Miami, FL. (Top40 Charts/ BNA Entertainment) -
Kenny Chesney and Peyton Manning have been friends since the latter was a University of Tennessee star quarterback and the former was a slightly more than struggling country singer. Since then, both men have used tenacity, talent and a lot of hard work to stay with their dreams - and aside from sharing East Tennessee roots, the pair have always cheered each other on.
ESPN.com noticed that support when Chesney was seen in Indianapolis for the play-off game against the New England Patriots - and they interviewed the man who'll play 6 football stadiums in Seattle , Detroit , Cleveland , Pittsburgh , Philadelphia and Boston this summer about his friend's big game, the long road for Manning to the Super Bowl and what makes guys like them friends.
The link to the story is: https://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=thompson/070123
'I know how it feels to just keep getting up and going after it, listening to people saying you can't,' says the back-to-back Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year. 'It can get in your head and make you think, maybe you can't… But even then, you gotta believe you can, and you gotta keep going. That's what makes Peyton such a champ - he never gave up… and what a game that was.'
Having been on-hand with the Manning family for the play-off win - and having enlisted Peyton to join him for his 2003 Back Where I Come From Homecoming Concert at the University of Tennessee's Neyland Stadium in front of 67,000 screaming fans - Vegas doesn't need to lay odds on Chesney making it to Miami for the Super Bowl. He'll be there.
'These moments don't come along very often,' Chesney says. 'And Peyton's always been great about coming out and hanging with me and the guys. It's a pretty cool thing to see someone you've known this long playing in the Super Bowl - and I wouldn't miss his first Super Bowl for the world.'
Good thing preparations for Chesney's Flip-Flop Summer Tour are coming together without any hitches. Joined by triple Grammy nominee Pat Green and triple platinum Sugarland, Chesney is ready to have his own kind of party out on the road this year…
'I think we've done it enough, we know how to anticipate the stuff that's gonna tie us up - and we don't get in those kinda corners as much,' Chesney says, knowing how hard he and his guys work to create something bigger and more exciting each year. 'It looks like this year is gonna be really cool - and I can't wait to get out there, and start doing it with the fans.'
While he's biding his time, though, Chesney and friends are going to go blow off a little steam with the Indiana Colts. Laughing he admits, ' Miami is a whole lot warmer than Indiana in January, that's for sure… So that makes it a whole lot more fun from the very beginning.'
