NASHVILLE, Tn. (BNA Entertainment) - With Live with Regis and
Kelly wrapped and the jet wheels in the air,
Kenny Chesney heads west to pick up singing for the people he loves. In addition to performing the aching 'On the Coast of Somewhere Beautiful' from his just-released
Kenny Chesney Live: Live Those Songs Again on The
Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Thursday, Sept 21 and joining the panel on FOX Sports' Best Damn Sports Show Period, Chesney will drop in on his buddy
Ellen DeGeneres to tape
Ellen to air on Sept. 25.
'I love Ellen,' Chesney enthuses. 'She's got such great spirit. We'd had real scheduling issues getting my itinerary to match up to their days of being in production, and she just came after me at the taping of the Ray Charles tribute I got to be part of a few years ago. Just shot straight out of a gun, put me on the spot - and then made me laugh about it. And the part where she made me laugh and was gracious about it … instead of just shoving me in a corner … that made me love her to death.'
Given Chesney's own live-and-let-live, down-home way of walking through the world, it's no wonder the easygoing'n'good fun demeanor of the world renowned comedienne's daytime talk show appeals to the man from Luttrell, Tennessee. Because while he may be the back-to-back and reigning Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year - and nominated for four Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Single (for his five Billboard week chart-topper, 'Summertime') and Album of the Year (The Road and the Radio) - Kenny Chesney is nothing but a good ole boy at heart.
'The funny thing about this live record for me is the idea that it really makes me consider how fast this world moves and how big it's all become,' Chesney admits with a laugh. 'One of the things about hearing these shows back for me and the guys is hearing all that energy, all that fire from the fans … cause for a buncha guys who just thought, you know, we'd build it slowly: do good shows, make sure people had fun, so they'd bring their friends back … we never thought the day would come when we'd play football stadiums in places like Boston and Seattle, Detroit and Pittsburgh, let alone Neyland Stadium (the home of the University of Tennessee's Vols) in my hometown.
'So for us, this is a way to keep those moments alive. Hopefully, too, for anyone who's ever tailgated in one of our parking lots, had their first kiss on the lawn or just had the best time of that summer at one of these shows … putting this in their CD player will bring them right back to that moment.'
As 'You Save Me' scales the charts - and the response to the groundbreaking nine- minute mini-movie that serves as the song's video and features Chesney's first real acting continues to gain momentum - it's obvious that music and how his fans respond remain what drive one of the most committed country stars today. Having had two multiple-week No 1s from The Road and the Radio with 'Living in Fast Forward' and 'Summertime,' his studio album continues rocking - and with a live souvenir from five straight summers of over a million fans played to, there's plenty of music to enjoy on the ride.
