Kenny Chesney Announces Songs for the Saints Tour

Kenny Chesney is hitting the road in 2019, but it's not for his usual stadium shows. Instead, the Tennessee native will return to smaller venues on his Songs for the Saints Tour, playing mostly in cities in the Midwest and the South, where fans don't have access to stadiums.

The tour announcement comes on the heels of Chesney's record-breaking Trip Around the Sun Tour, which sold out large stadiums all over the country.

"I wanted to change it up," Chesney said in a statement. "Last year was so intense, and amazing. No Shoes Nation took it to a whole other level, and they blew all of us away. It was the kind of energy you don't take for granted. So when we started thinking about next year, they made me wanna come to them. Rather than the massive two-day set-up, make everyone come to a stadium away from their homes, I wanted to go to where the fans live ... strip things back a bit, and make it a little more intimate."

The Songs for the Saints Tour will not only give fans more access to Chesney, but give Chesney more access to the fans as well.

"I love reaching to the very top, the very back of a football stadium," explained Chesney, "but I also love the idea of really being able to see the back of the room."

The 50-year-old wrote and recorded Songs for the Saints after Hurricane Irma devastated much of the St. John island he calls home. But instead of focusing on the difficulties and challenges, Songs for the Saints was really inspired by how resilient the residents became in the midst of their loss.

"Sometimes it's about stripping things back, and creating a different kind of experience," Chesney noted. "Making Songs for the Saints really showed me the power of bringing things closer to the heart. For me, I wanted 2019 on the road to get the music to the fans, right where they live, and as always, my team figured out exactly how to help me do that."

Chesney is also excited to explore his music in a new way, especially the tracks on Songs for the Saints.

"This is the kind of thing you do for passion," Chesney said. "To rein things in a bit, change up the way we present the music, I know these songs will show us things they don't when we're in those massive stadiums. I never worry about the energy or the passion, but I think the songs are different depending on where you play them. So I'm fired up for 2019."

Specific dates have yet to be announced. The initial list of cities on the Songs for the Saints Tour can be found below. Updates will be posted on KennyChesney.com as available.

Songs for the Saints Tour Cities and Venues:

Champaign, Illinois – State Farm Center

Grand Rapids, Michigan – Van Andel Arena

Greensboro, North Carolina – Greensboro Coliseum

Washington, D.C. – The Anthem

Tallahassee, Florida – Donald L Tucker Civic Center

Orange Beach, Alabama – The Wharf

Columbia, Missouri – Mizzou Arena

Wichita, Kansas – INTRUST Bank Arena

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania – Mohegan Sun Arena

Atlantic City, New Jersey – Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena

Tuscaloosa, Alabama – Tuscaloosa Amphitheater

Photo Credit: Getty images/Emma Mcintyre/ACMA2018