Kenny Chesney took over Nashville’s Nissan Stadium Saturday night, and damn, it was fun. I’ve been beating my head against my keyboard to try and find a more eloquent way of saying that, but damn! It was fun! Chesney brought a non-stop storm of energy to the crowd of 57,211 (a Nissan Stadium record), wielding a barrage of hits with little to no pauses.
At times, it felt like a big rock show (all it needed was some pyrotechnics, confetti and Paul Stanley ziplining over the audience). Chesney sang hit after hit, moving all around the stage, which featured a T-shaped catwalk that extended into the general admission area known as the “Sandbar.” Chesney’s stage presence even energized the slower songs, with help from an enthusiastic and tight backing band. It was always upbeat; Chesney commanded the No Shoes Nation (a name I kinda hate, but I guess I am now a de facto member) like only an all-time great can. There were loads of sing-along ready choruses; even if you didn’t know the words, by the end of the song, you sure did.
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It’s saying something when the slowest part of the night was the ballad “half of my hometown” with special guest Kelsea Ballerini, who was clearly moved to celebrate the song in front of the masses in Music City. The audience was captivated by the emotional display, so really, not a lull was felt all night. The other surprise guests of the set were Matt Ramsey and Brad Tursi of Old Dominion, who performed the Chesney track they co-wrote, “Save It for a Rainy Day.” Old Dominion has already won over a lot of favor with their killer opening performance, and this was a victory lap.
While I wish I could spin something poetic about the night, it was really just straightforward escapism and fun. After this week in the U.S., especially, it just felt nice to gather with thousands of strangers and sing songs about beer and beaches. Kenny Chesney’s whole brand is “good vibes” and that was exactly what the Here and Now Tour brought.
Kenny Chesney Concert Setlist — May 28, Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee
- “Beer in Mexico”
- “Reality”
- “Til It’s Gone”
- “Here and Now”
- “Summertime”
- “We Do”
- “Pirate Flag”
- “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems”
- “Somewhere With You”
- “I Go Back”
- “Get Along”
- “Anything but Mine”
- “Save It for a Rainy Day” (with Matt Ramsey and Brad Tursi of Old Dominion)
- “When the Sun Goes Down”
- “half of my hometown” (with Kelsea Ballerini)
- “All the Pretty Girls”
- “Living in Fast Forward”
- “Young”
- “Noise”
- “American Kids”
- “Setting the World on Fire”
- “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”
- “How Forever Feels”
- “Don’t Happen Twice” (Encore)
- “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” (Encore)
Kenny Chesney Tour Dates
Tour dates include opening performances from Dan + Shay, Old Dominion and Carly Pearce, except when noted.
June 2 — The Woodlands, Texas || Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (with Carly Pearce only)
June 4 — Arlington, Texas || AT&T Stadium
June 8 — Canandaigua, New York || CMAC (with Carly Pearce only)
June 9 — Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio || Blossom Music Center (with Carly Pearce only)
June 11 — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania || Heinz Field
June 15 — Virginia Beach, Virginia || Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater (with Carly Pearce only)
June 16 — Bristow, Virginia || Jiffy Lube Live (with Carly Pearce only)
June 18 — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania || Lincoln Financial Field
June 23 — Cincinnati, Ohio || Riverbend Music Center (with Carly Pearce only)
June 25 — Chicago, Illinois || Soldier Field
June 29 — Brandon, Missouri || Brandon Amphitheater (with Carly Pearce only)
June 30 — Rogers, Arkansas || Walmart AMP (with Carly Pearce only)
July 2 — Kansas City, Missouri || GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
July 9 — Bozeman, Montana || Bobcat Stadium
July 12 — Stateline, Nevada || Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s (with Carly Pearce only)
July 13 — Stateline, Nevada || Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s (with Carly Pearce only)
July 16 — Seattle, Washington || Lumen Field
July 19 — Bend, Oregon || Hayden Homes Amphitheater (with Carly Pearce only)
July 20 — Bend, Oregon || Hayden Homes Amphitheater (with Carly Pearce only)
July 23 — Inglewood, California || SoFi Stadium
July 27 — Boise, Idaho || Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater (with Carly Pearce only)
July 28 — Salt Lake City, Utah || USANA Amphitheatre (with Carly Pearce only)
July 30 — Denver, Colorado || Empower Field at Mile High
Aug. 6 — Minneapolis, Minnesota || U.S. Bank Stadium
Aug. 10 — Columbia, Maryland || Merriweather Post Pavilion (with Carly Pearce only)
Aug. 11 — Syracuse, New York || St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview (with Carly Pearce only)
Aug. 13 — East Rutherford, New Jersey || MetLife Stadium
Aug. 18 — Columbus, Ohio || Historic Crew Stadium
Aug. 20 — Detroit, Michigan || Ford Field
Aug. 26 — Foxborough, Massachusetts || Gillette Stadium
Aug. 27 — Foxborough, Massachusetts || Gillette Stadium
Random Takeaways From the Concert:
- Carly Pearce opened the night, and she is a fantastic performer. The kick-off spot did her no favors, though. The fans by the stage were Chesney die-hards waiting for him, and the pockets of Pearce’s big fans were scattered throughout the stadium. Luckily, Pearce gets all the opening act shine on the tour’s amphitheater stops, so I’m sure her ability will get the fan attention it deserves.
- In summary of Old Dominion’s set, I sent the following text to my girlfriend afterward: “Old Dominion kinda slap.”
- In summary of Dan + Shay’s set, I sent the following text to my girlfriend afterward: “I can’t stand most Dan and Shay songs, but they just sing so good it’s hard to not respect the hustle.”
- I also learned which one was Dan and which one was Shay; the results were not what I expected!
- The Sandbar does not feature actual sand, much to my disappointment.
- Kenny Chesney deserves some kind of award for indulging Sandbar fans at the end of the show. He went around and signed just about anything the fans handed him, even as tens of thousands of fans called it a night and filed out of the venue. He also gifted some autographed football helmets to kids in the crowd. He, Ballerini and his band said a final goodbye when it seemed like a majority of the crowd was gone. It was just really telling of how appreciative the guy was of his fans. When you’re Kenny Chesney, you don’t have to do things like that, but he did.
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