Kenny Chesney Smashes His Charlotte Record
First, they moved the stage all the way back. Then they called the fire marshal. Finally, all of the front of house lighting and structures were adjusted to open greater sightlines. Like Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium, Kenny Chesney’s Sun Goes Down 2024 Tour sold out more than once at Charlotte, NC’s Bank of America Stadium; but because Chesney is so fan-forward, he kept asking his people to find more seats.
And the energy was palpable. From the moment Chesney came down the drum riser, charging into the lifestyle defining “Living in Fast Forward,” it was a night of massive energy, audience shout alongs that wrested the songs away from the man the Los Angeles Times called, “The People’s Superstar” and enough major songs to sustain three careers. Under a clear sky with myriad stars, the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar blazed through a 29-song set that included the high energy “Here And Now,” buoyantly percussive “Summertime,” erotically-charged “Somewhere with You” and femme empowering “Big Star.”
“Some nights, you can feel it before you ever start singing,” Chesney said. “Charlotte, North Carolina made their presence known from the moment they saw us. It was pandemonium, and they were not afraid to sing so loud we couldn’t hear ourselves at times.”
As crazed as fans were, nothing prepared No Shoes Nation for Kelsea Ballerini, clad in a backless brown leather jumpsuit. She cruised out of the wings for “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” laughing and working the T during the Chesney breakthrough smash like a couture model on the catwalk. But the yearning can’t leave/can’t stay “half of my hometown” melted the capacity-plus crowd, who sang along softly, before the pair revisited “You & Tequila,” the Grace Potter duet that’s one of Chesney’s most enduring hits.
“People love a surprise,” says the man deemed “country’s king of stadium concerts” by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “But even more they love great songs sung by people who really love each other and are great friends. Last week with Uncle Kracker, we felt it. Tonight, it was the same with Kelsea. Both guests tonight really seemed to hit No Shoes Nation in the heart.”
Indeed, when Chesney and his white-hot band returned for the encore, even the hushed “Anything But Mine” couldn’t slow down the audience. Raising their cell phones aloft with the flashlight on, the bowl of the stadium looked like the night sky turned upside down; by song’s end, the gentle sing along had turned into a yearning performance by the crowd.
“You can tell how much people love these songs when you hear them sing, or feel the energy when they realize what they’re hearing,” Chesney explained. “Last week, we didn’t do ‘Tractor’ or ‘Anything But Mine,’ and it’s in trading songs that we’re going to keep this tour fresh. The more people hear what they don’t expect, the more engaged and excited they become.”
Once again, presented by Blue Chair Bay® Rum, Sun Goes Down 2024 brings all the high velocity energy and songs people know by heart back to America’s favorite football stadiums.
And the energy was palpable. From the moment Chesney came down the drum riser, charging into the lifestyle defining “Living in Fast Forward,” it was a night of massive energy, audience shout alongs that wrested the songs away from the man the Los Angeles Times called, “The People’s Superstar” and enough major songs to sustain three careers. Under a clear sky with myriad stars, the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar blazed through a 29-song set that included the high energy “Here And Now,” buoyantly percussive “Summertime,” erotically-charged “Somewhere with You” and femme empowering “Big Star.”
“Some nights, you can feel it before you ever start singing,” Chesney said. “Charlotte, North Carolina made their presence known from the moment they saw us. It was pandemonium, and they were not afraid to sing so loud we couldn’t hear ourselves at times.”
As crazed as fans were, nothing prepared No Shoes Nation for Kelsea Ballerini, clad in a backless brown leather jumpsuit. She cruised out of the wings for “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” laughing and working the T during the Chesney breakthrough smash like a couture model on the catwalk. But the yearning can’t leave/can’t stay “half of my hometown” melted the capacity-plus crowd, who sang along softly, before the pair revisited “You & Tequila,” the Grace Potter duet that’s one of Chesney’s most enduring hits.
“People love a surprise,” says the man deemed “country’s king of stadium concerts” by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “But even more they love great songs sung by people who really love each other and are great friends. Last week with Uncle Kracker, we felt it. Tonight, it was the same with Kelsea. Both guests tonight really seemed to hit No Shoes Nation in the heart.”
Indeed, when Chesney and his white-hot band returned for the encore, even the hushed “Anything But Mine” couldn’t slow down the audience. Raising their cell phones aloft with the flashlight on, the bowl of the stadium looked like the night sky turned upside down; by song’s end, the gentle sing along had turned into a yearning performance by the crowd.
“You can tell how much people love these songs when you hear them sing, or feel the energy when they realize what they’re hearing,” Chesney explained. “Last week, we didn’t do ‘Tractor’ or ‘Anything But Mine,’ and it’s in trading songs that we’re going to keep this tour fresh. The more people hear what they don’t expect, the more engaged and excited they become.”
Once again, presented by Blue Chair Bay® Rum, Sun Goes Down 2024 brings all the high velocity energy and songs people know by heart back to America’s favorite football stadiums.
Kenny Chesney
SUN GOES DOWN 2024 Stadium Tour
with Zac Brown Band, Megan Moroney & Uncle Kracker
| June 13 | Maryland Heights, Mo. | Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre^ |
| June 15 | Chicago, Ill. | Soldier Field |
| June 20 | Noblesville, Ind. | Ruoff Music Center^ |
| June 22 | Milwaukee, Wisc. | American Family Field |
| June 27 | Darien Center, N.Y. | Darien Lake Amphitheater^ |
| June 29 | Cincinnati, Ohio | TQL Stadium* |
| July 6 | Kansas City, Mo. | GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium |
| July 11 | Boise, Idaho | Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater^ |
| July 13 | Seattle, Wash. | Lumen Field |
| July 16 | Salt Lake City, Utah | America First Field* |
| July 18 | Wheatland, Calif. | Toyota Amphitheatre^ |
| July 20 | Los Angeles, Calif. | SoFi Stadium |
| July 24 | Phoenix, Ariz. | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre^ |
| July 27 | Denver, Colo. | Empower Field at Mile High Stadium |
| Aug. 3 | Nashville, Tenn. | Nissan Stadium |
| Aug. 8 | Columbus, Ohio | Historic Crew Stadium* |
| Aug. 10 | Detroit, Mich | Ford Field |
| Aug. 15 | Bangor, Maine | Maine Savings Amphitheater^ |
| Aug. 17 | East Rutherford, N.J. | MetLife Stadium |
| Aug. 23 | Foxborough, Mass. | Gillette Stadium (Sold Out) |
| more tickets available | ||
| Aug. 24 | Foxborough, Mass. | Gillette Stadium (Sold Out) |
| more tickets available | ||
| Aug. 25 | Foxborough, Mass. | Gillette Stadium (Sold Out) |
| more tickets available |
* Megan Moroney and Uncle Kracker only
^ Megan Moroney only
“...because everything gets hotter when the sun goes down...”