(Kenny Chesney Official Website) - Indianapolis: With 25,000+ fans belly-to-belly on the lawn and not an open inch under the roof of Noblesville, Indiana's Verizon Amphitheatre,
Kenny Chesney not only gave them all the hits they'd come for, but a fistful of his favorite songs - and a rare 2 song set by Mostly Crew. Indeed, moments before the reigning and back-to-back Academy of Country
Music Top Entertainer of the Year could be seen in the wings, watching the mayhem unfold during raucous takes on Bob Dylan's 'Highway 61' and AC/DC's 'TNT' with a great big smile on his face.
'People don't realize when they see those guys running around our stage… or at one of the sounds boards… what good musicians they are,' Chesney said of his mysterious warm-up act. 'But I do… I know that the guys who help us get this show on every night are all great players, and I wanted them to have a chance to show everybody else, so I asked them if they wanted to play a couple songs before I went on at the last show… and they took me up on it.'
With an intro video produced by Chesney and Sean Silva, the audience had some idea who was playing, but once Mostly Crew turned on, up and dug in, it didn't matter. The fans were rocking.
'The guys took it really seriously,' the man nominated for four CMA Awards, including Entertainer of the Year, admitted after the show. 'When we'd finish getting our sounds set at the stadiums this summer, they would get up there every night and rehearse until the 11 pm curfew - and then when we were getting close, they rented some space at SIR to get ready, too.'
In spite of the freewheeling rock bands professionalism, it was a loose night with a lot of fun. In addition to Uncle Kracker turning up for the pair's percolating 'When The Sun Goes Down' and his own 'Follow Me' and 'Drift Away,' the set featured surprise cameos by tour mates and first time CMA Male and Female Vocalist of the Year nominees Dierks Bentley and Carrie Underwood, and his tour security manager. The pocketful of favorites that they sang included David Allen Coe's 'You Never Even Called Me By My Name,' John Mellencamp's 'Jack & Diane,' good friend Tim McGraw's 'I Like It, I Love It,' Kid Rock's 'Cowboy' and Bob Marley's 'Three Little Birds.'
'It's funny how when you know it's over, you never want it to end,' says the man whose sold in excess of 25 million records - and whose CMA Album of the Year nominated The Road & The Radio has had two multiple week No 1s 'Living In Fast Forward' and the CMA Single of the Year nominee 'Summertime' with a laugh. 'We were up there singing and playing, and all those memories, all those places, all the faces just kept rushing back at us. And Indy couldn't have been a better crowd - 'cause they were just right there, hanging in with us on every sloppy note and hug.'
Indeed, after the final vamp following 'She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy,' Chesney invited his entire touring organization onto the stage for a final bow before the still full house. It was an emotional moment in a day filled with emotion - Chesney presented Bentley, the only act to spend the entire summer on The Road & The Radio Tour, with a 22 foot Sea Ray to replace his 1994 boat to say 'thanks for the summer,' as well as screening this year's edition of the annual tour movie 'Roadcase' for everyone before the doors opened.
With a Sept 19 street date for Kenny Chesney Live: Live Those Songs Again, it'll keep the music alive all winter long.
