized the crowd before the first note of his set with a visual onslaught that made all that came before it look rather bush-league. The Tennessean first appeared in a Corona Beer commercial that would have been annoying if it hadn't jibed so perfectly with the good ol' beach boy image he's been perfecting in recent years.
The flesh-and-blood Chesney hit the stage next with an 11-piece band, including a four-piece horn section. After about two middling rockers too many, with strobe lights and video screens set to stun, he wisely mellowed things out for his musical statement of purpose: "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems." The slyly witty "Shiftwork" went over well, even if Chesney was only kidding when he introduced George Strait to sing his verse from the recording.
No worries - there would be plenty of real guest stars later.
The unassuming Chesney, who traded his cowboy hat for a Giants cap halfway through his set, managed to hold most of the party-hearty crowd's attention with a solo acoustic rendition of his own "Old Blue Chair." But after that, introspection went out the window as the star began exposing some local talent. Miller calmly stirred up the crowd with "The Joker" and "Rock'n Me," with Chesney lending more moral support than vocal assistance. After Chesney and his band banged out a couple more, he introduced his good friend Hagar, who enthusiastically took over the stage for "I'll Fall in Love Again" and "I Can't Drive 55," leaving Chesney as the Red Rocker's most visible - and affectionate - fan.
It was after 11 when Chesney wrapped things up with "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy," ending a day of music that for many sunburned fans started outside the park in the a.m. with the "Beach Ball Free-for-All," sponsored by KBWF "The Wolf."
Brooks & Dunn were consummate pros throughout their 70-minute set, though the duo's cheesy video display harked back to its '90s heyday. The team got their biggest applause with the patriotic "Only in America" - complete with red, white and blue streamers and the appearance of three U.S. soldiers - and their smash-hit cover of B.W. Stevenson's "My Maria," a perfect vehicle for Dunn's soaring tenor.
Like Chesney, Rimes paid tribute to San Francisco, in this case by tearing through Janis Joplin's arrangement of George Gershwin's "Summertime." Rimes has been maddeningly inconsistent over her career, which reached the national stage when she was only 13, but no one ever said she couldn't sing. Now 25, Rimes focused on her country hits, including a verse of her debut single, "Blue," reinvented as a saloon song for voice and piano. She wisely steered away from her tackiest attempts at pure pop, though avoiding the syrupy megahit "How Do I Live" proved to be too much to hope for.
No-nonsense Californian Gary Allan added a welcome touch of gravitas to the proceedings, even if his low-key personality is more suited to reaching the bar at a honky-tonk than the back row of a ballpark. Newcomer Luke Bryan showed some promise on a short opening set that included his hit "All My Friends Say" and a fun cover of John Anderson's "Money in the Bank."
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Kenny Chesney Clark County Ampitheater June 3, 2008 Kenny Chesney singing No shoes and Don't blink at Clark County...vid taken from front row of seats but about 10 feet from the stage behind the "sand pit"
Kenny Chesney 6/3/08 - Clark County Live "beer in mexico/no shoes, no shirt, no problems"
Kenny Chesney "Old Blue Chair" Clark County 6/3/08
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1. Live This Songs 2. Summertime 3. Beer In Mexico 4. Keg In The Closet 5. I Go Back 6. Wild Ride 7. Big Star 8. No Shoes 9. Don't Blink 10. Shiftwork 11. Livin' In Fast Forward 12. Young 13. Never Wanted Nothing More 14. Better As A Memory 15. Back Where I Come From 16. Old Blue Chair 17. Don't Happen Twice 18. When The Sun Goes Down 19. How Forever Feels 20. Anything But Mine 21. Tractor
He also sang Gotta A Little Crazy ... not sure exactly where it fits in the setlist.
Review: The Columbian By Greg Jayne
Kenny Chesney charms with rich voice, average-Joe persona
OK, I get it. I understand why Kenny Chesney has been named Entertainer of the Year five times by the Country Music Association.
Sure, the voice is rich but limited. Yes, the songs are catchy yet often trite.
But while the music can be formulaic and contrived, alternating between the kind of down-home sentimentality that Garth Brooks perfected and the party-boy persona mastered by Jimmy Buffett, Chesney’s connection with his audience is authentic. So there he was Tuesday, playing to a nearly full crowd at The Amphitheater at Clark County.
The lawn was covered with revelers. The pit was packed with everybody who could work his or her way down there. The atmosphere was electric and worshipful.
And as Chesney wrapped up a 22-song, 106-minute set, the guess is that most of those in attendance will be back the next time he comes this way. The guess is that 8-year-old Ben Holt of Vancouver will be among them, considering that he was pulled up on stage at the end of the show to receive an autographed guitar and a series of high-fives from the star.
Therein lies the brilliance of Chesney. He has parlayed an average-Joe persona, a decent voice and an ability to turn a phrase into one of the biggest careers in country music these days.
He has had 13 songs reach No. 1 on the country charts. He has had 10 others peak at No. 2. And it’s easy to see that his live show is the foundation of that success.
There’s not a lot here that’s original. Chesney received a degree in marketing from East Tennessee State University, and he has been putting those lessons to good use in the field of live entertainment.
There’s an 11-piece band, including a four-piece horn section. There’s a dazzling light show, ranging from strobes to neons. There’s the trademark black cowboy hat, topping off the everyman ensemble of sleeveless blue T-shirt and requisite blue jeans.
Most of all, there’s a 1,000-watt smile and a personality that is in complete command of the proceedings. Chesney knows why some 18,000 people are there, and he’s willing to do everything he can to make sure they have a good time.
Among those tricks is allowing seemingly everybody who wants to sneak down close to the stage. The result is a wild atmosphere and plenty of hands to slap and shake during and between songs.
Another trick is having a big name such as LeAnn Rimes open for him. Rimes delivered a 12-song, 46-minute set that was solid yet pointed out her shortcomings.
Since becoming a sensation with the release of “Blue” when she was 13, Rimes has spent the past 12 years avoiding her coronation as the successor to Patsy Cline. She has evaded anything that could tie her to traditional country, choosing songs that could just as well be sung by Britney Spears instead of somebody with Rimes’ remarkably gifted voice.
That was reflected in her set, which was filled with the kind of rock hybrid numbers that exemplify crossover country.
When she allowed her voice to take center stage, such as on the only two lines she sang from “Blue” or on her hit “How Do I Live,” her talent took center stage. The rest of the set was highlighted by the fact that she looked utterly stunning in a thigh-length dress straight out of the pages of Vogue.
Chesney, on the other hand, has no problem reconciling who he is.
He delivered his hits, including “Don’t Blink” and “When the Sun Goes Down” and “Never Wanted Nothing More,” a song that is impossible to dislike. He batted beach balls back into the crowd. He added bras that were thrown on stage to a large collection hanging around a microphone stand set up solely for that purpose.
And along the way he reminded his legion of fans why they were there.
“We’ve all got problems,” he said between songs about one-third of the way through the show. “What do you say we forget about them for an hour-and-a-half, OK?”
And then he allowed the audience to do exactly that.
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Live Those Songs Again Summertime Beer In Mexico Keg In The Closet I Go Back Big Star No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems Don't Blink Shift Work Living In Fast Forward Young Never Wanted Nothing More Back Where I Come From Old Blue Chair (solo) Better As A Memory Don't Happen Twice When The Sun Goes Down (with UK) Follow Me (with UK) How Forever Feels
Encore:
Anything But Mine She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy
Review: East Valley Tribune by Chris Hansen Orf
Chesney's tour brings 'Stadium County' to town
Boasting a bill with four legitimate concert headliners, country superstar Kenny Chesney’s “Poets and Pirates Tour 2008” literally ushered in a new genre, “Stadium Country,” when the four time CMA and ACM entertainer of the year and friends made a stop at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale Saturday night.
Even with the cancellation of LeAnn Rimes due to an inflamed vocal chord, the lineup Saturday night was one that clearly blew away any of bills that Country Thunder trotted out during its four day run in Florence last month, with country hitmakers Gary Allan and Keith Urban sandwiched around rocker Sammy Hagar before Chesney closed out the night with a two hour set.
Tattooed California country rocker Gary Allan was up first, starting at around 4 in the afternoon as the crowd began filtering into the stadium. Allan has scored plenty of top country hits and he rolled out most of them during his 45 minute set including his 200 breakthrough single “Smoke Rings in the Dark,” “Right Where I Need to Be,” “The haunting ballad “Songs About Rain” and his two most recent hits, “Watching Airplanes” and the current chart climber “Learning How to Bend.”
While there was no act on the bill Saturday night that could be labeled “traditional country,” Allan came the closest with his husky vocals and his pedal steel drenched honky-tonkers “Nothing On But the Radio” and his set closer “Drinkin’ Dark Whiskey.
Next up was Sammy Hagar, who has as much to do with country music as Hagar the Horrible, but his penchant for drinking margaritas on stage, wearing shorts and the fact that he owns a beachside bar in Cabo (the Cabo Wabo Cantina) undoubtedly endears him to the beach obsessed Chesney, who put the “Red Rocker” on the tour.
Opening up with “Mas Tequila,” Hagar (who’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of hard rockers Van Halen) got the crowd in the partying mood, kicking beach ball into the audience, shimmying with his bikini clad backup dancers and accepting blue cocktails from a bar on the side of the stage.
Hagar touched upon his best known tunes (“There’s Only One Way to Rock,” Van Halen’s “Why Can’t This Be Love” and “Finish What You Started,” and “Three Lock Box”) before getting in the spirit of things – or perhaps to keep the country fans from heading to the bar or restroom – by covering Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar” before wrapping things up with his lone certified classic, “I Can’t Drive 55.”
Aussie Keith Urban, an entertainer of the year candidate year in and year out, was stellar on Saturday. Whether one thinks his music is country or not, Urban is a standout singer and guitarist (along with Brad Paisley, Urban is one of the finest guitar slinging country singers in contemporary country) who busts out rocking guitar solos that would make his countryman, AC/DC’s Angus Young, smile.
Urban kicked off his set with “Days Go By” and proceeded to whip through a too short set of his best known tunes, hits such as “You’re My Better Half,” “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me,” “Stupid Boy” and the ballads “You’ll Think of Me” and “Raining on Sunday” before ending his set with “I Wanna Love Somebody Like You.”
Before Chesney hit the stage the crowd was treated to a video of the singer relaxing on beaches in the Caribbean, drinking Corona (who are, not so coincidentally, sponsoring the “Poets and Pirates” tour) and basically acting like Jimmy Buffett, who has made a living for four decades by selling the sun-soaked escapism to rock fans that Chesney is now offering country fans.
You’ve heard of stadium rock, band such as The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin and U2, acts that routinely filled stadium in their heyday, and now Chesney, with 40,000 or so fans filling University of Phoenix Stadium, has ushered in the new era of “Stadium Country.”
Chesney, dressed in a sleeveless black T-shirt, jeans and a black cowboy hat, hasn’t won the ACM and CMA entertainer of the year four years in a row for nothing – his show is packed with strobe lights, video montages, fist-pumping rock guitar solos and the superstar’s ebullient, hands-on relationship with fans lucky enough to be seated (or in this case, standing) near any of the several stage runways that jutted out into the middle of the crowd.
Opening up with “Live These Songs,” Chesney, who with 10 studio albums has scored enough hits to play a good four hours easy, proceeded to prance about the stage like a country Mick Jagger, playing air guitar, sprinting up and down the ramps leading into the audience and generally staying in constant motion while his crack backing band reproduced his biggest hits right down to the last note.
Most of Chesney’s songs can be narrowed into two categories – tunes about the beach and nostalgic offerings that harken back to his college frat boys days of his teen years.
Of his beach-themes hits, the singer on Saturday rolled out “Beer in Mexico,” “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems,” the solo acoustic “Old Blue Chair” and “When the Sun Goes Down,” during which Chesney’s duet partner Uncle Kracker made a cameo.
Of his nostalgic tunes, Chesney played “Keg in the Closet,” “I Go Back, “Young,” “Never Wanted Nothin’ More,” Back Where I Came From” and “Just Don’t Happen Twice.”
With shows like this, where the singer had the adoring crowd eating out of his hand from the second the big “Poets and Pirates” curtain dropped, it’s not inconceivable that Chesney will win his fifth consecutive entertainer of the year award, certifying the singer as the biggest country superstar since Garth Brooks retired in 2001.
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Setlist: to follow (If you have the setlist please add as a comment)
Review: San Diego Union Tribune by Susan Shroder
Peavy a hit with Chesney crowd
Jake Peavy may be on the disabled list, but his voice was in fine form when Kenny Chesney coaxed him from the wings for a surprise onstage appearance Thursday night at Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre.
“Jake, you sing pretty good,” Chesney said after the Padres' pitcher joined him for a few lines of the country superstar's bittersweet ballad, “Better as a Memory (Than as Your Man).” Both have Southern roots. Chesney hails from Tennessee; Peavy is from Alabama.
It's not the first time Peavy has been linked to Chesney.
Last October, a New York Times article noted that before pitching a game against the Colorado Rockies, Peavy was in the Denver clubhouse “strumming a bat like an air guitar” to Chesney's hit, “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem.”
Chesney sang that hit and many others Thursday night during the local stop on his “Poets & Pirates” 34-city tour.
Judging by the enthusiastic near-capacity crowd, it was a show that seemed, for two energy-filled hours, to make local concertgoers forget about rising gas prices and declining home values.
True to his reputation as a purveyor of good times, Chesney kept most of the audience on its feet for two hours, many of them dancing, singing and waving arms to feel-good songs about things like “the sun and the sand and a drink in my hand.”
Noting that opening act LeAnn Rimes had to cancel due to strained vocal cords, Chesney told the crowd, “but that just means we get to sing a little longer.”
And he did, at one point noting he was straying from his planned set of songs, only to forget the words to two of them. It seemed to endear him even more to a clearly enthralled audience.
About 30 minutes into the show, the superstar known for his likable-guy persona told the crowd to leave their problems behind.
“For the next hour and a half, forget about it and just have fun,” he said.
And Chesney, wearing tight jeans, a black cowboy hat and a blue sleeveless T-shirt, seemed to be doing just that himself.
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Setlist: I've been searching all day for the Staples Center Show last night, and I can't find any complete setlist info ... so If you attended we'd love to hear how the show was and if you have a setlist ...
Kenny Chesney, LeAnn Rimes make magic out of routine in L.A.
Review: His return to Staples Center didn't exactly feel fresh – but the country superstar's fans clearly didn't mind.
It's a new tour, bringing him back to Staples Center after three years and an inaugural Stagecoach appearance. It's a new stage design, with an even larger HD display and extra room in its celeb-dotted lucky-winners pit.
And it's partly designed to spotlight a new album, his 10th proper set, "Just as I Am: Poets & Pirates." Sure enough, that disc provided most of the evening's high points, from the cheeky workingman's anthem "Shiftwork" (the best Jimmy Buffett ripoff he's come up with yet) to the live-like-you-were-dying sentiments of "Don't Blink," so emotionally resonant with the near-capacity crowd that plenty of people must have been left brushing back tears.
So why, then, did it often feel like the same ol' Kenny Chesney show Wednesday night – right down to another "surprise" (read: painfully routine) appearance from Uncle Kracker in an old-school Angels cap?
OK, yeah, after the increasingly hefty, clearly wasted Kracker gurgled his way through "When the Sun Goes Down" and "Follow Me" and the Dobie Gray classic "Drift Away," Kid Rock also came sauntering out – flashing his midriff, scratching himself with the microphone, lollygagging through "Cowboy," helping a drunken rendition of David Allen Coe's "You Never Even Called Me by My Name" become a white-trash BBQ family reunion.
Right: that didn't happen in 2005. And neither did another fan-wowing moment, when Chesney sat down for a solo acoustic rendition of Dave Loggins' rambling-man ditty "Please Come to Boston."
One other noticeable difference: Chesney's rock references were toned down, even eradicated. Oh, he still cuts loose like few stadium-filling superstars of this new-country age, whether celebrating the spirit of the late '60s in "Live Those Songs" or polishing up the choruses of "Big Star" and "Living in Fast Forward and "Wild Ride" until they gleam like newly minted machinery off the Bon Jovi assembly line. But at least this time his fist-shakin', foot-stompin' approach, heavy on the Huey Lewis, wasn't so obvious as to include an opening medley of AC/DC, U2, Ozzy and Queen.
It also wasn't quite as entertaining, either.
Lest I get bombarded with hate mail for not loving every moment, let me give the skinny spitfire in tight jeans, a sweaty muscle T-shirt and his usual black hat his props: He's tireless, sings unerringly, is every bit as savvy at riling people up as Toby Keith, has a crack, expansive band complete with a full complement of horns. Above all, he's as dependable as he is committed to wringing every ounce of excitement from every song. There's a reason why he's been named the ACM's entertainer of the year four years running.
Yet, now at 40, it's easy to sense the formula setting in – just as it has with Buffett. Every other year brings a slightly updated variation on the same show; every other year Chesney adds more must-plays to his set list without leaving any older ones off (the thought that he'd avoid "Summertime" or "Beer in Mexico" or "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" is as unimaginable as Buffett forgetting to play "Margaritaville").
Doesn't really matter how he dresses things up or down – how much, for instance, his talking-skull opening montage resembled a high-tech rethink of the dead-men-tell-no-tales distraction just before the first drop on Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean. He's considerably less laid-back than his seafaring idol, yet he's just as instantly familiar: Once you've watched this restless Tennessean crank through his repertoire full speed ahead, you can bet every boat ride thereafter will lead to the same destination.
Should he be faulted for that? Of course not – people have been turning out to see the Stones do one thing for 40 years. Chesney's fans come for the comfort, the escape from humdrum 9-to-5 drudgery and whatever problems might be mounting at home. That it all can become as predictable as a holiday weekend in Havasu is the least of their concerns.
I, for one, put up no resistance to his good vibes. But that doesn't mean I sometimes wasn't more amused by the array of giant Corona beach balls floating about the floor, knocking people upside the head.
I also was much more taken with LeAnn Rimes' opening set, which should have been longer.
Granted, it's hard not to get sucked into her sassed-up style when she comes strutting braless down the aisle inches away from you, hollering "Nothin' Better to Do," wearing a slip of a miniskirt, high heels … and not much else. You'd think she just arrived from a Maxim shoot. The Lakers jersey she put on for a cover of Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" at the close of her set was longer than her dress.
But though she may sell sex appeal as much as her music these days, the 25-year-old Rimes here continued to extend her reputation as one of the most vital and progressive stars associated with mainstream Nashville these days.
Like Gretchen Wilson and Carrie Underwood, she excels at toughened-up hybrid tunes where the only hint of country is a twangy aside or a reference to hangin' with good friends over good wine. (Her only true country bit was a nearly a cappella handling of her Patsy Cline-y first hit "Blue," which dovetailed into "How Do I Live.") Yet, no matter how much she blurs the lines, her powerhouse vocals and playful but confident personality are what keep her rooted – and set her apart from the pack. More than a decade since bursting onto the scene, it's as if she's just beginning to blossom.
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1. Live Those Songs 2. Summertime 3. Beer In Mexico 4. Keg in the Closet 5. Wild Ride 6. Big Star 7. No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem 8. Don't Blink 9. Shiftwork 10. Back Where I Come From 11. Special Guest Jennifer Nettles sang "Stay" with Clayton on guitar 12. Living In Fast Forward 13. Young 14. Never Wanted Nothing More 15. Better As A Memory 16. Don't Happen Twice 17. When The Sun Goes Down Encores: 18. Anything But Mine w/ Jennifer Nettles doing some harmony 19. She Thinks My Tractors Sexy
Review: Cleveland Plain Dealer by Chuck Yarborough
Stadium stays dry, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban heat things up
Browns fans attended a season's worth of home games this past season, and walked away with wins (mostly) and no floods.
Cleveland Browns Stadium had the same fortune Saturday, with a winning lineup of country stars (and one rock 'n' roll interloper) as the Kenny Chesney Poets and Pirates Tour returned to the scene of last summer's Stadium soggy mountain breakdown.
Chesney is the reigning Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year, and for good reason. He's not the reigning male vocalist of the year, for equally good reason. Not since Garth Brooks launched his self-imposed hiatus has country seen an artist as vibrant and exciting onstage as Chesney.
But his voice is thin, with a limited range. Fortunately, he realizes it, so he tailors his songs to hide that weakness, and tailors his concert to exploit his showmanship. He rolled through his many hits, like "Young," "Back Where I Come From" and his new one, "Shift Work," delivering charisma if not perfect pitch.
Clevelanders had a chance to discover Keith Urban 11 years ago. That's when restaurateur Michael Miller brought a little Aussie band called the Ranch to his club, which then was in the Warehouse District (and now is near Progressive Field.)
It's likely that any who saw and heard the blond heartthrob would never forget it. Turns out, Urban found Cleveland just as memorable. He mentioned both Wilbert's and Cleveland and the Ranch as he and his crack band -- which features former Ranch bassist Jerry Flowers and Clevelander Chris McCue on drums wowed the crowd.
Though troubled by some intermittent feedback problems, Urban made it a g'day for country music fans. The happiest surprise is that his vocals have grown to match the power of his guitar-playing. The only real disappointment in his stint is that it was so short -- featuring only 13 songs.
Urban was part of a quartet of opening acts that included chanteuse LeAnn Rimes, California crooner Gary Allan and hair-metal rocker Sammy Hagar. Quick, what doesn't fit in this picture?
Here's a hint: You don't have to drive 55 to get to the right answer.
Allan and his emo-country rock followed local band Tony Rio & Relentless, winners of Chesney's Big Star contest here. The man responsible for "Watching Airplanes," "She's So California," and "Smoke Rings in the Dark" was spot-on perfect throughout his short set.
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1. Live Those Songs 2. Summertime 3. Beer In Mexico 4. Keg in the Closet 5. Wild Ride 6. Big Star 7. No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem 8. Don't Blink 9. Shiftwork 10. Back Where I Come From 11. Living In Fast Forward 12. Young 13. Never Wanted Nothing More 14. Better As A Memory 15. Special Guest Jennifer Nettles sang "Stay" 16. Don't Happen Twice 17. When The Sun Goes Down w/ Leann Rimes
Encores:
18. Anything But Mine w/ Jennifer Nettles doing some harmony 19. She Thinks My Tractors Sexy
Kenny Chesney "Don't Blink" Grand Rapids 2008
Review: The Grand Rapids Press by Caitlin M. Foyt
Kenny Chesney 'outdid himself' in second Van Andel show
Kenny Chesney's second consecutive night in Van Andel Arena had similarities to his first.
But ticket holders to both sold-out shows saw two very different performances.
"No two Kenny shows are exactly the same," said Doug Montgomery, Program Director at B-93.7 FM, Country Music & Video for Western Michigan.
"The key difference was that just when I thought he couldn't outdo himself, he outdid himself. He was just one with the audience. He had them right in the palm of his hand."
The country music superstar surprised his audience by bringing Jennifer Nettles, lead singer for country duo Sugarland, back on stage for the second night in a row.
Nettles performed "Stay" by Sugarland, a song that peaked at the No. 2 position on the Billboard Hot Country Song chart.
"I got chill bones from that," he told the audience as he showed Nettles his goosebump-covered arm.
Nettles appeared on stage again later to perform "Anything But Mine" alongside the headliner.
To return a favor, Chesney invited the Lost Trailers, a fellow band on Sony BMG Records, into the spotlight to perform "The Joker" by Steve Miller Band.
Chesney performed Wednesday night with the Lost Trailers -- who recently taped a video in downtown Grand Rapids -- at the Intersection, 133 Grandville Ave. SW, during the Kenny Chesney After Party.
LeAnn Rimes, who was featured prior to Chesney's performance, returned to center stage to sing a duet version of Chesney's original "When the Sun Goes Down."
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* Live Those Songs Again * Summertime * Beer in Mexico * Keg in the Closet * Wild Ride * Big Star * No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem * Don't Blink * Shiftwork * Back Where I Come From * Living in Fast Forward * Young * Never Wanted Nothin' More * Better As a Memory * Don't Happen Twice * When the Sun Goes Down (w/Uncle Kracker & Jennifer Nettles) * Follow Me (w/Uncle Kracker) * Cowboy (Kid Rock cover w/Uncle Kracker) * You Never Even Called Me by My Name (David Allan Coe cover w/Uncle Kracker) * How Forever Feels
Encore:
* Anything But Mine (w/Jennifer Nettles) * She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy (w/Luke Bryan)
Opening acts: LeAnn Rimes, The Frankie Ballard Band (Wednesday), The Bronk Brothers (Thursday)
Review: MLive by Jack Leaver
Kenny Chesney dazzles crowd
It's hard to believe Kenny Chesney could top himself.
For the seventh year in a row, the country music superstar returned to Van Andel Arena on Wednesday evening, for the first of his two-night stand here.
This time, the 40-year-old Tennessee native made the arena a stop on his Pirates & Poets Tour, once again performing for a sold-out crowd of about 12,000 screaming fans.
Chesney's concert comes on the heels of his appearance at the Academy of Country Music awards show Sunday, where the singer took home his fourth consecutive entertainer of the year award.
That's no surprise for a guy that, for the past several years, routinely has sold out Van Andel Arena and repeated it across the country, also selling out football stadiums.
Chesney is a seasoned pro who knows his audience well and, in the years he has appeared at Van Andel Arena, has continued to make his show bigger and better.
In terms of production, the Pirates & Poets show is a dazzling array of video screens, the most impressive being a large curved screen that served as a backdrop. For sound, Chesney has made his already muscular instrumental backing punchier, by enlarging his talented and versatile band to 11 members, which included a stellar four-piece horn section.
Emerging from below the center of his stage, Chesney hit the ground running, launching his band into "Live Those Songs Again" and not letting up, soaking up the adoration and deafening roar of the crowd as he launched into "Summertime," "Beer in Mexico" and the college party anthem "Keg in the Closet."
Having just celebrated his 24th career Top Ten hit, Chesney has a lot of crowd-pleasing songs to choose from, and he delivered one right after another, including "Young," "Big Star" and a high-octane cover of Dwight Yoakam's "Wild Ride."
In the past, Chesney's shows here have included special guest appearances, and this year was no exception as Detroit hip-hop and rock artist Uncle Kracker and Jennifer Nettles, lead singer for country duo Sugarland, joined Chesney for his calypso-flavored hit "When the Sun Goes Down."
LeAnn Rimes delivered a solid opening act. Clowning around onstage with Uncle Kracker and Nettles, Chesney clearly was enjoying himself, and he and Uncle Kracker delighted the crowd by peforming a rockin' version of Kid Rock's "Cowboy" and a cover of David Allan Coe's honky tonk standard "You Never Even Call Me By My Name."
But Chesney wasn't done there, as he brought Nettles back for the first of his two-song encore, inviting her to help him sing his early hit "Anything But Mine."
Then, up-and-coming country singer Luke Bryan joined Chesney for the show-closing "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy."
In spite of a rough sound mix, the golden-throated LeAnn Rimes delivered an excellent set, highlighted by hits from her latest CD "Family," including the swampy title track, the pop rocker "Good Friend and a Glass of Wine" and her sassy opening song "Nothin' Better to Do."
West Michigan act the Frankie Ballard Band got its "15 minutes of fame" with a short but extremely sweet opening set. The Kalamazoo-based trio recently won Kenny Chesney's "The Next Big Star" contest, which allowed them to open the show. A video of their set Wednesday night will be used to judge them against other unsigned acts chosen at Chesney's other tour stops across the country. The grand prize winner will have the opportunity to open the final three shows of the Pirates & Poets Tour and an audition with Sony BMG Records.
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Live Those Songs Again Summer Time Beer in Mexico Keg in the Closet Wild Ride Big Star No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems Don't Blink Back Where I Come From Shift Work Your Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone (w/ Kix Brooks) Living in Fast Forward Young Never Wanted Nothing More Better as a Memory Don't Happen Twice When The Sun Goes Down How Forever Feels
Encore:
Anything But Mine She's Think's My Tractor's Sexy
Review: Baltimore Sun by Chris Yakaitis
Fans storm stadium for 'Pirates' stop
For the tens of thousands of people who descended on M&T Bank Stadium for Kenny Chesney's Poets and Pirates Tour, the highlight of the full day came when Chesney emerged from beneath the stage about 9 p.m., unleashing an uninhibited roar of cheers.
In a sleeveless Bruce Springsteen Live 1975-85 T-shirt, Chesney channeled the Boss' renowned high energy for a roughly 100-minute set that ran through all his major hits and wrapped up with "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy." Slowing down only for the occasional ballad, Chesney held the crowd convincingly in his sway, some of whom had anticipated the moment for up to 12 hours.
The nearly all-day event kicked off about 9 a.m. for the earliest pre-show tailgaters and extended well into the evening as country music fans came from as far away as Chicago to kick back, down a few cold beers and take in a steady succession of country stars leading up to the main performance from Chesney, the Country Music Awards' reigning Entertainer of the Year.
But whether they stuck to tailgating in the parking lot all day or danced and sang along with Chesney's set late in the evening, everyone seemed to get what they came for: music, relaxation and, more often than not, buzzed bonhomie.
"It's the camaraderie. Everybody on the field, everybody in the stadium, they all come together as a family," said Diana McNemar, 38, a Chesney fan from Pasadena who has been to several of his shows over the past few years. "We hung out outside. ... You get to love the people outside, and once you've made it into the stadium it's like going home."
The concert opened with Gary Allan and followed with a steady stream of big-name country acts including Leann Rimes, Big & Rich and Brooks & Dunn kept the crowd two-stepping in the aisles, raising their drinks and singing along to the choruses throughout the afternoon. .
With an affable stage presence, Rimes confidently strode the stage in heels, leaning down at several points to autograph hats and posters for fans. She scored cheers by donning a Ravens jersey with "Rimes" emblazoned across the back for her last three tunes, including her '90s hit "How Do I Live Without You" and a cover of Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me."
Big & Rich also infused their act with healthy doses of rock - including AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" - and even something of the punk ethos, smashing two acoustic guitars at the end of their set. Amid hits "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" and "I Play Chicken with the Train," John Rich thanked the crowd for "supporting what we do, which is country music without prejudice."
As dusk settled over the stadium, journeymen Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn took the stage for a set that concluded with an encore performance of "Boot Scootin' Boogie." While less physically animated than the previous performers, the two offered a fuller sound and an even larger spectacle. Midway through the anthem "Only in America," a handful of Marines and soldiers in dress uniform marched onstage. Shortly thereafter, a blast of red, white and blue streamers had the field-level crowd untangling itself for several minutes.
But the night belonged to Chesney, who trolled the stage with cameras trailing him throughout the set. Backed up by no fewer than 11 musicians - including a four-man horn section - the crowd of 42,316 pulsed as Chesney launched into the hits "Living in Fast Forward" and "How Forever Feels."
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In case you hadn't noticed, modern country music has very little to do with actual country music.
If you're a fan of Kenny Chesney, who brought his hit-packed "Poets & Pirates Tour" to the Charleston Civic Center on Thursday night, the lack of two-steps and honky-tonk shuffles wasn't noticeable.
Only the occasional steel guitar solo resembled something like what country music used to sound like.
This style of country music has drifted so far from the shore that it now resides somewhere off the coast of Mexico, aboard Kenny Chesney's yacht. Though this music sounds more like something closer to pop rock, not a member of the capacity crowd seemed to mind. From the VIP seats next to the stage to the nosebleed sections in the farthest reaches of the auditorium, Chesney had the entire building in the palm of his hand.
There are big bucks in this brand of country; a gigantic high-definition screen hung above the stage and an enormous disco ball sprinkled light across the entire arena. There was probably enough wattage used in the show to power all of Kanawha County for a month.
Rising on a platform from beneath the stage, Chesney emerged like the 2000s very own Garth Brooks and launched into his deep bag of hits, from the karaoke-to-caviar fairytale of "Big Star" to the sentimental philosophy of "Don't Blink." During "Where I Come From," the big screens flashed about a dozen local landmarks, including the Blue Parrott, Bar 101, the University of Charleston and a "We Are Marshall" billboard, to the ear piercing eruption of the audience. Chesney made a point to recognize Charleston's radio stations for playing his earliest material when few other stations were.
Leann Rimes, in plaid hot pants, a silky black top and bright red high-heels, began her 45-minute set wandering through the floor seats to her shake-down boogie "Nothin' Better to Do." Gleaming with her squinted eyes and toothy grin, Rimes touched on her first hit, the Patsy Cline infused "Blue," a slight reminder of what country once was, before meandering around "How Do I Live," taking liberties with the melody showing that she is probably pretty tired of singing the song.
Local opener Traci Ann Stanley, with a band led by Huntington music luminary Bud Carroll, began the night with about 15 minutes of her radio ready pop country, showcasing her knack for a hook and a vivacious voice that we will likely be hearing more from in the not too distant future.
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Pirate Themed entrance Live Those Songs Again Summer Time Beer in Mexico Keg in the Closet Wild Ride Big Star No Shoes/No Shirts/No Problem Don't Blink Just Not Today Shift Work Living in Fast Forward Young Demons What I Need to Do Just Don't Happen Twice Back Where I Come From When The Sun Goes Down How Forever Feels
Encore:
Anything But Mine She's Think's My Tractor's Sexy
Review: Dallas Morning News by MANUEL MENDOZA
Injured Kenny Chesney jumps back into rocked-up country
Hurt foot? What hurt foot?
Kenny Chesney showed no signs of his foot injury from a recent stage mishap during his show Saturday at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco. Country music's reigning king, Kenny Chesney, showed no signs Saturday night of the injury he suffered a week ago in Columbia, S.C., when his right foot got caught between the stage and a hydraulic lift.
Headlining a show that opened with rock-heavy sets by LeAnn Rimes and Brooks & Dunn, Mr. Chesney scooted up and down the thrust runway at Pizza Hut Park singing his Everyman tunes as if he felt just fine.
"Play something country," Brooks & Dunn implored before Mr. Chesney ascended the stage using that same hydraulic lift. But there was a better chance of hearing a Cheap Trick cover than anything resembling traditional country music: LeAnn Rimes closed with a rousing version of "I Want You to Want Me." In fact, not until several songs into the nearly two-hour concert did Mr. Chesney begin to sound like more than another rocked-up commercial-country product.
It started with "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems" and he kept on rolling with the twin twang of "Don't Blink" and "Shiftwork" from his latest album, split by the 12-year-old live staple "Back Where I Come From."
Mr. Chesney has a ringing, clear-as-a-bell voice better suited to ballads than rockers, especially in a noisy stadium setting.
Ms. Rimes established the tone with a blazing array of up-tempo tunes. From "Good Friend and a Glass of Wine" to "Family," the title cut from her latest crossover album, this no-longer-girl displayed a powerful set of pipes and plenty of conviction.
Brooks & Dunn also focused on the rockier end of their hit-machine catalog with good results, from the misnamed "Play Something Country" to "Little Miss Honky Tonk" and "Rock My World Little Country Girl."
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Pirate Themed entrance Live Those Songs Again Summer Time Beer in Mexico Keg in the Closet Wild Ride Big Star No Shoes/No Shirts/No Problem Don't Blink Just Not Today Shift Work Living in Fast Forward Young Demons What I Need to Do Just Don't Happen Twice Back Where I Come From When The Sun Goes Down How Forever Feels
Encore:
Anything But Mine She's Think's My Tractor's Sexy
Review: The Oklahoman by Stacy D. Johnson
Not even a mishap with a hydraulic lift was enough to keep Kenny Chesney off his feet before a large crowd Friday night at the Ford Center.
The country music mega star seriously injured his foot earlier in the week during a mishap on stage involving a hydraulic lift.
In Oklahoma City, for the most part, he was his usual self running from one end of the stage to the other shaking hands and serenading his adoring screaming fans.
The show was opened by LeAnn Rimes, who proved her voice remains a powerhouse force even though it’s been more than 10 years since she first released the single, “Blue.”
Rimes showed that she’s not that little girl any more by wearing sultry tight blue shorts, a sleeveless frilly blouse and high heels. She entered the arena by walking through the crowd from the back of the floor to the stage singing her latest hit, “Nothin’ Better to Do” from her new release “Family.”
Her song list was mainly a nice revisit to her past musical success. She strutted and danced across the stage and walkway while singing “Something’s Gotta Give,” “Commitment” and a scorching version of “How Do I Live.”
When Chesney appeared on stage via a hydraulic platform, a high-tech set of giant display screens lit up with videos, animation and special lighting effects that captivated the crowd throughout his set.
The near capacity audience stood during most of the show dancing and singing to his many megahits including “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems” and “Back Where I Come From.”
Country music’s toned and tanned island boy looked relaxed and happy in his usual attire of a sleeveless T-shirt, faded jeans, cowboy boots and black cowboy hat.
He told the audience he was glad to be back in Oklahoma City, where he received his first gold record award many years ago while he was playing a gig in a bar.
His band has greatly expanded since then to include a horn section for the first time. The added sound gave a boost to several song including the anthem “Summertime” and “Beer in Mexico” which led into a night of the crowd singing along with him.
His performance of his newest hits of “Shiftwork” and “Don’t Blink” to old reliable favorites of “Young,” What I Need to Do,” and “I Go Back” certainly left no doubt that Chesney is one of the best entertainers in country music.
His concerts are always high energy and fun, from the standpoint of the way he sings his songs to the beach balls tossed through the audience and the charming way he makes a point to sign tons of autographs from the stage. A small boy was actually the lucky recipient of a signed guitar handed off at the end of the show.
Even if he was in pain, Chesney delivered a great performance encouraging his audience to escape with him and enjoy the music. They accepted his invitation and most certainly did.
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Pirate Themed entrance Live Those Songs Again Summer Time Beer in Mexico Keg in the Closet Wild Ride Big Star No Shoes/No Shirt/No Problem Don't Blink Just Not Today Shift Work Living in Fast Forward Young Demons What I Need to Do Just Don't Happen Twice Back Where I Come From When The Sun Goes Down How Forever Feels
Encore:
Anything But Mine She's Think's My Tractor's Sexy
Review: Austin American Statesman by Michael Hoinski
Review: Kenny Chesney, LeAnn Rimes, Curtis Grimes at the Erwin Center
All the stories cropping up recently about how Willie Nelson bucked Nashville for Austin lead you to believe there’s a rift between the two country-music factories. Not so. At least not Thursday night for Nashville chart-topper Kenny Chesney’s high-octane show at the Frank Erwin Center. Of course, it helped that the fevered, camera-crazy audience was primed by two opening acts from Texas.
First up was Austin’s Curtis Grimes, a crooner with a rowdy streak who was the local winner of the Next Big Star competition, which awards small-time acts 15 minutes on the front end of each stop on Chesney’s Poets & Pirates tour. Next up was LeAnn Rimes, the songbird who calls Texas home even though she was born in Mississippi.
In much the same way you couldn’t wipe the smile off Grimes’ face, what with his family stage right and his buddies in the pit, there was no denying the glow of many a male in the crowd when Rimes, in a form-fitting short-skirt dress that left little to the imagination, appeared out of nowhere among the floor-seats patrons and allowed them to grasp at her at will while she belted out “Nothin’ Better to Do.” She peppered cuts from her latest album, “Family,” with oldies but goodies like “How Do I Live” and a cover of Cheap Trick’s “I Want You To Want Me,” which was made all the more rousing by Rimes’ offer of a drink backstage after the show to one lucky person who texted “RIMES” to 66937.
Rimes might have Chesney to thank for her promotional coup. The stage set-up for the man who is so attached to cowboy hats you’d think he has a Kojak dome underneath was bathed in corporate advertising. Brand names radiated prominently atop amps comprising a mini Wall of Sound. The tour’s beer sponsor’s logo was interwoven into the spectacular multimedia presentation on the colossal monitor. Shoot, Chesney even displayed the steel-toe boots comped him by a local retailer after a recent foot injury threatened to cancel the show (he didn’t need ‘em, though, because, as one of the emcees said, he had him some “goooood pills”).
When Chesney and his 11-piece band weren’t high-fiving and hugging each other, they were galloping through back-catalog keepers like “Live Those Songs” and “Beer in Mexico” and numbers from his latest album, “Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates,” like “Wild Ride,” with its wicked Peter Frampton guitar effect, and “Shiftwork,” the steeldrum-infused singalong with the clever “Working 7 to 3, 3 to 11, 11 to 7” refrain.
Whatever trace of country was inherent in Chesney’s music was eclipsed by a full-throttle, stadium-rock vibe. But that sort of crossover is likely the reason for his mass appeal. Plus, the pearly whites he flashed for all the swooning Texas betties didn’t hurt.
Kenny Chesney w/ Uncle Kracker "Drift Away" Columbia SC 2008
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For those of you who were curious about the Poets and Pirates Tour stage Set-up
1. Live Those Songs 2. Summertime 3. Beer In Mexico 4. Bocephus 5. Keg In The Closet 6. Wild Ride 7. Big Star 8. No Shoes, No Shirt 9. Don't Blink 10. Shift Work 11. Living In Fast Forward 12. Young 13. Never Wanted Nothing More 14. What I Need To Do 15. Your Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone with Kix Brooks 16. Back where I Come From 17. When The Sun Goes Down with Uncle Kracker 18. Follow Me with Uncle Kracker 19. Midnight Rider with Uncle Kracker 20. Cowboy with Uncle Kracker 21. Drift Away with Uncle Kracker 22. How Forever Feels
Encore:
23. Anything But Mine 24. She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy
Review: The State by Otis R Taylor Jr
Chesney plays through the pain Star injured in front of 44,000-plus at stadium show
It was supposed to be a spectacular entrance — Kenny Chesney rising from underneath the stage at Williams-Brice Stadium.
But as he crouched on the rising platform, the lift jolted and Chesney’s right ankle, which was secured in a harness for safety, was pulled awkwardly.
The band kept playing the opening song, “Live Those Songs Again,” as Chesney winced in pain. He signaled the crew to lower him to stage level.
By the final chorus, Chesney was back on beat and smiling. But he clearly was in pain, and the cocksure strut he’s known and loved for had a hitch the rest of the evening.
Saturday night’s kickoff to the stadium portion of Chesney’s “Poets & Pirates Tour 2008” got off to an unfortunate start, but Chesney proved why he is one of the few performers who can do stadium shows: He kept singing.
And the 44,424 fans surely were relieved he didn’t immediately seek the medical attention he probably needed. It was as if he knew the fans needed his attention more.
He hobbled to the stage’s left flank during “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems,” grimacing along the way, but he still sounded like sand-in-your-toes, good-time Kenny.
Songs such as “Shift Work,” “Beer in Mexico,” and “Back Where I Come From” delivered their traditional punch.
Other than a brief thunderstorm before the gates opened, it was perfect weather for an outdoor concert.
A hot-air balloon with Brooks & Dunn’s logo hovered above the stadium as a video screen showed Kix Brooks in what amounted to a Toyota Tundra commercial. Then the duo charged the stage.
They played an aggressive set, with hits like “Little Miss Honky Tonk” and “Boot Scootin’ Boogie.” What wasn’t expected, but made the set special, was a sobering “Only in America.” The duo brought out representatives from the four branches of the military to salute the crowd, which hollered back in support.
LeAnn Rimes wore a Gamecocks jersey and with her ponytail, she looked like she was ready to play flag football. Her set slowed down the show, but it would have been tough to enjoy her ballads if people were screaming. Her cover of Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me” was a surprise, though some in the crowd called it a cheap trick to fill the set. Apparently, they wanted “How Do I Live” and “Blue,” timeless vocal beauties.
Luke Bryan and Gary Allan gave the first ones through the gates a reason to be happy they were early, besides beating the long lines.
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Live Those Songs Again Summer Time Beer in Mexico Keg in the Closet Wild Ride Big Star No Shoes No Shirt No Problem Don't Blink Just Not Today Shift Work Living in Fast Forward Young Never Wanted Nothing More What I Need to Do Just Don't Happen Twice Better as a Memory When The Sun Goes Down However Feels
Encore:
Anything But Mine She's Think's My Tractor's Sexy
Review: Hartford Courant by Thomas Kintner
Chesney Sticks To Tried And True
Kenny Chesney's career has become a clockwork success since the turn of the century, with five straight chart-topping studio albums, a steady stream of radio hits and annual tours that rank among the biggest cash cows around. Friday night, the twice-reigning Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year kicked off his latest summer tour, and a two-night stand at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, with a performance that leaned heavily on familiar hits.
Backed by an 11-piece band, Chesney stuck to a formula that has been true for him, barking the likes of "Live Those Songs" and the hook-slathered "Beer in Mexico" while counting on his support group to infuse the material with juice rather than making any real showing of his own personality.
Long on starry-eyed nostalgia for carefree days, Chesney's tunes are simple, uniform and predictable in a way that is more often drab than ingratiating, whether such schmaltz-thickened ballads as "Don't Blink" or clunky bursts along the lines of the lyrically ghastly "Young."
Chesney earned points for the sheer conviction with which he delivered them, but that didn't amount to anything like presence in the pulsating sway of "Don't Happen Twice" or the banjo-flecked, bargain basement reverie of "Never Wanted Nothing More." The performance wasn't Chesney at his sharpest, and when he lost track of lyrics in one place or tried to ad-lib in another, the wince-inducing results showed how reliant he is on a reliable structure.
A creature of steady habits, Chesney closed his show with the same run of hits he always saves for the end, including the ham-handed island groove of "When the Sun Goes Down" and the jaunty finisher "How Forever Feels." His encore was also by rote, right down to its paint by numbers bound through "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy."
LeAnn Rimes opened the show with an hour that highlighted the more robust regions of her vocal prowess.
Her method was all broad strokes as she worked out the likes of "Nothin' Better to Do" and "Can't Fight the Moonlight," her sound rich and vibrant even when the tunes it propelled were pedestrian.
The 25 year-old onetime child star hearkened back to her initial breakthrough in 1986 with the charming country ballad "Blue," her singing sweet and shapely alongside its rippling honky tonk piano.
The music she has made since has moved more toward mainstream convention in generic fashion, and although the pleasantness of her voice was undeniable in the likes of "Commitment" and a hair-flinging closing rendition of Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me," the musical tools she left unused were frequently as noticeable as those she did employ.
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Find Great Deals on Kenny Chesney Tickets with Tickex Ticket Search Engine Search all ticket Vendors primary and secondary including Ticketmaster with one search!
Live Those Songs Again Summer Time Beer in Mexico Keg in the Closet Wild Ride Big Star No Shoes No Shirt No Problem Don't Blink Just Not Today Shift Work Living in Fast Forward Young Never Wanted Nothing More What I Need to Do Just Don't Happen Twice Back Where I Come From When The Sun Goes Down However Feels
Encore:
Anything But Mine She's Think's My Tractor's Sexy
Review: to follow
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2007 Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates 2006 Live: Live Those Songs Again 2005 Road and the Radio 2005 Be as You Are (Songs from an Old Blue Chair) 2004 When the Sun Goes Down [Bonus Tracks] 2004 When the Sun Goes Down 2003 All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan 2002 No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems 1999 Everywhere We Go 1997 I Will Stand 1996 Me and You 1995 All I Need to Know 1994 In My Wildest Dreams
1997 ACM New Male Vocalist of the Year 2002 ACM Top Male Vocalist of the Year 2004 AMA Artist of the Year 2004 CMA Entertainer of the Year 2004 CMA Album of the Year: When The Sun Goes Down 2004 CMT Hottest Video of the Year: "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" 2005 ACM Entertainer of the Year 2005 ACM Triple Crown Winner 2005 CMT Male Video of the Year 2006 CMA Entertainer of the Year 2006 ACM Entertainer of the Year 2006 CMT Male Video of the Year 2007 CMT Male Video of the Year 2007 33rd People's Choice Awards Favorite Male Singer 2007 ACM Entertainer of the Year 2007 CMA Entertainer of the Year 2007 AMA Entertainer of the Year
Chesney, along with Tim McGraw, contributed to a version of Tracy Lawrence's single "Find Out Who Your Friends Are", which can be found on Lawrence's album For the Love. The official single version, featuring only Lawrence's vocals, was released in August of 2006, but did not reach the Top 40 on the country charts until January of 2007, when For the Love was released. After the album's release, the version with McGraw and Chesney began receiving significant airplay, helping to boost the single to Number One on the country charts. The song became Lawrence's first Number One single in eleven years, as well as the second-slowest climbing Number One single in the history of the Billboard music charts.
On September 11, 2007, Kenny released the album Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates. The album's lead-off single, "Never Wanted Nothing More", became Chesney's twelfth Number One on the Billboard country charts.
On the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated for the week ending September 15, 2007, Chesney's single "Don't Blink" debuted at #16, setting a new record for the highest debut on that chart since the inception of SoundScan electronic tabulation in 1990. This record was broken one week later by Garth Brooks' song "More Than a Memory", which debuted at Number One on the same chart, making it the first song ever to do so.
Chesney also co-wrote Rascal Flatts' 2007 single, "Take Me There", which served as the lead-off single to their album Still Feels Good.
Chesney's most recent charity work includes working with the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
Chesney will embark on his latest summer tour in 2008 titled "The Poets and Pirates Tour" sponsored by Corona. LeAnn Rimes and Keith Urban are scheduled to perform. The tour will focus on stadium venues and will kick off at Williams-Brice Stadium on April 26.
By 2000, Chesney released his Greatest Hits compilation.[1] It included four new tracks, as well as re-recordings of "Fall in Love", "The Tin Man" and "Back Where I Come From". The new version of "The Tin Man" was one of the disc's three singles, with two of the new tracks -- "I Lost It" and "Don't Happen Twice" -- also serving as singles.
The album No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems was released in 2002. Its lead-off single, "Young", peaked at #2, while the follow-up "The Good Stuff" spent seven weeks at Number One, becoming Billboard's Number One country song of the year for 2002. A year later, Chesney recorded an album of Christmas music, titled All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan; the album's title track peaked at #30 on the country charts from holiday airplay.
2004 saw the release of Chesney's album When the Sun Goes Down. Its lead-off single, "There Goes My Life", spent seven weeks at the top of the Billboard country charts; the album's title track, a duet with Uncle Kracker, was also a Number One. At the Country Music Association awards that year, When the Sun Goes Down won an award for Album of the Year.
In January 2005, Chesney released the album Be as You Are (Songs from an Old Blue Chair), supporting the album with his Somewhere in the Sun Tour and in November 2005. The album was a lower key affair sonically than most of Chesney's recent albums. Chesney released his second album of that year, The Road and the Radio, which produced three Number One singles: "Living in Fast Forward", "Summertime", and "Beer In Mexico", as well as Top Five hits in "Who You'd Be Today" and "You Save Me".
In February 2006, Chesney was presented with a plaque commemorating his sales of 25 million albums. On May 23 of the same year, Chesney was honored at the Academy of Country Music Awards as Entertainer of the Year. In 2007 he was once again named Entertainer of the Year. On November 7, 2007 Cheseny was named the CMA Entertainer of the Year for the third time in four years.
Kenny's first album, In My Wildest Dreams, was released on the independent Capricorn Records label in 1994. The album's lead-off singles, "The Tin Man" and "Whatever It Takes", both reached the lower regions of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. The album sold approximately 10,000 copies before Capricorn Records closed its country music division that year. Shortly afterward, Chesney signed to BNA Records, which released his album All I Need to Know in 1995. The album produced three hit singles: "Fall in Love" and the title track, both of which reached Top Ten, and "Grandpa Told Me So", which peaked at #23. "The Tin Man" was also included on this album, although it was not re-released as a single at the time.
1996 saw the release of Me and You, Chesney's second major-label album. Although its lead-off single peaked just outside the Top 40 on the country charts, the album's title track (reprised from All I Need to Know) and the single "When I Close My Eyes" both peaked at #2 on the Billboard country charts, the latter also reaching Number One on the country charts of Radio & Records. Me And You was also Chesney's first gold-certified album. A cover of singer-songwriter Mac McAnally's 1990 single "Back Where I Come From" was also included on this album; although Chesney's version was never released as a single, it has become a staple of his concerts.
Late 1990s breakthrough
I Will Stand, Chesney's third album for BNA, was released in 1997. "She's Got It All", which served as the album's lead-off single, became Chesney's first Billboard Number One single, spending three weeks at the top of the country charts.[1] The album's second single, "A Chance", peaked just shy of Top Ten, while its follow-up, "That's Why I'm Here", went to #2 on Billboard in 1998. ("That's Why I'm Here" reached Number One on Radio & Records, giving Chesney his third Number One overall.) Also in 1998, Chesney recorded a limited-edition single titled "Touchdown Tennessee". The single was a tribute to John Ward, a former broadcaster for the University of Tennessee Volunteers' football team; St. Jude's Children's Hospital and to the John Ward Scholarship Fund received a portion of the single's sales.
1999's Everywhere We Go, Chesney's fourth album for BNA, produced two consecutive Number One singles in "How Forever Feels" and "You Had Me From Hello" (the latter inspired by a line in the movie Jerry Maguire). The album also produced two more hits: "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" and "What I Need to Do", which peaked at #11 and #8 on the country charts, respectively. Everywhere We Go was also Chesney's first platinum-selling album.
Kenneth Arnold (Kenny) Chesney (born March 26, 1968 in Knoxville, Tennessee) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Having made his debut on Capricorn Records in 1993, Chesney has recorded thirteen albums, eleven of which have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA.
To date, he has also produced thirty-one Top Ten singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, thirteen of which reached Number One. In addition, Chesney has received six ACM (including three consecutive Entertainer of the Year Awards), as well as three CMA awards. Chesney is also one of the most popular touring acts in country music, regularly selling out the venues at which he performs; his 2007 Flip-Flop Summer Tour was the highest-grossing country road trip of 2007. His most recent album, Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates, was released on September 11, 2007.
