Nashville, TN. (Top40 Charts/ GAC) - Country music superstar
Kenny Chesney drew 1.3 million people to his 2006 concert tour, more than any other artist in pop, rock, rap or country music. Now, Great American Country (GAC) opens the door to let
Kenny Chesney fans experience all the hard work and preparation that goes into creating a world-class stage show in an exclusive GAC special,
Kenny Chesney Phases & Stages: The Flip Flop Summer Tour. The premiere episode of the two-part series airs on GAC April 21 at 9 p.m. ET, followed on April 28 by Part Two.
GAC cameras follow Chesney as he makes all the decisions necessary to bring to fruition his eagerly anticipated Flip Flop Summer Tour 2007, which opens April 12 in Omaha, Neb. From set design to animation, ticket prices to T-shirts, Chesney is committed to ensuring that this year's tour will once again be the ultimate fan experience. It is that commitment to detail that earned him the reputation as one of the most hands-on artists in country music.
"What people don't realize is there's 3-5 months of work that happens before the first note is played," Chesney explains of the preparation that goes into creating a concert experience like his record-breaking tours. "When the fans get there, it's supposed to be smooth, clean and easy...and it is, because we spend a lot of time back home, making sure the smallest things have been thought through. This special gives people a chance to see just how tiny the details we're looking at are."
Chesney - who played nine major stadiums last year and sold out the NFL stadiums in both Boston and Philadelphia this year in 15 minutes flat - may be the back-to-back and reigning Academy of Country Music and two-time and current Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year, but that doesn't mean he lets anything slide. Indeed, the bigger the show, the more he takes nothing for granted about what happens onstage, keeping a very close watch over every aspect of the planning process, rehearsals and start-up.
"If you want to know the fans are getting more this year than they did last year, you have to know what you've done and what you're doing," Chesney says with simple clarity. "I always want fans to come away going, 'Wow...,' and I think it's the way all the little things come together - more than some big explosion or a couple production tricks. I've got a great team of people working with me who get that - and now everybody who comes to the show can see just how far we go to get where we want them to be."
Part One (April 21, 9 p.m. ET) captures Chesney as he makes creative decisions on stage design, lighting and merchandising, and rehearses his band and songs that will be in this year's show. GAC cameras also document Chesney as he brings his "Keg in the Closet" pre-tour of college bars in Florida and Alabama.
Part Two (April 28, 9 p.m. ET) gets down to brass tacks as Chesney, band and crew head for Omaha for load-in, rehearsals and the official kick-off of the 2007 concert tour.
"Kenny Chesney is both an extraordinary artist and an entrepreneur, who goes to great lengths to give his audience an exceptional concert experience. GAC viewers will get to see the process from start to finish as he oversees the creation of one of the most exciting shows of the year," said Sarah Trahern, senior vice president of programming for Great American Country.
Complete air scheduled for Kenny Chesney Phases & Stages: The Flip Flop Summer Tour (all times ET)
Phase One:
Premiere: April 21 (9 p.m.)
Re-air: April 22 (1 a.m., 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.); April 24 (8 p.m. and Midnight)
Stage Two:
Premiere: April 28 (9 p.m.)
Re-air: April 29 (1 a.m., 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.); May 1 (8 p.m. and Midnight)
Check in with GACTV.com for additional information.
