Kenny Chesney

August 8, 2008
AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA
by: Tyler Sobie

Kenny Chesney played his first stadium show in Northern California, and brought along four opening acts. A little over 35,000 fans were on hand to see Chesney’s Poets and Pirates Tour. Between the elaborate stage and over seven hours of music it’s apparent that Chesney’s goal is to give everyone in attendance their money’s worth.

    Newcomer Luke Bryan was the first to hit the stage. Musically, Bryan is solid, but it’s his energy and ability to entertain the audience that might lift him to stardom. This is his first stadium tour but Bryan had a confidence about him nonetheless. Speaking to Bryan about  his success in the past year and opening for Chesney he said, “It’s totally a new experience for me, to play  all these huge arenas. I wake up everyday and can’t believe the things that have happened. It’s something I did out of love for so long, to do it on such a huge scale now is amazing.” The 30 minute set was capped off with his hit single “All my Friends Say.”

    Gary Allan began his set with his most recent single “Watching Airplanes.” Although Allan sounds more like rock than country he has been embraced by the industry and country fans alike. The hard rocking Allan got the crowd going for the next act LeAnn Rimes. He ran through most of his hits and left the stage without addressing the audience. All in all Allan turned in a solid set.

    The set lagged dramatically when LeAnn Rimes emerged on stage. No denying that Rimes has talent, her strong voice definitely overpowered the artists who she shared the bill with. But she looked bored on stage, and at times the performance was phoned in. Rimes did run through all the fan favorites including “How do I Live,” and the recent “Nothin’ Better To Do.” The only real reaction Rimes had from the audience was when she put on the hometown favorite, Giants jersey over her dress. Other than that Rimes had difficulty getting the crowd in volved.

    When Brooks and Dunn hit the stage it finally felt like a real country concert. The audience was on their feet from the minute the duo emerged and stayed that way for the entirety of the set. They have so many hits it’s impossible to play them all, the set did include “Red Dirt Road,” “Put A Girl In It,” and the classic “Neon Moon.”  Ronnie Dunn’s strong voice carried the set and as always Kix Brooks was very entertaining. After an hour they left the stage but returned for an encore. Dunn sang the spiritual “Believe,” and the duo closed out the set with a burst of confetti and the uplifting “Only In America.”

    After five hours of music and four opening acts it was finally time for the head liner. Kenny Chesney rose from beneath the stage singing “Live Those Songs.”  Chesney threw a little bit of everything into his two hour set. There were surprise guests, Sammy Hagar and the legendary Steve Miller, and the Ches ney hits that everyone paid the price of admission to hear. The set included “Old Blue Chair,” “Big Star” and the recent single “Better As A Memory.”

    Surprisingly the stadium show was simplistic. No confetti or pyrotechnics. Other than the massive stage Chesney brought with him, with two long ramps jutting into the audience, it was just Chesney and his music. The show ended abruptly with Hagar, Brooks and Dunn and Chesney all on stage together singing the hit that started it all “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.” To the surprise of the audience the house lights went on without an encore. Between the beach balls bouncing around the venue, the seven hours of music and the 35,000 that never sat down for a minute, it was a night to remember, a night that only the king of the road, Kenny Chesney could pull off.

By: Nikki Mozes
Qwest Field

The lucky Saturday, 07/07/07, was a good day for country music fans in the Northwest.  Rack up another successful stadium show in Seattle for Mr. Chesney and friends. The Summer 2007 Flip Flop Tour brought thousands of fans to Qwest Field for several hours of entertainment.

After dropping by the local entertainment stage outside Qwest, Pat Green went inside and opened the show with music from his CD, “Cannonball.”  He’s had great success with the singles “Wave on Wave” and “Feels Just Like It Should” and had the crowd singing along.  He also played one of his newer songs, “Way Back Texas.” It was a rather subdued start to the show, but still enjoyable.

Up next on the roster was Miss Sara Evans. She had her two baby sisters singing with her and her brother playing guitar so it was really a family affair. On one of my favorites, “Coal Mine,” you could almost picture her cozying up with a coal smudged man, despite her fancy shorts and high heels. We also were delighted to hear “Born to Fly,” “Suds in the Bucket,” and the crowd favorite, “Cheatin'.”  Sara slowed the pace down and put some real feeling into “You'll Always Be My Baby,” “Perfect,” and “I Could Not Ask for More.”

Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles donned a Seattle Seahawks jersey for part of her set, to the delight of the local crowd. She and Kristian Bush played a lot of songs off their new album "Enjoy the Ride" such as "Settlin',"  "County Line," "Want To," "One Blue Sky," and the title track, as well as some from the first album, "Twice the Speed of Life" such as "Baby Girl," "Down in Mississippi", and the song she did with Jon Bon Jovi, "Who Says You Can't Go Home." The pair are really lively and had the crowd singing along with them throughout the set.

Brooks and Dunn came up next, with the rowdy "Hillbilly Deluxe," and some of their classics such as "Boot Scootin' Boogie," "Red Dirt Road," "Play Something Country," "Believe," and their new single, "Proud of the House We Built." Kix and Ronnie roused the crowd but they were looking a little rough around the edges from the summer heat.

It was finally time for the big man, Kenny Chesney, to make his appearance. He rose from the middle of the stadium, belting out his super successful "Beer In Mexico," then ran up to the main stage. He played many of his newer hits like "Summertime," "Live Those Songs Again," "Living in Fast Forward," as well as a song he wrote, "Old Blue Chair." He hadn't planned to perform it, but decided to do so to thumb his nose at the local newspaper whose article the day before claimed that Chesney doesn't write any of his own songs. Kenny also did his new single from the forthcoming "Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates," Never Wanted Nothing More. Kix Brooks came up and joined Kenny for a song. The grand finale was of course, the crowd favorite, "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy." Yes, Kenny, we do think you and your tractor are sexy. He left the crowd satisfied, but wishing for more. We’ll have to wait til next summer though.

Chalk up another excellent stadium show for the reigning repeat Entertainer of the Year, his opening acts, and a great crew.

By: Maxine MacPherson
July 2007

Every year I swear I won’t go to another huge Kenny Chesney concert if he continues to play at stadiums instead of one of the smaller arenas in the Boston area. But knowing Chesney will only be in the area for one concert each year, I give in. For the third year in a row, I joined over 50,000 fans to see Chesney’s “Flip Flop Summer Tour.”

One thing about the Chesney tour – you always get to see other acts that could and often do headline their own tours. This was no exception. Pat Green and Sara Evans opened the show (although I, like many, many of the other fans missed them while we sat in 2 ½ hours of traffic about 3 miles from the stadium). Sugarland brought the concert into the dinner hour and Brooks and Dunn did a fantastic 70 minute set leading into the twilight hour. Despite the humidity and almost 90 degree temps, they had everyone up and moving. Neither bothered to chat between hit song after hit song and with red, white and blue streamers shot into the crowd and 4 military medal winners standing at attention during “Only in America” – it was difficult to remember this wasn’t even their tour!

But it was finally time for Chesney. The first year at the home stadium for the New England Patriots, Chesney came out from behind a screen. Last year, he popped up on a small stage mid-field among the seats. This year the curtain fell and he was just there. Despite the pirate intro and his “Kenny Cam” backstage, it seemed like an anti-climax. Since the set included many of the same songs done over the previous two years – there wasn’t much new going on.

Don’t get me wrong, the concert still rocked. From the first song, “Beer in Mexico,” Chesney had everyone on their feet and enjoying the party. There was mix of old and older songs including “When the Sun Goes Down,” “Young,” “I Go Back,” and “No Shirt, No Shoes.” The crowd roared through the local favorite “She’s From Boston” and they loved the acoustic, “Old Blue Chair.” The only new song was the new Chesney hit, “Never Wanted Nothing More.” As usual, the concert ended with “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.”

It is a show and a party – no doubt about that. The $110 tickets, $40 parking fee and $6 hot dogs don’t seem to dampen anyone’s interest in attending. Chesney is a master salesman and he is his own best product. It doesn’t hurt that he shows up in a Boston Red Sox shirt and tells the crowd that come Christmas he’ll still be hearing the cheers from the sold-out crowd. A new Chesney album is due out in September and he told the audience that it will include lots of new music – so maybe I’ll just have to come back next year and see...

By Tyler Sobie
July 2, 2007
Shoreline Amphitheater

Kenny Chesney has become known for having the biggest, loudest and most amazing tours there are. When his Flip Flop Summer Tour made its way into Mountain View, it was no exception. Although Chesney puts on a great show the real party is in the parking lot. Chesney fans arrive hours before show time firing up their grills and blasting every Kenny song ever recorded.
The Shoreline Amphitheater was almost at capacity and the fans had been on their feet for hours awaiting Chesney. Slated to open for Chesney that night were Pat Green and Sugarland. The show got started about twenty minutes late, and, to the disappointment of the fans, Sugarland did not perform. Jennifer Nettles had come down with laryngitis and was unable to perform. Although the audience had been let down, it was obvious that they had paid the price of admission just to see Chesney.
Pat Green opened the show and had a tough task of trying to get the audience into his set. Green went long because of the absence of Sugarland. It was apparent that he was working hard; he was dripping with sweat when he left the stage. Green tried to get everyone on their feet. He pointed at one member of the audience wearing a yellow shirt and yelled "Hey Curious George, get up!" He even invited a fan on stage to dance with him. A burly man wearing a furry neon green coat came running onto the stage to sing and dance with Green. Most of Green’s set was from his most recent album “Cannonball.” He played hits off the album including “Dixie Lullaby,” and “Cannonball.” Green was high energy and very entertaining throughout his set. He has been a fixture in country music for many years. Judging by his performance he will be getting audiences up and on their feet for many more years to come.
The crowd was at a frenzy when AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” blasted from the speakers. A video began playing on the huge screens of Chesney with pirates, Chesney hanging out on the beach with Sammy Hagar, and finally of Willie Nelson welcoming everyone to the show. When the curtain dropped Kenny appeared in a black tank top and his trademark black hat. He opened the show with “Beer in Mexico,” and kept it going with “Summertime,” and his old hit “Young.” Midway through the show the audience got a surprise when Uncle Kracker joined Kenny on stage during “When the Sun Goes Down.” Uncle Kracker stayed to perform his hits “Drift Away,” and “Follow Me.” Chesney gave the fans a look back to when traveled the country with his guitar and played for tips, when he took center stage and performed an acoustic version of “Old Blue Chair.” From the front row of the venue to all of the fans on the lawn every single person was on their feet having a great time. Numerous times throughout the show Chesney thanked all of the fans for coming out to see him live and buying his albums.
Chesney has had so many hits that he can’t play them all, surprisingly though “You Save Me,” one of his more recent hits, was left off the set list. Chesney went back to old hits many times throughout the show playing “The Woman With You” and “Big Star.” A highlight of the show was when the audience sang “Anything but Mine” back to Chesney. All of the songs Chesney performed that night were almost drown out by the crowd singing them along with him. Chesney came out for one encore and closed out the show with “There Goes My Life.”

By Maxine MacPherson
July 16, 2006
Gillette Stadium - Foxboro, MA

No one can deny that Kenny Chesney is one of the hardest working country singers around. He appeared to be working even harder Sunday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA (Home to the New England Patriots). Of course, only Chesney could play to a crowd of some 56,000 screaming fans who had been sitting under a clear blue sky, in scorching 100 degree heat for more then 5 hours and still get them up on their chairs and screaming (at least those that didn’t pass out from dehydration).

Many fans entered the stadium parking lot by noon. Setting up canvas awnings, wading pools and lots of ice water and cold drinks, the party started long before anyone could go to their seats in the stadium. In the spirit of the islands and because of the intense heat of the asphalt, there were many “no shirts” and lots of bathing suits, and you could hear every song Chesney ever recorded while you strolled the parking lot.

Because of the well-known opening acts, fans began taking their seats as soon as the doors opened at 3. Chesney’s tours always appear seamless and on time (this is the second time he’s sold out Gillette). Starting with a short set by Carrie Underwood and then Dierks Bentley, Big and Rich and Gretchen Wilson came on. There was only about 15 minutes between acts – just enough to jog over for another bottle of water and get back in the sun.

Bentley’s set included songs from his second album including the crowd favorite, “Come A Little Closer” and, given the temperature, “Domestic Light and Cold” had everyone holding up beer bottles in a generous salute. He continued with other crowd favorites like “Modern Day Drifter” and “Settle for a Slow Down,” and included his new release “Every Mile a Memory.” It was about a 40 minute set and was lively and fun – which was carried on in the Big and Rich set, but went missing when Gretchen Wilson came out.

Big and Rich included pyrotechnics and Cowboy Troy and marched around in the hot sun whipping up the crowd with favorites like “Ride a Cowboy” and “Comin' to Your City.” But Wilson, on next, seemed flat and tired. She ran through her songs quickly and with barely any comments to the audience. It appeared she was more zapped by the heat than the audience. She did rally at the end for a lively version of “Red-Neck Woman.”

With the usual Chesney drama, the lights in the stadium went off and a large Road and Radio banner that was draped across the stage fell as the band began to play and the roar of the crowd began. But as everyone eyed the stage – no star? Suddenly from somewhere around the 30 yard line a small stage lit up and there’s Kenny Chesney rising up in the middle of a sea of people singing, appropriately, “Summertime.” This is one man who knows how to make an entrance.

With a powerful group of security guards nested around him, Chesney then ran about 50 yards to the main stage (the audience seemed so surprised, no one lunged at him). Making full use of two side run ways and a T-shaped stage that jutted into the audience, Chesney ran, skipped and danced his way through the next 2 hours. Mixing some old favorites like “Back Where I Come From,” and “Don’t Happen Twice,” the majority of the songs came from his newer CDs – “Keg in the Closet,” "Anything But Mine,” "There Goes My Life” and Uncle Kracker made an appearance to help out on “When the Sun Goes Down.” He sang many of the songs from the “Road and the Radio", but the real crowd favorite was “She’s From Boston.” Chesney claimed it was the first time he had played the song on stage and he seemed touched that the crowd was singing along, especially since this song has never been released on the radio.

Ending with the usual “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” – Chesney left them wanting more (there was no encore because of stadium closing rules) – but we will have to wait until next year. Given New England’s humid, dog-day summer, maybe he’ll consider a nice indoor arena with air-conditioning next year like the TD Bank North Building – please?

By Nikki Mozes
June 24, 2006
Qwest Field

The show kicked off at around 4:30 pm, with the local boy from Buckley, WA, Blaine Larsen. I am disappointed to report that due to a nasty backup on the freeway off-ramp to Qwest, my friend and I missed the start of the show, including all of Blaine’s set. I do know for sure that he played “How Do You Get That Lonely” because I heard that from the street once we made our way close enough to the stadium to hear the show.

By the time we got down onto the field to our seats, Dierks Bentley had already taken the stage. He was looking quite rugged in black jeans and a black t-shirt with a gold cross necklace, and a five-o-clock shadow framed by sweat dampened blond curls.

Dierks and crew rocked the stadium with some of my favorite songs such as “How Am I Doin',” My Last Name,” and “What Was I Thinkin'” from his self-titled first album. All the Mrs. Bentleys in the white tank tops went wild. He also played several of the songs from last year’s album, “Modern Day Drifter,” including “Settle for a Slowdown,” “So So Long,” and “Lot of Leavin' Left to Do.” When he was feeling a bit parched, he took a pull on the tap to refresh himself before going into “Domestic, Light and Cold.” He did play one brand new song, which unfortunately I didn’t catch the title of, but it was great, too. He really had the whole crowd into it, he’s quite the performer and he has a great sense of humor. I love to see an artist laughing with the crowd and having a good time, and Dierks definitely does that. This is the second time I’ve seen him, and since he mentioned he will be back in the Seattle area in December, I’ll be making that three times soon.

Big and Rich were up next. I’ve always liked their music, but seeing them perform gave me a whole new admiration for them. They really put on a great show. Big Kenny came onstage in one of his goofy, tall hats of course, over jeans, and a t-shirt with a vest. John Rich was a bit more laid back in some half blue, half white jeans and a white long-sleeve button-up shirt, topped with a white cowboy hat.

The boys played some favorites from the first album, “Horse Of A Different Color,” such as “Holy Water,” “Big Time,” “Six Foot Town,” and “Rollin' (The Ballad of Big & Rich).” The crowd favorite, of course, was “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy,” for which we all went nuts. They mixed it up with some tracks from “Comin' to Your City,” including the title track, “Jalapeno,” and “8th of November.” I was so impressed that they had some Vietnam veterans on stage with them while they played “8th of November.” These men were surviving members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. They fought in the horrendous battle in Vietnam on November 8, 1965, which the song was based on. It was a touching tribute to those that fought and made it back, and those souls who didn’t. John and Kenny also led the entire stadium in saying the Pledge of Allegiance, another heartwarming moment for me. Overall, I really enjoyed their performance so much.

Just when I thought they were done, the boys introduced the 6’7” MuzikMafia man, Cowboy Troy. CBT had help from Big & Rich as he rocked the stadium with his signature, “I Play Chicken With the Train.” It was a treat to see him onstage. He’s a big guy, clad in jeans, pale green button-up shirt, and white cowboy hat. He went on to play “My Last Yeehaw,” with Big & Rich and also “Do Your Thang” from his “Loco Motive” album. His hick-hop style had the crowd jumping. We were disappointed when the set was over. As the grand finale, John Rich got crazy and smashed his guitar, and they were done.

Next up was the original “Redneck Woman,” Gretchen Wilson. She was looking fine in jeans and a black camisole tank top. That woman has some strong arms as she’s playing her guitar. As much as I’ve enjoyed her music prior to the show, I have to say that she was not as good a performer as I expected. She is a great singer, but she really didn’t work the crowd at all, and she hung back near the band the entire time, never getting near the front row fans. She did perform several songs, including the title song, from her first album, “Here For The Party.” The crowd got hyped up with “Redneck Woman” but calmed down a bit with “Homewrecker.” She then went on to play “All Jacked Up,” “Politically Incorrect” and “Skoal Ring” from the second album, as well as her newest single that I had just heard that morning, “California Girls.” She lost the crowd when she played a few slower songs such as “Don't Feel Like Loving You Today,” and “He Ain't Even Cold Yet.” Everybody wanted to be up and on their feet but this change of pace put us back in our seats. To get things riled up again, she did a cover of Heart’s “Barracuda.” It sort of did the trick but I think it was a relief for her and for the crowd when the fireworks shot off and she left the stage.

The crowd had plenty of time for the anticipation to build as the crew got ready for the headliner, Kenny Chesney. Although the other artists were great, he was the man we all came to see. When the crew rolled up a black box, I truly had no idea that Kenny would be popping out of it, this being my first real concert I had attended. I caught on quickly when everyone stood on their chairs and aimed their cameras and camera phones that direction. This was a shining moment for my friend and I, our back of the field seats just became just like front row as the truly stunning Mr. Chesney rose up to open the show, right at the end of our row.

Kenny was looking fabulous, all tan and muscular in some well-worn jeans and a sleeveless black t-shirt and a cowboy hat. The crowd went absolutely wild for him. You couldn’t hear yourself think, and I was loving it. This was my first time seeing Kenny and I have to say, he is even better looking in person than on television. I’m truly not sure how any woman could let that fine looking, sweet crooning man slip through her fingers.

Kenny is such an entertainer. He got the crowd moving, he got us laughing, and he laughed with us. I saw one spot where he was chuckling at what I think was his own self, getting a little off on the lyrics. I’m not positive, but it sure seemed like it. But it just made him seem that much more human and lovable to me. You can see how much he loves the music, the fans, and his crewmembers.

Kenny played several of his newer songs from “The Road And The Radio,” like “Summertime,” “Living in Fast Forward,” and “Who You'd Be Today.” Mixed in were also songs from “When The Sun Goes Down,” such as “There Goes My Life,” “Anything But Mine,” “Keg in the Closet,” and “I Go Back.” Much to our surprise, Uncle Kracker came on stage to assist Uncle Kenny with “When The Sun Goes Down.” He stayed and played his own song, “Follow Me” from his very first album, “Double Wide.” It was a nice treat. Kenny then jumped back a bit further in time to play “Big Star,” “Young,” and the title track from his “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems” album. We also heard “Don't Happen Twice,” “Back Where I Come From,” and the crowd favorite, “She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy.” All of us girls think he and his tractor are sexy.

The crowd was so pumped up by the time 11:00 pm rolled around and Kenny signed and gave away a guitar to a lucky young contest winner, then called it quits and began signing autographs. Many of us had been there for nearly half the day but we could have gone all night if Kenny would have. It was an awesome show, one I’ll never forget. Money well spent and time definitely well wasted.