Atlanta, GA. (Top40 Charts/ RCA) - It started in Omaha , NE 67 shows ago - but as reining and three-in-a-row Academy of Country
Music and two-time and current Country
Music Association Entertainer of the Year
Kenny Chesney rolled into the final weekend of his Flip Flop Summer Tour, he was burning hotter and brighter than ever. With superstar pals and former tour mates on hand, the 'hillbilly rockstar' of 'Livin' In Fast Forward' took the stage at 9:16 and even with the threat of having the power pulled during a 5 song encore with Joe Walsh, he didn't stop until well over two hours later.
'Now that was some fun,' proclaimed the high energy performer coming off the stage. 'We've never done 35 songs before, but man we just had to get'em all in.'
In addition to multiple week No 1s 'Beer In Mexico,' 'The Good Stuff,' 'Summertime,' 'Anything But Mine' and fan favorites 'Back Where I Come From,' 'She Thinks My Tractors Sexy' and 'Keg In The Closet,' Chesney pulled out Steve Miller's 'Gangster of Love,' which morphed into Bob Marley's 'Three Little Birds' featuring a beaming Dave Matthews, who also performed 'Where Are You Going.'
'Man, there is no nicer guy,' Chesney enthused of his guest from Charlottesville , VA. 'He's playing tomorrow night across town and he's got Farm Aid on Sunday, but he still came out and sang with us. He's not just a cool hang, you know, it's pretty cool hearing him sing.'
Uncle Kracker's demi-surprise turn up on 'When The Sun Goes Down,' as well as 'Follow Me' and a hybrid Dickie Betts' 'Midnight Rider'/Kid Rock 'Cowboy' expanded with David Allen Coe's 'You Never Even Called Me By Name' - and dressed down, former tour mate Dierks Bentley emerged from the wings during 'She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy.' The vibe was fun, loose and electric.
But nothing was as electric as the introduction of rock & roll royalty Joe Walsh, who joined Chesney onstage for scorching renditions of 'Life's Been Good,' 'All Night Long' - which featured ragtag back-up vocals from Chesney's entire road crew, 'Life in the Fast Lane,' the James Gang's blistering 'Rocky Mountain Way' and their surging 'Funk No 49' with a battery of percussive cacophony from a phalanx of pots, pans and cutlery provided by Walsh himself and played by anyone handy.
'Joe Walsh,' Chesney marveled. 'He kicked butt with this playing. He burned it down with his singing - and he sings like he talks, which is insane� and he brought his own rhythm notion in the form of Emeril Bangs Atlanta! But to stand there and listen to those songs hit even more intensely now than when I was hearing them for the first time. Well, that's inspiring.'
Last year, Chesney's 1.3 million tickets sold made him North America 's most attended tour. His Cruzan Rum-sponsored Flip Flop Summer Tour, with its 6 NFL Stadiums in Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Seattle, has been connecting with same sort of velocity. Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates hits streets Tuesday, Sept 11 - as 'Don't Blink' closes in on the Top 10 after 3 weeks and his 5 week No 1 'Never Wanted Nothing' More' stays in the Top 10. It's a great time to be Kenny Chesney.
