NASHVILLE, TN. (BNA Records) - After being the 2nd most attended tour in any genre - right behind Prince's incredible multiple night in many cities Musicology Tour -
Kenny Chesney is getting ready to do it again! With Guitars, Tiki Bars & A Whole Lot of Love second leg vet
Uncle Kracker and CMA Horizon winner Gretchen Wilson, the reigning Country
Music Association Entertainer of the Year is all set to go Somewhere In The Sun debuting his full production March 11 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
"It's a funny thing," says the fan-voted American Music Award Artist of the Year, who played to over 1.2 million fans last year. "We rock so hard out here, you get to where you think you really need that break. And then once the feeling of the rolling down the road fades away when you're sitting in a chair and the cheering stops ringing in your ears, you start itching to get back out here.
"For as much as I always say I'm not gonna work during December, we were finalizing set designs, talking about video screens, looking at the footage... And you know, I really love being out there with the fans and rocking the people. It IS where I feel most alive, so to tell the truth, I can't wait to get back out there."
Having played to over one million fans over each of the past two years - including an emotional homecoming performance to over 67,0000 at the University of Tennessee's Neyland Stadium - his live show has been an incredible component in Chesney's burgeoning superstardom. With attendance records shattered in many markets - including the legendary Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, people cutting fences to get into certain outdoor amphitheatres and a million dollar night at the Tacoma Dome, Kenny Chesney concerts inspire a level of pandemonium not traditionally associated with country music.
"We can get pretty crazy on that stage," admits the man whose triple platinum+ CMA Album of the Year When The Sun Goes Down was the # 3 top seller of 2004 behind Usher and Norah Jones. "But it's nothing like how wild those fans get! When we're standing up there and we can hardly hear ourselves for the cheering, it just psychs us up that much more... I always say, 'Whatever's bothering you, whatever's got you down... When you come in here, you better leave it out there!' And you know it has the same effect on us.
"All of that really makes us want this year's tour to be even better, even more exciting. We've been working on the set concept since last summer. They're building it now... and we're trying to figure out a few other things... things that you're gonna have to wait and see. What I can tell you - without wrecking any surprises or giving anything away - we've had some great acts out with us, and I think with Gretchen and Matt (Uncle Kracker), we're gonna take the energy up another notch."
"I can't wait to get to Green Bay to put it all together and see how it works!"
Look for Chesney in a feature in this week's People - and on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on Feb. 1. He will also be performing on "Tsunami Aid: A Concert for Hope", carried live on the entire chain of NBC network and cable channels Jan 15.
Kenny Chesney
Somewhere In The Sun Tour - 1st Leg
with Gretchen Wilson & Uncle Kracker
March 11 - Green Bay, Wisconsin
March 12 - Ames, Iowa
March 13 - Fargo, North Dakota
March 17 - Tupelo, Mississippi
March 18 - Fargo, North Dakota
March 19 - San Antonio, Texas
March 31 - Grand Rapids, Michigan
April 1 - Moline, Illinois
April 2 - Columbia, Missouri
April 7 - Madison, Wisconsin
April 8 - Champaign, Illinois
April 9 - Lexington, Kentucky
April 11 - Nashville, Tennessee - CMT Flameworthy Awards
April 21 - Souix City, Iowa
April 22 - St. Paul, Minnesota
April 23 - Omaha, Nebraska
April 28 - Biloxi, Mississippi
April 29 - Jacksonville, Florida
April 30 - Columbia, South Carolina
May 5 - Tallahassee, Florida
May 6 - Tampa, Florida
May 7 - Ft Lauderdale, Florida
May 12 - Little Rock, Arkansas
May 13 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
May 14 - Dallas, Texas
May 17 - Las Vegas, Nevada - The Academy of Country Music Awards
