Kenny Chesney has officially postponed his entire 2020 Chillaxification Tour, moving the planned summer trek to 2021. Chesney announced the news in a statement on his website that read that the singer “has made the incredibly difficult decision to do the one thing he hoped he would not need to do.”
“With so many tours needing to move, and wanting to make sure we are in the best possible circumstances for No Shoes Nation, I think – and I hate this – it’s best to move everything into 2021,” Chesney said. “In the best interest of everyone – No Shoes Nation, my road family, the staff at the venues – we have decided to quit moving the dates around on the calendar trying to make a chunk of this year work and move where we believe we can roll out our entire Chillaxification Tour.”
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The tour was scheduled to start in April and Chesney had already delayed its beginning until a May 30 show in Pittsburgh, which was to be followed by over 20 dates through the end of August. The Chillaxification Tour was to coincide with the release of Chesney’s latest album, Here and Now, which arrived on May 1. Fans that have tickets to a rescheduled date will automatically have their tickets honored and refund options will be available when a rescheduled date is announced.
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The website shares that Chesney and his team “made the decision and are locking down the schedule for a time when it’s believed issues surrounding COVID-19 will be more resolved. Committed to No Shoes Nation, arriving at this decision allows his team to concretize the best possible line-up of venues and dates when the tour finally kicks off.”
Chesney further expounded on the decision on Instagram, writing that he and his team had done “everything possible.” “Myself and my team have talked to medical experts, city commissioners, team owners, building staffs, the NFL, often daily, because coming out to play for you is everything to us,” he shared. “When we postponed our first wave of shows, no one would’ve imagined we’d be here today… Still wondering, still uncertain. But as I said when we postponed those first dates, I will not take chances with people I care about.”
The 52-year-old told fans that he has “laid awake many nights thinking about this, not wanting to disappoint all the people who are with us every summer… some who fly from all over the country to meet up, people who’re coming for the first time… friends who’ve met at the tailgate or the Sandbar. No Shoes Nation is not just people buying a ticket to a show, and I know that. I care, because you guys care so very much.” “No one has tried harder than my team to make the 2020 Chillaxification Tour a reality… Sadly, we can’t find a way to make it safe, to navigate water that’s just not getting any clearer,” he concluded. “For that reason, we have to postpone this year’s tour. We are hoping to have the entire schedule for 2021 finalized quickly. Right now, though, it’s you and me and that’s what matters.”
