Albuquerque, NM. (Top40 Charts/ BNA Records) - For the million-plus fans who've seen
Kenny Chesney over each of the past seven summers, they know that where you see the high energy 4-consecutive and reigning Academy of Country
Music and 4-time and current Country
Music Association Entertainer of the Year is as much a part of the show as the songs! Very grounded in his moment, Chesney's show varies according to the venue - and his amphitheatre shows truly mirror the essence of what's made the singer/songwriter from Luttrell , Tennessee music such a part of their life.
The first amphitheatre date to go on-sale is the Journal Pavilion in Albuquerque April 23. Tickets for the show go on-sale this weekend - and this marks one of only slightly more than a dozen amphitheatre shows for the Corona Extra presented Sun City Carnival Tour. With a change in this year's ticket procedure, concert-goers - who don't buy through the fan club will need to get their tickets at wwww.livenation.com because that is the sole online agent for this venue.
'Seeing people out on the lawn with their friends, you know they're out there on a blanket in the cheap seats - and they're singing along, meeting new people, totally living everything the summers supposed to be about,' says the man who will play football stadiums, basketball arenas and yes, even the occasional funky bar. 'What's been so cool about the way we've grown the touring is we've never lost any one kind of venue� so the places where I started out headlining, the ones that have that GA loose hanging out on the lawn vibe are still part of what we do.
'I never want to get to the place where I forget what those more intimate venues feel like,' Chesney continues. 'One of the reasons I like to just show up on Duvall Street or play somewhere like Tootsies, which we did with the Wailers earlier this year, is to soak up that kind of energy, too. Those places bring a whole other kind of vibe - and you never want to lose that feeling, because that is music that is so urgent because it's coming into its own! And no matter how big this could get, that's something I wanna make sure we never lose.'
With his Mac McAnally duet 'Down The Road,' the quiet ballad embracing love's simplicity, looking to follow 'Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven' into No 1, Lucky Old Sun continues its orbit. Featuring duets with Dave Matthews ('I'm Alive') and Willie Nelson ('Lucky Old Sun'), the disc also features a positively rowdy take on 'Ten with a Two.' Capturing the laidback vibe of living on the water, Lucky Old Sun explores the kicked back side of the man who sold more concert tickets than any act in 2008.
Though he's been keeping a low profile and finalizing production touches for his Sun City Carnival, Kenny Chesney will do a distinctively intimate performance on this year's Grammy Awards. Look for him to sing this Sunday, Feb 8th live on CBS - and get ready for him to hit the road April 17-18 with a sold out tour kick-off weekend in Uncasville, Connecticut.
