Kenny Chesney has revealed his next slate of tour dates in the wake of a big CMA win and a family emergency.
The country singer took home the Country Music Association’s Musical Event of the Year honor for his David Lee Murphy collaboration “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.” However, the big win was bittersweet for Chesney, as he had to miss out on the CMA festivities due a death in his family.
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Chesney has still not elaborated on the nature of the passing, but he is getting right back into the groove of things. He just announced a 18-date U.S. tour in support of his latest album, Songs for the Saints. Chesney pulled off a record-breaking stadium run in 2018 for his Trip Around the Sun Tour, but he wanted to play some smaller shows in markets that did not get the stadium experience.
“No Shoes Nation rocked me so hard last summer, and they reminded me how much more these songs become when you play them for the people who live inside them every day,” Chesney said in a release. “I love everything about the members of No Shoes Nation, so to change things up, I thought, ‘Why not bring the music to them?’”
The smaller venues also mean that Chensey will be able to provide fans with slightly more intimate experiences. Even though arena’s a top-tier venue choice, the enclosed space will give the “Get Along” singer’s fans a chance to get more up-close and personal with him.
“We have played the stadium in Louisville several times, but in really looking at this notion, I wanted to give them something more intimate,” Chesney said. “This tour is going to really feel like a club show – and put the music front and center. It’s why we’re going to Oklahoma City, Albany, Lincoln and Jacksonville next year. Go to No Shoes Nation, and bring them the songs where they live.”
He added, We know how to do stadiums, and we love the rush of those shows,” allows the man who just notched his 30th No. 1. “But you never want to get to where you take it for granted, or you’re so used to it, it’s just what you do. There’s a real intimacy even in arenas that you don’t have in a stadium, and it’s something we’ve not had for a while. To me, it’s a whole other canvas for us – and I’m psyched about it.”
See the entire tour docket for Chesney’s 2019 Songs for the Saints Tour below.
Songs for the Saints 2019 Tour: Initial Cities + Venues
April 4 — Louisville, Kentucky — KFC Yum! Center
April 5 — Champaign, Illinois — State Farm Center
April 6 — Grand Rapids, Michigan — Van Andel Arena
April 12 — Greensboro, North Carolina — Greensboro Coliseum
April 13 — Jacksonville, Florida — Daily’s Place
April 18 — Washington, D.C. — The Anthem
April 25 — Charleston, South Carolina — Volvo Car Stadium
April 26 — Tallahassee, Florida — Donald L Tucker Civic Center
April 27 — Orange Beach, Alabama — The Wharf
May 2 — Columbia, Moissouri — Mizzou Arena
May 3 — Wichita, Kansas — INTRUST Bank Arena
May 4 — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — Chesapeake Energy Arena
May 9 — Albany, New York — Times Union Arena
May 10 — Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania — Mohegan Sun Arena
May 11 — Atlantic City, New Jersey — Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena
May 17 — Sioux Falls, South Dakota — Denny Sanford Premier Center
May 18 — Lincoln, Nebraska — Pinnacle Bank Arena
May 25 — Tuscaloosa, Alabama — Tuscaloosa Amphitheater
Photo Credit: Essential Broadcast Media / Jill Trunnell
