KENNY CHESNEY GETS READY TO GO BACK 2023
With Kick-Off Weeks Away, Rehearsals Are in Full Swing All Over Nashville
It’s All Happening March 23 at Charlottesville, Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena
Photo Credit: Jill Trunnell
With tech rehearsals in one place, video elements coming together in another, Kenny Chesney and his band have set up camp on the banks of the Cumberland River. After one of 2022’s biggest tours in any genre – having the fifth biggest tour after Bad Bunny, Elton John, Def Leppard / Mötley Crüe and Harry Styles – the songwriter/superstar from East Tennessee decided to take his music to the fans who exist beyond the major stadium markets.
Dubbed the I Go Back Tour, named for his No. 1 that embodied the way songs can transport you to times and places that hold the greatest memories, the man the Wall Street Journal deemed “The King of the Road” wanted to make sure every person who loved this music and found their life in his songs had the opportunity to experience the incredible live experience that made 2022 one rocking summer.
“After the time in limbo because of the unknowns,” Chesney says, “I think we’d almost forgotten how passionate and intense No Shoes Nation can be! But from the moment the play-on music started at Raymond James Stadium, it hit every single member of my road family in the heart: the power of these songs and what happens when we play these songs for people.”
Having played to 1.3 million fans on his HERE AND NOW 2022 Tour, including breaking his personal best at many of the 21 NFL stadium plays, this summer, it was one for the books. The only country artist to make Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Past 25 Years for the last 14, Chesney decided the band was too good to not take them out to some of the markets he played when he was becoming the high energy entertainer he is today.
“My band found a whole new gear last summer,” Chesney explains. “As somebody who lives to play music, to feel that energy from No Shoes Nation and see what it does to all of us on that stage, I wanted everyone who’s loved this music to have a chance to experience what we were getting all summer, every single show. I remember that same vibe when this whole thing started taking off: people using chain-cutters to get onto the lawn in the Carolina amphitheaters ‘cause we were so sold out... switchboards crashing in Atlanta... the crazy night we had...
“All those songs that time-stamped people’s lives, I want to make sure those people and those songs don’t get lost. It’s why we named this the I Go Back 2023 Tour. To me, to be able to share this band that’s so white hot – even our rehearsals have inspired all of us almost like the shows – with the fans who were there when this was turning into something great, that makes me even more fired up to get out there.”
With close to 30 songs on the list – and a few surprises that will be coming in and out depending on this night, I Go Back 2023 is going to be a night of great fun, incredible music and plenty of new memories made. Raised in Knoxville, Chesney knows the power of bringing music to the fans – and recognizes the bond live shows create among friends of all ages.
I Go Back 2023, with special guest Kelsea Ballerini, is presented by Blue Chair Bay® Rum.
Kenny Chesney I Go Back Tour:
March 22 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena
March 25 State College, PA Bryce Jordan Center
March 30 Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena
April 1 Oklahoma City, OK Paycom Center
April 6 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
April 8 Wilkes-Barre Township, PA Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
April 12 Birmingham, AL Legacy Arena at the BJCC
April 14 Jacksonville, FL Daily’s Place Amphitheater
April 16 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Tortuga*
April 22 North Little Rock, AR Simmons Bank Arena
April 25 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena
April 27 Greenville, SC Bon Secours Wellness Arena
April 29 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
May 4 Moline, IL Vibrant Arena at The Mark
May 6 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
May 9 Grand Forks, ND The Alerus Center
May 11 Sioux Falls, SD Denny Sanford Premier Center
May 13 Lincoln, NE Pinnacle Bank Arena
May 18 Fort Wayne, IN Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
May 20 Evansville, IN Ford Center
May 25 Charleston, SC Credit One Stadium
May 27 Orange Beach, AL The Wharf
June 23 Endicott, NY En-Joie Golf Course
July 22 Des Moines, IA Hy-Vee Indy Race*
*previously announced