When Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music Director of Curatorial Affairs and Director of Public History Melissa Ziobro posted a congratulatory note about Kenny Chesney’s Heart Life Music debuting at No. 1 on the New York Times’ Hardcover Nonfiction and Combined Print and E-Book Nonfiction best sellers lists, she shot her shot, closing her blog post with an invitation cast into the vast unknown for Chesney to be part of the Springsteen Center’s author-driven podcast.
Be careful what you wish for – or Santa might come a little early. Word of the post made it back to the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar, who was scheduled to be in New York for his first appearance on Howard Stern’s wildly popular SiriusXM show. Chesney reasoned, “With as much as Bruce Springsteen runs throughout the story of my life – something I didn’t actually realize until I sat down and began work on Heart Life Music – this request from out of nowhere seemed like something I needed to do.”
And so, the morning after two hours on Howard Stern and a New York City book event at the Kaufman Music Center, Chesney and his book tour team headed to Monmouth University, minutes from the Jersey Shore, to tape a special edition of their “Conversations with Our Curator” series. With the actual Center in the final stages of construction for their late spring 2026 opening, the recent Country Music Hall of Fame inductee combined the book talk with touring the facility even before it was ready for installations.
Chesney’s interview was filmed in a residence on the West Long Branch campus. His interview with Ziobro was far-reaching: considering his life’s path, unlikely influences, the passion of rock, the overlap beyond genres and, yes, interactions with Springsteen. As he said, “Talking to someone who comes at it from her perspective – Melissa’s a history professor and someone who thinks in curatorial terms – it’s a very different way to approach all this. But her energy is so present, she really draws you into the conversation. She cares about these stories, but she cares for several kinds of reasons, making it an interesting process that made me really think about what I was saying in bigger ways.
“But it also proves, once again, business people like labels, actual people just love music.”
Already named one of Barnes & Noble’s Best Biographies & Memoirs of 2025, Chesney has spent four weeks on both New York Times Best Sellers lists – and seen social media support from far-flung readers including Ziggy Marley, surfer Kelly Slater, Cindy Crawford, Carrot Top, tennis legend Bjorn Borg and fellow New York Times best seller author Cameron Crowe.
“Talking to Melissa about Bruce brought home his generosity in my life in an even deeper way. That’s part of why I wanted to do this interview: to honor the wisdom, friendship and especially inspiration he’s given me as a young man playing for tips, showing me what it means to give away every cell of yourself on that stage, and providing great advice when it was most needed along the way.”
The wild, the innocent and the curious can watch the interview in its entirety and read Ziobro’s blog at https://springsteenarchives.org/. Opening in 2026, the curatorial team is already compiling an outstanding collection of work to reflect how American music documents so much of the moments across time.
The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music preserves the legacy of Bruce Springsteen and celebrates the history of American music and its diversity of artists and genres. Our mission is two-fold. The Springsteen Archives serves as the official repository for materials related to Springsteen and the E Street Band, including photographs, historic memorabilia, oral histories, and more. The Center for American Music explores American music more broadly. We accomplish this by producing exhibitions, concerts, and educational programming that explores and honors the cultural impact of American music past, present, and future. For further information, please visit www.springsteenarchives.org.
Kenny Chesney ONLY Country Act in POLLSTAR's Top 10 of the Millennium
When POLLSTAR, the bible of the touring industry, published its quarter century Most Popular Touring Artists of the 21st Century, East Tennessee songwriter/superstar Kenny Chesney found himself as the only country artist in a very competitive Top 10. Landing at No. 7 – sandwiched between Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band and Metallica, in spite of an extra year of shutdown and two years of playing more intimate tours – the man who’s built a career trying to create a space where people come together for the love of life, music and each other shared the list with Coldplay, U2, Ed Sheeran, good friend Dave Matthews and Taylor Swift.
“When I got the news, I was shocked,” Chesney confessed. “I only really think about all those faces smiling, laughing, singing – it’s the most beautiful sea of love and joy imaginable. I have never really considered how many; just how much fun everyone’s having. But when you look at this list, see names of people who set the bar in so many ways, it takes your breath away.
“And a list like this? The numbers don’t lie. To think we played to over 18 million people since 2001 – even with the time we had to take off – is mind-blowing for a kid from East Tennessee. But it says everything about the passion No Shoes Nation brings to this music.”
According to POLLSTAR, Chesney has played to 18,198,369 fans. But even more, the man named Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the 21st Century earlier this year is already gearing up for his second Sphere residency in Vegas, where he took the genre into a whole new dimension. With June dates already on sale via KennyChesney.com, fans can expect several new songs, refreshed visuals and some songs he can’t bring into his massive high energy stadium concerts.
“Sphere pulled me into so many songs the fans know and love in new ways,” Chesney says. “And it deepened how I see them. That production consumes you, so we’re going back even harder and fuller. Sphere’s intimacy lets me do songs I can’t play in a stadium, things we love or something I haven’t played in forever – so that freedom to bring things down lets us take the show a lot of places, which makes it fun and even surprising to me and the band many nights.”
What lies ahead for the hardest working man in country music remains to be seen. Having closed the book tour for Heart Life Music, his No. 1 New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction and Combined Print and E-Book Nonfiction debut that’s spent the last month on those charts, Chesney crossed the country sharing stories of not just his life and creative journey, but so many moments shared with No Shoes Nation over the years. The unlikely dreamer raised on bluegrass, Steve Miller and George Jones brought people into how he got here, but also where he’s going.
“After news like this,” the man Wall Street Journal called “King of the Road” reflects, “it makes me want to get out there right now and play. There’s no feeling like that moment when we hit the stage, the people’s energy drives straight into us and we turn around and give it right back. To share that transfer of passion back and forth? It takes you to new levels of how good you can feel, takes away what bothers you and sends you out in the night ready for a brand-new day.”
Photo Credit: Allister Ann
Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere Las Vegas
June 19, 2026
June 20, 2026
June 24, 2026
June 26, 2026
June 27, 2026
Kenny Chesney's HEART LIFE MUSIC Gets Stern + Springsteen Archived
It was all heart, life, music when Kenny Chesney joined iconic radio host Howard Stern to discuss his No. 1 New York Times best seller on Stern’s SiriusXM morning show. For two hours, the pair engaged in a far-flung conversation that ranged from inspiration to alienation, unthinkable moments and notions, mutual friends, the creative process – and even Stern’s query about whether the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar would like to be in the Rock & Roll Fame.
With Heart Life Music spending three weeks and counting on both the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction Best Sellers list and Combined Print and E-Book Nonfiction Best Sellers list, Stern had clearly done his reading. Whether exploring the reality of persuasion class and music business rejection, the skill and practice required to even attempt Doc Watson-style picking, hitting the wall and landing on absolute empty, Stern returned to the themes of resilience and hard work behind making dreams a reality. But he also found the joy in discovering purpose, the feeling of being onstage in front of 60,000 (“It’s like an avalanche,” Chesney explained) and the power of how music makes you feel.
“It was absolutely my most favorite two hours of radio I’ve ever done,” Chesney enthused. “It was so fast and so engaged with what we’d written, it made me rethink in a wonderful way so much of what went into the book. To hear someone love your life and journey like that, it makes you realize how much we all inspire each other – and I can’t think of a better gift after the last month of incredible media, book events and the love I’ve received on social media than spending two hours with Howard Stern talking about music, songs and life.”
With Barnes & Noble naming Heart Life Music to their Best Biographies & Memoirs of 2025 list, Wall Street Journal has called it “an emphatic success,” while Garden & Gun proffered “at the heart, the book is a meditation on the power of music and creativity” and Publishers Weekly proclaimed it “one for the road.” In addition, American Songwriter cited its “sense of immense respect, admiration and awe,” Newsweek declared it “grounded, grateful and faithful, in pursuit of the simple joys in life, living largely by the mantra of his memoir, Heart Life Music” and Salvation South raved, “it comes from the joy of living Kenny Chesney embodies, his bone-deep conviction that it ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive.”
“I’ve always said unthinkable things can happen to pretty normal people if you work hard, make friends, love people and try to find the lessons or the fun in everything,” Chesney says. “With Howard Stern, who is so smart it’s scary, hearing him talk about all of it reminds me how blessed we’ve been – and it brought out things, stories we didn’t get in the book. But it felt good to sing a little ‘One Step Up’ when we talked about Bruce, to just open up like that and play a bit with someone who understands how it feels.”
After a book event this evening at Kaufman Music Center in partnership with the Strand on Manhattan’s Upper West Side (with very limited tickets remaining HERE), Chesney will head to New Jersey to tape a very special episode of “Conversations with Our Curator” at the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music. Initiated by the Center’s post about Heart Life Music’s No. 1 New York Times debut and the presence of Springsteen throughout Chesney’s book, this once in a lifetime conversation seemed inevitable in the rearview, but unthinkable even 10 days ago.
“I love that Bruce is using his archives to create a space to honor American music, open up conversations about how it’s all interconnected,” Chesney says. “When I recorded ‘One Step Up,’ I didn’t think about genre, just heart and how human the experience in the song was. To me, it had a country soul and the heart of a person in conflict over, well, temptation. As it says in the book, when Bruce responded to my version of it, I realized all that passion, all that church revival energy Bruce brings onstage is the same thing as me singing what was a rock song: good music really is all tangled up together, but united by its honesty and willingness to get real.”
Having gone from East Tennessee State to Boston, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York City, Chicago, Nashville, Los Angeles, Key West and Tampa, the recent Country Music Hall of Fame inductee has taken Heart Life Music to the people – and seen lines starting hours before the doors opened to his book events. With the holidays coming on strong, Chesney’s wrapping up his book tour on high note: singing “You & Tequila” solo acoustic on Stern as part of two hours of conversation and exploring the soon-to-open Springsteen Archives in Long Branch, New Jersey for a deep dive into the meaning of what creatives genuinely give to others, as well as offer up of themselves.
About The Authors
One of contemporary American music’s biggest names, Kenny Chesney was voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year and was named Billboard’s No.1 Country Artist of the 21st Century. Selling out America’s major stadiums for two decades and playing to over a million fans every summer since 2002, Variety pronounced him “country music’s only true long-term stadium act.” The East Tennessee songwriter/superstar has over 105 Platinum certifications, won the prestigious Entertainer of the Year eight times, as well as holding Billboard’s record for the most Country Airplay No. 1s with 36 chart-topping songs that define coming of age in the flyover in the 21st Century. This year, the game-changing superstar became the first country artist to perform at the groundbreaking Sphere, taking No Shoes Nation into a whole new dimension, creating a space to work hard, play hard, love hard and come together in the spirit of celebrating all the moment offers. Heart Life Music is his first book.
Holly Gleason’s work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, the Library of Congress’ National Registry of Sound Recordings, among other outlets. She was the LA Press Club’s Entertainment Journalist of the Year and the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Association’s Independent Journalist of the Year. A former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame/Case Western Reserve Fellow, she’s the creator of Belmont Book Award-winning Woman Walk The Line, and co-authored Miranda Lambert’s New York Times best-seller Y’All Eat Yet as well as Prine on Prine: Interviews & Encounters.
Kenny Chesney Celebrates HEART LIFE MUSIC's #1 NY TIMES Bow w NYC Book Event 12/2
When Kenny Chesney’s Heart Life Music debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction and Combined Print and E-Book Nonfiction lists, the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar who became the 2025 Country Music Hall of Fame Contemporary inductee and first country artist to take his music into another dimension at Las Vegas’ Sphere knew there was only one way to celebrate: a book event in New York City. After closing the opening weekend of the prestigious Miami Book Fair with a sold-out conversation with co-author and friend Holly Gleason, the pair will do one more book event in partnership with the Strand at Kaufman Music Center on the Upper West Side.
“It’s amazing how much people love listening to us talk about the process, the stories, why I finally did it,” marvels the man called “the People’s Superstar” by the Los Angeles Times. “After three completely sold-out events in Florida, it felt like we weren’t truly done. After all, you don’t get a New York Times Number One every day, and it seemed like we needed to do one of these talks in New York.”
With a 7 p.m. start time – and doors opening at 5:30 – Chesney’s next book talk is perhaps the most intimate. Less than 450 tickets are available, but with such quick notice, it seemed like the right place and time to do one more conversation about Heart Life Music, which has not only topped both the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction and Combined Print and E-Book Nonfiction lists, but has struck a chord with taste-making critics.
“Kenny Chesney Pulls Back the Curtain with Heart Life Music,” Garden & Gun titled a multiple page story, while Tennessean offered, “this book digs deeper than surface-level conversations…. (it) offers answers and honesty regarding career-long inspirations and passion” and Publishers Weekly raved “One for the Road.” In addition, People wrote the book “gives fans an inside and in-depth look at his life and career, and ultimately drives home one overarching theme: Chesney's truest love is creating music,” Wall Street Journal opined, “an emphatic success” and Travel + Leisure wrote “Heart Life Music emerges as perhaps more than a memoir. For Chesney, it’s a genuine meditation on connection and purpose.”
At a time when so much in the world is polarizing, Chesney’s postcards from a life that saw a college kid go to Moscow, spend time playing a dissolute Lower Broadway only to be signed by a label originally from Macon, Georgia through touring and learning from icons Alabama and George Jones, a whirlwind of friendships with heroes including Jimmy Buffett, Eddie Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen, Sammy Hagar, the Wailers, as well as collaborating with Dave Matthews, Uncle Kracker, Willie Nelson and Grace Potter, put people in the moment and offer a map to create unthinkable things through consistent, if small steps. Offering plenty of wisdom shared, frustrations and failures along the way, Heart Life Music exults the triumphs and the fun that emerged over time.
Known for commanding the largest stages nationwide, Kenny Chesney’s first book takes the reader – or audio book listener – to places long gone, creates unexpected music in Jamaica, the Kremlin, New England and Cabo San Lucas, drifts across the waters of the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Beyond meeting and collaborating with heroes, forging transcendent friendships in the islands and beyond, Chesney’s introspective look at the songs and sound that defined No Shoes Nation offers the intimacy of sharing a slow afternoon on the water.
Tickets for the December 2 event at Kaufman Music Center are available HERE. Seating is limited; each ticket holder will receive an autographed copy of Heart Life Music as well.
About The Authors
One of contemporary American music’s biggest names, Kenny Chesney was voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year and was named Billboard’s No.1 Country Artist of the 21st Century. Selling out America’s major stadiums for two decades and playing to over a million fans every summer since 2002, Variety pronounced him “country music’s only true long-term stadium act.” The East Tennessee songwriter/superstar has over 105 Platinum certifications, won the prestigious Entertainer of the Year eight times, as well as holding Billboard’s record for the most Country Airplay No. 1s with 36 chart-topping songs that define coming of age in the flyover in the 21st Century. This year, the game-changing superstar became the first country artist to perform at the groundbreaking Sphere, taking No Shoes Nation into a whole new dimension, creating a space to work hard, play hard, love hard and come together in the spirit of celebrating all the moment offers. Heart Life Music is his first book.
Holly Gleason’s work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, the Library of Congress’ National Registry of Sound Recordings, among other outlets. She was the LA Press Club’s Entertainment Journalist of the Year and the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Association’s Independent Journalist of the Year. A former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame/Case Western Reserve Fellow, she’s the creator of Belmont Book Award-winning Woman Walk The Line, and co-authored Miranda Lambert’s New York Times best-seller Y’All Eat Yet as well as Prine on Prine: Interviews & Encounters.
Kenny Chesney Takes HEART LIFE MUSIC on SRO Sunshine State Run
Heading into the final leg of Heart Life Music: the book event tour, Kenny Chesney is marveling at the places he’s been, the people who’ve shown up and the way a book can come to life talking about it with co-author and National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards Independent Journalist of the Year Holly Gleason. As he enthuses, “Coming to see us at the stadiums, I totally understand. But you have to really love someone to come listen to them talk! All the laughter, the cheers and those moments of recognizing each other in the stories? It’s been a wild ride and incredible launch.”
Closing out the last leg with a walk-on opening interview on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” re-airing all week, Chesney heads south for a trio of book events in Florida. Starting with a sold-out-in-minutes appearance at Key West’s iconic Tennessee Williams Theater today, Nov. 10, then going to another sold-out-in-minutes event in Tampa, where he has kicked off so many tours at Raymond James Stadium, on Tuesday, Nov. 11, the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar and recent Country Music Hall of Fame inductee wraps his tour up near the ocean, the sand and places where Heart Life Music was created.
“Beyond all the inspiration and the memories places like Key West, Tampa, West Palm Beach and South Florida hold,” Chesney explains, “an awful lot of interviews, editing and Holly’s actual writing was done in the area, so this seemed the perfect way to conclude bringing Heart Life Music into the world.
“When we were asked to be the final event of the Miami Book Fair’s opening weekend, which is such a big deal, it made me feel like this book really was something that struck a chord with people who know books. In a lot of ways, I feel like I’m going back to the Super Bowl, which anyone who’s read the book, will understand. But it’s David Wegman, Jimmy Buffett’s Keys, my own first headlining tour that kicked off in West Palm and where I signed that contract with my soul, plus all those years rocking the pirate ship at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium… Like starting the book tour at ETSU, this is a whole other homecoming.”
Having already been named to Barnes & Noble’s “Best Biographies and Memoirs of 2025” list, Chesney’s love letter to the magic carpet ride from a little boy dreaming to dream to Moscow, Myrtle Beach, Nashville, the Caribbean, Cabo Wabo and Jamaica alongside friends and heroes including George Jones, Eddie Van Halen, Alabama, Steve Miller, Sammy Hagar, Grace Potter, Bruce Springsteen, Joe Walsh, the Wailers, Uncle Kracker and Willie Nelson is registering with readers across the country. Whether for beach reading, a snowy afternoon or a commute, Heart Life Music offers an escape through music, sports, boats and points beyond where most of us journey.
Establishing a voice that captured coming of age and living life as fully as possible in the 21st century, Chesney wants each talk to reflect his unique relationship with No Shoes Nation, the music and anyone seeking inspiration to create their own place in the world.
Heart Life Music is available for purchase HERE, along with limited remaining tickets to the Miami Book Fair event. For more information, visit KennyChesney.com.
About The Authors
One of contemporary American music’s biggest names, Kenny Chesney was voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year and was named Billboard’s No.1 Country Artist of the 21st Century. Selling out America’s major stadiums for two decades and playing to over a million fans every summer since 2002, Variety pronounced him “country music’s only true long-term stadium act.” The East Tennessee songwriter/superstar has over 105 Platinum certifications, won the prestigious Entertainer of the Year eight times, as well as holding Billboard’s record for the most Country Airplay No. 1s with 36 chart-topping songs that define coming of age in the flyover in the 21st Century. This year, the game-changing superstar became the first country artist to perform at the groundbreaking Sphere, taking No Shoes Nation into a whole new dimension, creating a space to work hard, play hard, love hard and come together in the spirit of celebrating all the moment offers. Heart Life Music is his first book.
Holly Gleason’s work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, the Library of Congress’ National Registry of Sound Recordings, among other outlets. She was the LA Press Club’s Entertainment Journalist of the Year and the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Association’s Independent Journalist of the Year. A former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame/Case Western Reserve Fellow, she’s the creator of Belmont Book Award-winning Woman Walk The Line, and co-authored Miranda Lambert’s New York Times best-seller Y’All Eat Yet as well as Prine on Prine: Interviews & Encounters.
Kenny Chesney Kicks Off HEART LIFE MUSIC Tour w Laughter, Cheers + Revelation
There was laughter. There was singing. There were shouts and revelations. But mostly, there were singular conversations as high-impact country sensation Kenny Chesney kicked off the book tour for HEART LIFE MUSIC with two sold-out events in Johnson City, Tennessee and Boston. With lines wrapped around the buildings to see the 2025 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee explore another first, Kenny Chesney returned to East Tennessee State University, where his journey truly began, and Boston, MA, where No Shoes Nation was named, to explore the origins, insights and memories that have seen HEART LIFE MUSIC – released nationwide Tuesday, Nov. 4 – already deemed “One for the road” by Publisher’s Weekly and Travel + Leisure calling it “a genuine meditation on connection and purpose.”
“I can’t believe people would come to hear me talk,” confesses the songwriter/superstar of his first book events. “It’s one thing to come sing these songs with us, to throw your problems or your heart into the air with us for a few hours every summer, but this is a whole other thing. And to be honest, it’s way more fun than I would’ve ever imagined! So far, we’ve gone into the places we are, talked about the people they’d know – and come out on the other side having laughed a lot, cheered plenty and remembered even more about this wild, crazy magical carpet ride. I’m having the time of my life.”
Introduced by ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland and Country Radio Hall of Famer Ginny Brophey in Boston – both who appear in HEART LIFE MUSIC – the beyond sold-out events were riotous, often soul-searching beyond the scheduled time length, celebrations of Chesney’s life, love of creativity, the struggles and triumphs that have defined his unlikely rise and establishment of No Shoes Nation. More than a conversation with 12-time National Arts + Entertainment Journalism Awards nominee and co-author Holly Gleason, these book talks are a freewheeling trip through the process of how he got here, what dreams are made of, unthinkable moments and the places that made him.
Whether recalling the college bars on the Tree Streets, getting his doctorate and a particularly eye-opening trip to Moscow with the ETSU Bluegrass band or the evolution of overlapping similarities between New England, his island friends and people from back home, Chesney went deep to honor the people attending at ETSU’s Martin Center and Boston’s Back Bay Center with in-the-moment stories, including reminisces of the local “The Cas Walker Show” slogan or the polar reaction of Grace Potter and his fans’ reaction to their duet on the GRAMMY nominated, CMA Award-winning “You & Tequila.”
There was even a decades-long tradition in Boston. After multiple calls, cheering encouragement, Chesney sang an a capella verse and chorus of “Boston” with the audience who couldn’t get enough. “This is so in the moment, so like spending an afternoon on a bar stool with me,” Chesney says of the book events. “It’s more intimate than I could’ve ever imagined, more fun than I’ve had in a long time – and something completely unlike anything I’ve ever done. It’s just me, the questions and a whole lot of love coming from the people in the room – but what a rush! I wish I could do this everywhere.”
And so, just like those tours he takes to the cities beyond the stadium tour markets, Kenny has been watching the calls for “please come to our town” or “you’re not coming here” in the comments – and he’s found a way to include anyone who wants to be part of these very special, one-of-a-kind conversations. For anyone who’s not in the remaining cities that still have tickets – Philly tonight at the Academy of Music, Englewood, NJ at the Bergen Performing Arts Center 11/4, Chicago at the Copernicus Center 11/5, Nashville at the Country Music Hall of Fame on 11/6 or the Miami Book Fair on 11/16, Chesney has worked with the promoters, his publisher and the powers that be to create a virtual event out of his 11/7 appearance at Los Angeles’ Saban Theater for anyone who either couldn’t get a ticket or couldn’t get to a book event city to be able to take part in one of these outrageous conversations.
“This is too much fun,” enthuses the man the LA Times called “the people’s superstar” of these intimate conversations. “I’m learning even more about me, this journey and how much all of it means in these talks – and I don’t want anyone who wishes they could hear all about it to not have their chance to come along with us. I’m glad we figured out how to capture the magic – and make it available on demand for an entire week for anyone who wants to see what this is all about. AND if you buy a virtual ticket, we’re going to make sure you get the very same signed book everyone coming to one of these talks is going home with! They actually have book plates that say ‘Book Tour’ to commemorate the moment.”
Tickets for In Conversation with Kenny Chesney (Virtual Event) available HERE.
Photo Credit: Ron Campbell for ETSU
“After all of it, I can’t wait to share all the characters I’ve met, people behind the scenes, the dead ends and places that maybe seemed like not much with everyone,” Chesney marveled during the process. “Because every single step, smile or hard lesson was part of this crazy ride. I had no idea how much I’d remember and learn about how we got here, but I am really excited to share it with No Shoes Nation.”
And now he adds, “Sharing these stories in these small rooms with several hundred members of No Shoes Nation makes HEART LIFE MUSIC suddenly really real. When you’re telling the stories and hear the laughter, or the cheers, or even the sighs, that’s when you know how much the things that have happened truly mean. It’s not just me, it’s us – and when we’re all together, and Holly’s asking all those questions to make me unpack not just how we got here, but why we all love each other so much, it’s awesome.
“I mean, when you look into the eyes of the young men and women who are the current ETSU Bluegrass Band or folks who’ve been coming to see me since we weren’t selling out small places, you realize: it really has been a helluva journey – and it’s a lot to take in. But I’m so glad we’re out here doing it.”
Joined for the spontaneous conversations that explore the stories from George Jones to Ethel Kennedy, Bruce Springsteen to Robert Kraft by two-time LA Press Club Music Criticism and Entertainment Journalist of the Year and co-author Holly Gleason, Chesney’s unpacking HEART LIFE MUSIC in a way that genuinely demonstrates the fun, the courage, the myriad artists, but especially the love of bringing people together that have defined No Shoes Nation. Establishing a voice that captured coming of age and living life as fully as possible in the 21st Century, Chesney wants each event to reflect his unique relationship with each city he’s going to, the music and anyone seeking inspiration to create their own place in the world.
“No Shoes Nation is my favorite place because there’s no borders, just coming together to love life, music, the moment and each other. I’m sure nobody votes the same, goes to the same church or school, but that’s okay: we see all the things we share and have in common. I love that, and that’s what this book, this tour and this moment is all about.”
For more information about remaining dates on the Heart Life Music book tour, visit HarperCollins.com/Pages/Chesney.
THE REST OF THE TOUR: Kenny Chesney's HEART LIFE MUSIC Adds 5 More Cities
THE REST OF THE TOUR
Kenny Chesney’s HEART LIFE MUSIC FINAL Book Events
“Hello, Philly, Jersey, Key West, LA, Tampa”
Philadelphia 11/3, Bergen, NJ 11/4, Beverly Hills, CA 11/7
Key West 11/10, Tampa 11/11
Bringing Intimate Conversations about His Path, Heroes, Songs,
Making Music, Setbacks, Big Fun + How to Chase an Impossible Dream
All Ticketed Guests will Receive a Signed Copy of HEART LIFE MUSIC
Complete Tour Now Announced – Ticket Details Below
HEART LIFE MUSIC In-Stores Nov. 4; Pre-Order Available Now
Kenny Chesney's HEART LIFE MUSIC Tour Adds Chicago, Nashville & Miami Book Fair
When Kenny Chesney started work on Heart Life Music, he had no idea what would unfold. But like everything he does, he committed to the process, dug in and really examined the road from being a sports-obsessed kid lying in the yard and staring at the sky, to becoming the man the Wall Street Journal deemed “the King of the Road.” Football stadiums, student bluegrass band trips to Moscow, Tuff Gong Studios in Jamaica, George Jones’ plane and experiencing Key West with his friend Jimmy Buffett are just some of the places the songwriter-superstar from East Tennessee found himself revisiting to tell the story.
“And after all of it, I can’t wait to share all the characters I’ve met, people who’ve been behind the scenes, the dead ends and places that maybe seemed like not much with readers,” Chesney enthuses. “Because every single step, smile or hard lesson was part of this crazy ride. I had no idea how much I’d remember and learn about how we got here, but I am really excited to share it with No Shoes Nation.
“Whether a Lower Broadway that no longer exists, and almost can’t be imagined, or the insane crowds at Chicago’s Soldier Field over the last 20 years, I’ve tried to make this book tour go places that really stuck with us, made us – all of us – into the community we are,” he continues. “These stories aren’t just postcards from stops along the way, they are love letters to every person or place who was there. It’s why the final end papers are a picture from Soldier Field in 2024 with all those people that made it magic.”
Adding three more dates, Heart Life Music: the Book Tour will go to Chicago the day after release for an event at the Copernicus Center, presented by The Book Stall. Then Chesney will head to Nashville for two book talks at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s CMA Theater, in partnership with Parnassus Books.
“I wanted to go to the heart of the country, and Chicago sure represents that for me. I wanted to go to the place where all of my music came together, the songwriters and creative community were so generous and encouraging to me. Teaming with Parnassus Books for an event at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, yards from the Turf where I’d played for tips when I arrived, is a dream come true.
“And we were asked to be a headliner for the opening of the Miami Book Fair. I feel like we’re going back to the Super Bowl, which when you read the book, you’ll get the reference. It’s an honor to be part of such a respected and iconic event. And the way I love South Florida – from West Palm Beach’s Coral Sky to the Tortuga Music Festival, Miami and the Keys – this is a whole other homecoming.”
Joined for freewheeling conversations that explore the story and process by two-time LA Press Club Music Criticism and Entertainment Journalist of the Year and co-author Holly Gleason, Chesney will deep dive into Heart Life Music. Establishing a voice that captured coming of age and living life as fully as possible in the 21st Century, the man the Los Angeles Times called “the people’s superstar” wants each event to reflect his unique relationship with No Shoes Nation, the music and anyone seeking inspiration to create their own place in the world.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5
7:00PM Copernicus Center
Chicago, IL
Bookseller: The Book Stall
Tickets on sale Friday, September 26 at 10 am ET HERE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6
5:30PM & 8:00PM Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s CMA Theater
Nashville, TN
Bookseller: Parnassus Books
Tickets on sale Friday, September 26 at 10 am ET HERE
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16
Miami Book Fair
7:00PM, Chapman Center
Miami Dade College, Downtown Miami, FL
Bookseller: Books & Books
MBF Members only tickets on sale: Friday, Sept 19
General public tickets: Monday, October 13 HERE
Known for commanding the largest stages nationwide, Heart Life Music ventures to places long gone, makes unexpected music in Jamaica, the Kremlin, New England and Cabo San Lucas, drifts across the waters of the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Beyond meeting and collaborating with heroes, forging transcendent friendships in the islands and beyond, Chesney’s introspective look at the songs and sound that defined No Shoes Nation offers the intimacy of sharing a slow afternoon on the water. Each ticketholder will receive a signed copy of the book.
Kenny Chesney Kicks Off HEART LIFE MUSIC @ ETSU, Boston Nov. 1 + 2
With the audio book underway, the final edits complete and the start of fall ahead, Country Music Hall of Fame 2025 electee Kenny Chesney knew he wanted to do something very special to launch his upcoming Heart Life Music. Tracing the path of a pretty regular kid living well beyond the lights of Knoxville, Tennessee, he decided to kick off his book tour at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee, where his dream truly took wing, with a special event at the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts on Nov. 1 at 3pm.
“Having looked at my life in ways I never thought of,” says the man Wall Street Journal called “the King of the Road” about the process, “I realized: I’ve always loved sports, music and the sea. But the idea I’d chase this dream came together in Johnson City, trying to learn Doc Watson picking from Jack Tottle, playing Quarterbacks and Chuckey’s, and going to Russia with East Tennessee State University’s Bluegrass Band.
“For me, going back to East Tennessee State University where all of this began was the only way to kick this book tour off. Hopefully, someone in the audience who’s wondering about their own dream might find what they need to get serious about whatever it is they’re chasing.”
And if he’s leaning into his heart, it stands to reason that Chesney would hit Boston the next day. With his legendary Gillette Stadium shows, including a three-day run in 2024, No Shoes Nation was named in 2012 and he passed a million fans in 2018, as well as the friends he’s made from the region over the years, the 8-time Entertainer of the Year will appear at Back Bay Events Center Nov. 2 at 7pm.
“Whether the friends I made in the islands long before this journey kicked into gear, Ginny Brophy who welcomed a kid with nothing going on at WKLB, the crazy fun with Grace Potter, sailing and more with Ethel Kennedy around the Nantucket Sound, conversations with the Globe’s Steve Morse or Super Bowls with Robert Kraft and his organization, there’s been something about the people of New England that recognizes the kid from East Tennessee in me. I like to say, ‘They believe me,’ but I think it’s more they know the same grit and passion that’s driven me and my team all these years.
“I know these are intimate events,” Chesney continues. “But I want everyone to really be able to hear, absorb and feel like we’ve come together before they dive into the book. There’s a lot there, and a lot that went into it – and I want to have very real conversations about all of it to give people a real sense of the role where they live has played in my journey and the man I wanted to be and – hopefully – became.”
Chesney will be joined by two-time LA Press Club Music Critic, friend and co-author Holly Gleason for freewheeling conversations to enrich reading Heart Life Music, anchoring the places book events will occur. Having found his voice delivering the experiences of coming of age and living life as fully as possible in the 21st Century, the songwriter/superstar wants each event to reflect his relationship with No Shoes Nation, the music and anyone trying to find inspiration to create their own place in the world.
Saturday, November 1
Location: East Tennessee State University Martin Center for the Arts in the ETSU Foundation Grand Hall
Time: 3:00pm
Tickets: On sale this Friday, September 19 at 10am ET HERE
Bookseller: ETSU Bookstore
Sunday, November 2
Location: Back Bay Events Center
Time: 7:00pm
Tickets: On sale this Friday, September 19 at 10am ET HERE
Bookseller: Harvard Book Store
Known for commanding the largest stages nationwide, Heart Life Music ventures to places long gone, makes unexpected music in Jamaica, the Kremlin, New England and Cabo San Lucas, drifts across the waters of the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Beyond meeting and collaborating with heroes, forging transcendent friendships in the islands and beyond, Chesney’s introspective look at the songs and sound that defined No Shoes Nation offers the intimacy of sharing a slow afternoon on the water.
About the Book
Heart Life Music
by Kenny Chesney
with Holly Gleason
On Sale: Nov. 4, 2025 | William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Hardcover ISBN: 9780063423107 | $32.50
E-book ISBN: 9780063423114 | $14.99
Digital Audio ISBN: 9780063423121 | $27.99
Preorder HERE
About The Authors
One of contemporary American music's biggest names, Kenny Chesney was voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year and was named Billboard’s No.1 Country Artist of the 21st Century. Selling out America’s major stadiums for two decades and playing to over a million fans every summer since 2002, Variety pronounced him “country music’s only true long-term stadium act.” The East Tennessee songwriter/superstar has over 105 platinum certifications, won the prestigious Entertainer of the Year eight times, as well as holding Billboard's record for the most Country Airplay No. 1s with 36 chart-topping songs that define coming of age in the flyover in the 21st Century. This year, the game-changing superstar became the first country artist to perform at the groundbreaking Sphere, taking No Shoes into a whole new dimension. Creating a space to work hard, play hard, love hard and come together in the spirit of celebrating all the moment offers. Heart Life Music is his first book.
Holly Gleason’s work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, the Library of Congress’ National Registry of Sound Recordings, among other outlets. She was the LA Press Club’s Entertainment Journalist of the Year and the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Association’s Independent Journalist of the Year. A former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame/Case Western Reserve Fellow, she’s the creator of Belmont Book Award-winning Woman Walk The Line, and co-authored Miranda Lambert’s New York Times best-seller Y’all Eat Yet as well as Prine on Prine: Interviews & Encounters.
Kenny Hits The Studio...without Musicians; HEART LIFE MUSIC Audio Book Underway
Normally when Kenny Chesney’s in the studio, there are multiple guitarists, a monster drummer and a whole lot of great songs. Not this summer. Just songwriter/superstar and a mic hit Blackbird Studios to capture an East Tennessee kid with a headful of wonder’s journey through a Nashville that was built on creative types at all levels seeking his fate.
From catching a spark playing for tips at various bars, as well as traveling to Russia with the East Tennessee State Bluegrass Band during college to then playing a destitute Lower Broadway, where the Ryman was on the verge of being torn down and characters populated the seedy bars, and being signed to a publishing deal at Acuff Rose, home to Hank Williams Sr. and Dean Dillon, it’s the power of curiosity to drive someone with nothing but a hunger to write and sing songs. It’s also an homage to perseverance when the going is more than rough, the ability to find laughter in the cracks and a will to keep going.
“It’s funny,” marvels the man whose stadium tours have become a rite of summer, “when you’re living it, it’s being in the moment. When we were writing it, it was looking back and really striving to get it right. But now, reading it, all of these stories become real again. I can see everybody, from the Turf and the Wheel, to (Capricorn Records founders) Phil Walden with all that charisma and (legendary producer) Barry Beckett telling me to ‘put a smile on it.’
“It takes a lot longer than I thought to record an audio book, or maybe it’s just I would get lost in seeing all the people and places along the way. In a way, it’s what I did with my summer vacation: visit all these adventures I’ve had, because when I started to hear the stories, I felt like I was living them all over again.”
Whether making unexpected music in Jamaica, the Kremlin, New England and Cabo San Lucas, drifting across the waters of the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Chesney will engage with a coterie of singular folks, friends and inspirations, as he embraces the unabashed joy of being alive. “Thinking about the moments, reading the stories, it all got very real for me – the blessings of so much wisdom people gave me and unthinkable things I got to do. I was here at an amazing time, got to experience a Nashville closer to Willie Nelson or George Jones when they were trying to make it happen – and I got to live this crazy dream alongside so many heroes, make great friends. Hearing it come out of my mouth, it’s a lot to take in; I almost wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t been there.”
Written with longtime friend and collaborator Holly Gleason, Heart Life Music celebrates the life and rise of a man whose songs have set the tone and whose shows have anchored a world without borders for the last quarter century. From the road, stage quiet moments and unthinkable thrills, it’s a trip for anyone who’s ever wondered what the voyage to No Shoes Nation might be like.
Official Release Nov. 4; Preorders HERE
About the Book
Heart Life Music
by Kenny Chesney
with Holly Gleason
On Sale: Nov. 4, 2025 | William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Hardcover ISBN: 9780063423107 | $32.50
E-book ISBN: 9780063423114 | $14.99
Digital Audio ISBN: 9780063423121 | $27.99
Preorder HERE
About The Authors
One of contemporary American music's biggest names, Kenny Chesney has been selling out major stadiums across the nation for two decades; playing to over a million fans every summer since 2002, prompting Variety to pronounce him “country music’s only true long-term stadium act.” He’s earned over 105 million RIAA certifications and won the prestigious Entertainer of the Year eight times, as well as being Billboard's Country Artist of the 21st Century as well as holding Billboard’s record for the most Country Airplay No. 1s with 36 chart-topping songs that define coming of age across America in the 21st Century. The game-changing superstar became the first country artist to perform at the groundbreaking Sphere, taking No Shoes into a whole new dimension. Creating a space to work hard, play hard, love hard and come together in the spirit of celebrating all the moment offers, his popularity continues to grow year after year. Heart Life Music is his first book.
Holly Gleason’s work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, the Library of Congress’ National Registry of Sound Recordings, among other outlets. She was the LA Press Club’s Entertainment Journalist of the Year and the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Association’s Independent Journalist of the Year. A former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame/Case Western Reserve Fellow, she’s the creator of Belmont Book Award-winning Woman Walk The Line, and co-authored Miranda Lambert’s New York Times best-seller Y’all Eat Yet as well as Prine on Prine: Interviews & Encounters.
Kenny Chesney Celebrates FINALLY Finishing HEART LIFE MUSIC on No Shoes Radio
When Kenny Chesney agreed to write a book about his journey from a kid in the Smoky Mountains to dominating America’s football stadiums for the past 20+ years, he applied himself to the mission with the same commitment he does everything else. Hundreds of hours talking, going through pictures, thinking about what it all means, the 2025 Country Music Hall of Fame invitee wanted to capture the joy of chasing what was often far beyond his reach, but never his imagination.
“What they don’t tell you,” Chesney says laughing, “is how much goes into polishing, how many times you’ll read it… orhow many moments you’ll have to leave out. But for me, I really wanted to send a love letter to all the places and characters along the way that made this journey such an incredible ride. When I look back, I can’t believe the people I’ve met, the stories I’ve heard and the music I’ve been able to hear from songwriters, other artists, as well as all the songs I’ve been fortunate enough to cut.
“And now, finally, my co-writer Holly Gleason and I can exhale – knowing the book truly is done, we grabbed the moment for No Shoes Radio. For anyone who sees Heart Life Music sitting somewhere, not only is it a whole lot of love, adventure and things I loved thinking about all over again, it’s a huge chunk of my last year. So if you were wondering, now you know.”
Hand curated, Heart Life Music takes anyone with a dream on a voyage of so many unlikely destinations, opportunities and discouragements to show: if you don’t give up, if you just keep working, amazing things can happen. But even more than the work, it’s the friendship and laughter along the way.
“We were trying to create snapshots of my journey, vignettes of my soul,” Chesney offers, “and lots of my friends since I started on this magic carpet ride. I moved to Nashville in January 1991, and here we are, talking about it in this book. Sitting here looking at the ocean, hearing these waves crashing, we can’t wait. Especially if you’ve been part of this journey, I can’t wait for you to relive it…and for those who weren’t part of this journey, we hope you take something from this and apply it to your life, we can’t for you to hear it, errr, read it.”
Known for commanding the largest stages nationwide, Heart Life Music ventures to places long gone, makes unexpected music in Jamaica, the Kremlin, New England and Cabo San Lucas, drifts across the waters of the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Beyond meeting and collaborating with heroes, forging transcendent friendships in the islands and beyond, Chesney’s introspective look at the songs and sound that defined No Shoes Nation offers the intimacy of sharing a slow afternoon on the water.
About the Book
Heart Life Music
by Kenny Chesney
with Holly Gleason
On Sale: Nov. 4, 2025 | William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Hardcover ISBN: 9780063423107 | $32.50
E-book ISBN: 9780063423114 | $14.99
Digital Audio ISBN: 9780063423121 | $27.99
Preorder HERE
About The Authors
One of contemporary American music's biggest names, Kenny Chesney was voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year and was named Billboard’s No.1 Country Artist of the 21st Century. Selling out America’s major stadiums for two decades and playing to over a million fans every summer since 2002, Variety pronounced him “country music’s only true long-term stadium act.” The East Tennessee songwriter/superstar has over 105 platinum certifications, won the prestigious Entertainer of the Year eight times, as well as holding Billboard's record for the most Country Airplay No. 1s with 36 chart-topping songs that define coming of age in the flyover in the 21st Century. This year, the game-changing superstar became the first country artist to perform at the groundbreaking Sphere, taking No Shoes into a whole new dimension. Creating a space to work hard, play hard, love hard and come together in the spirit of celebrating all the moment offers. Heart Life Music is his first book.
Holly Gleason’s work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, the Library of Congress’ National Registry of Sound Recordings, among other outlets. She was the LA Press Club’s Entertainment Journalist of the Year and the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Association’s Independent Journalist of the Year. A former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame/Case Western Reserve Fellow, she’s the creator of Belmont Book Award-winning Woman Walk The Line, and co-authored Miranda Lambert’s New York Times best-seller Y’All Eat Yet as well as Prine on Prine: Interviews & Encounters.”
105 Million Kenny Chesney Fans Can't Be Wrong
When you’re busy moving forward, it’s easy to forget keeping score. Kenny Chesney, the Country Music Hall of Fame electee who just wrapped a full-immersion residency at Vegas’ Sphere, built a career on the quality of the songs and how they resonate with No Shoes Nation as he continually sought to find songs that were better than what he’d already done.
As Billboard’s No. 1 Country Artist of the 21st Century and the artist with the most No. 1 Country Airplay singles, Chesney’s songs and albums have been the soundtrack for coming of age across the nation. In the pre-streaming era, when a Platinum-certification meant a million copies sold and people making the decision to put their down their money, he had several multi-Platinum projects – and he could feel the passion when fans sang “Get Along,” “American Kids” or “Young” at shows for the last many summers.
Nothing, though, could have prepared the songwriter/superstar from East Tennessee for the award from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) marking over 105 million units certified in the U.S. alone. He said, “These kinds of numbers almost don’t exist. Who counts that high? But seeing all the discs and the size of the plaque, it hits you how big this really is.
“What I know is what I hear when the band and I are on stage. You can tell when you hear people cheering and singing these songs with every bit of joy they’ve got, this isn’t just a song they like, these songs are something that hits them in the heart. To me, even more than Platinum or Gold, it’s the sound of those voices that tells me how much this music means.”
With No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems; When The Sun Goes Down and Greatest Hits all certified 5x Platinum, The Road and The Radio achieving 4x Platinum status and Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates, Hemingway’s Whiskey and Everywhere We Go all 2x Platinum, there are also nine additional Platinum and six Gold albums in Chesney’s catalogue.
With today’s update, “American Kids” and “You and Tequila” featuring Grace Potter earn 5x and 4x Platinum status respectively. Five songs – “Summertime,” “When The Sun Goes Down” featuring Uncle Kracker, “Come Over,” “Don’t Blink,” “Get Along” – receive 3x Platinum certification, joining previous 3x Platinum “Somewhere With You.” “I Go Back,” “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems,” “All The Pretty Girls,” “The Good Stuff” and “The Boys of Fall” join previous 2x Platinums “There Goes My Life,” “Setting The World on Fire” featuring P!nk and “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” not to mention five new Platinum certifications and three new Gold certifications contributing to his overall total of 51 RIAA-certified singles.
“I know what music meant to me, the way a song can change your moment, give you clarity or just make you feel seen,” says the man who’s in the midst of final edits on Heart Life Music, the story of his journey as a creative soul seeking kindred spirits. “Because some of these songs are fun, that doesn’t mean it can’t matter or doesn’t say something people connect with. And with ballads, I’ve tried to make them speak to a moment that’s so real you can see it.
“Buddy (Cannon) and I have really tried to push what we were doing in terms of the songs and how we recorded them; I wanted to say the stuff people never said for kids like me – and find the sweet spot where melody and lyric reflect each other in a way that made each song even more than any one moment. I wanted songs that I hoped would always be true.”
Tapping moments and emotions at their most potent, Chesney fashioned a series of albums that went through the phases of life without ever relinquishing those moments of being young many people carry throughout their lives. Those songs fuel legendary two-hour performances that deliver an antidote to the animosity of the world, create a nation without polarization and space to come together for the love of what being alive can mean. More than 105 million in certifications can’t be wrong.
Kenny Closes 15 Night Sphere Run w Mac McAnally, 2026 Announce
In the end, it was Kenny Chesney, a single drumstick and a high hat, bashing away alongside matchless drummer Nick Buda on the extended ending of “Don’t Happen Twice.” After 15 nights as the first country artist to headline Sphere Vegas, the man just named Billboard’s No. 1 Country Artist of the 21st Century clearly wasn’t ready to leave the stage, the fun, the wicked jams and the overwhelming No Shoes Nation vocal parts behind.
As the show was winding up, Chesney – who’d been in a revelatory story mode all night – told the crowd, “A couple days ago, they asked us to come back next year.” When “Out Last Night,” the robust midtempo about all the things said to get the job done, was delivered with the Vegas strip and signs surrounding the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar, the Sphere was showered with the No Shoes Nation pirate markings and a slice of globe that read #IGoBack26 and #Summertime26.
“I got a little carried away,” Chesney admitted after the show, “but after all the guests, all the songs we hadn’t planned on, all the people who came from all over, I just didn’t want to keep it a secret. I knew we were coming back, and if No Shoes Nation had half as much fun as we did, I wanted them to know we’d see them right here next summer. What could be better?”
All the surprises included two nights of iconic songwriter, sometime Coral Reefer and dear friend Mac McAnally. Rather than sing the expected “Back Where I Come From,” the duo delivered their No. 1 duet “Down The Road,” originally recorded on McAnally’s Simple Life. After sharing he only learned the dry-witted Mississippian had written Shenandoah’s chart-topping “Two Dozen Roses” at a concert at the Ryman this winter, the pair dove into unexpected treasure.
After talking about performing with James Taylor to sing their friend Jimmy Buffett into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – and citing the presence of Buffett’s sister Lucy on Saturday night – the pair reprised “Come Monday” to a crowd that lost their minds for the acoustic classic.
That intimate vibe was also in the house for an unscheduled “Old Blue Chair,” which was dedicated to several island friends who were in house. As the video captured the cerulean ocean and contemplative moments of the high impact performer’s unseen moments, the capacity crowd was lost in the beauty and introspection.
“For all the intensity of the production,” Chesney marveled, “these shows have been unbelievably fluid, capable of change-ups and crazy requests. Yes, it really is another dimension when it comes to how you experience the music, but it’s ultimately the songs that stand out.
“Mac McAnally proved that,” Chesney continued. “He is such a soul/heart singer, and all the warmth of what he does only grew greater on that stage. Whether it was mostly the two of us and our guitars or something like ‘Two Dozen Roses,’ the audience got to experience the root of what makes him so great. That voice of his, which feels like an old friend, took on an even more comfortable presence. It was amazing.”
While details for next year’s shows won’t be revealed for several weeks, Chesney’s experience lit such a fire under him he couldn’t wait to share the news. “When we said we were taking No Shoes Nation into another dimension, no one truly knew what that meant. Now that we do, we can’t wait to come back and do it all over again.”
Kenny Chesney and Mac McAnally at Chesney’s Live at Sphere Las Vegas | Photo Credit: Jill Trunnell
Kenny Chesney Delivers Blazing Show & Megan Moroney 4 Song Surprise
When Kenny Chesney, recently named Billboard’s No. 1 Country Artist of the 21st Century, pledged that his first ever residency would have surprises, moments no one saw coming and a whole lotta love, he wasn’t kidding. Having kicked off his first set of dates with duet partners and shared award-winners Kelsea Ballerini and Grace Potter, the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar kept the female energy high by welcoming good friend and Sun Goes Down Tour mate Megan Moroney to Sphere Vegas for a high chemistry, big love collaboration.
Beyond debuting Moroney’s postcards from No Shoes Nation “You Had To Be There,” which captures her journey from cheap seats to stadium opener, Moroney played her Top 5 smash “Am I Okay?,” which she performed with Chesney’s blazing hot band at Gillette Stadium. The pair reprised their romping “All The Pretty Girls,” plus Moroney’s return-to-the-set-list fave “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.”
“No one has more fun onstage than Megan Moroney,” Chesney enthused after the pair’s high velocity duets. “She doesn’t just radiate joy up there, she makes everybody want to experience the amount of fun she is clearly having. Even I want to – and don’t always – maintain that level of feeling good. She just brings it.”
Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith and uber-manager Shep Gordon (Alice Cooper, Teddy Pendergrass, Ann Murray) were spotted in a decidedly animated crowd. As Chesney noted after the show, “For a Wednesday night crowd, it sure felt like Saturday night! Maybe it was Megan… Maybe we’re really getting the hang of Sphere… Or else it was just meant to be… No matter why, it was an incredible night in No Shoes Nation.”
With USA Today headlining their rave review, “Kenny Chesney delivers vibrant, visually arresting feast at Sphere Las Vegas,” they deemed the show “a technicolor wonder” and wrote, “It’s as much a concert as a sonic and visual roller-coaster ride pairing one of the most acclaimed stars of country with the evolving technological wizardry of the Sphere.” With ABC News calling this 15-show residency, “historic” and Parade opining, “Country legend leaves fans speechless during ‘absolutely unreal’ show,” Chesney is creating a show that expands what country music can contain – and delivers on all the songs that contain people’s lives.
The only country artist to be in Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Last 25 Years for the last 15 years, Chesney joins a select group of icons and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees U2, (Grateful) Dead & Company and the Eagles, plus Phish, to play the 17,600-seat spherical venue that deploys next-generation technologies to create an absolutely immersive experience.
“I knew this was going to be incredible when I said, ‘Yes,’ when they asked me to do this, but I had no idea how awesome the experience could actually be. More than all the visuals, the dialed in sound, though, it’s getting to share this stage with a lot of people I love, including everyone in No Shoes Nation, who came to Vegas to be part of this unbelievable moment.”
Limited tickets remain for the Sphere residency at KennyChesney.com with packages available via Vibee, the official VIP Concert & Hotel Package partner for Kenny Chesney’s Live at Sphere residency, at KennyChesney.Vibee.com. All Vibee packages offer guests a choice of premium tickets including Sandbar (general admission floor) or reserved seating, a collectable laminate and lanyard, access to the No Shoes Island VIP Pool Party, exclusive Kenny Chesney curated gift bag and early access to the Guitars, Tiki Bars and a Whole Lotta Love experience on show days for crowd-free shopping on exclusive merch items, and access to a dedicated shopping lane during public hours. Vibee Hotel Packages include a two-night stay at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas (The Venetian or The Palazzo) or Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere Las Vegas is presented by Blue Chair Bay® Rum.
Photo Credit: Alive Coverage
Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere Las Vegas LIMITED TICKETS REMAIN
Friday, May 30
Saturday, May 31
Wednesday, June 4
Friday, June 6
Saturday, June 7
Wednesday, June 11
Friday, June 13
Saturday, June 14
Kenny Chesney is Billboard's No. 1 Country Artist of the 21st Century
Kenny Chesney woke up to some very outrageous news. With a landmark opening week at Sphere in Las Vegas, where he became the first country act to headline, the news broke that the soft-spoken songwriter/superstar was named Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the 21st Century. Recognizing his imprint on the genre across both singles and the larger perspective of his albums, the honor comes on the heels of being a 2025 Country Music Hall of Fame Electee, alongside June Carter Cash and producer/executive Tony Brown.
“No one gets up to go the gym and expects to see news like this on their phone,” the clearly stunned Chesney said. “All I was ever trying to do was find the best possible songs, things that spoke to the heart of how No Shoes Nation lives – and then taking that music, those albums that were slices of my life out to everyone who wanted to come out, be a part of the shows, the moments and the memories we made in every city we played.”
Known for spreading positive energy through his singular rock/country hybrid, the man Wall Street Journal crowned “King of the Road” has taken the music to a whole lot of new places, from college bars to major NFL stadiums and now Sphere. Just as importantly, he’s defined the sound of coming of age, finding peace in the whirlwind pace and kicking back when it’s most needed for people living in all kinds of places across the nation.
With 33 Billboard No. 1 Country Airplay songs, more than anyone since the chart’s inception, nine all-genre Billboard 200 Albums, as well as all 17 of his 21st century albums topping their Country Albums chart, Chesney’s music has been an indelible part of what country music can contain. Enlisting duet partners Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews, Grace Potter, the Wailers, P!nk and Uncle Kracker on major hits, as well as Mindy Smith, Ziggy Marley, Jimmy Buffett, George Jones and Joe Walsh, Chesney’s country is an expansive place.
As Billboard’s Jim Asker noted, “Kenny Chesney rules as the No. 1 country act on Billboard’s recap of the first 25 years of the 21st century… The ranking is based on performance on the weekly is based on performance on the weekly Top Country Albums and Hot Country Songs charts from the start of 2000 through the end of 2024.
“After debuting on Billboard’s charts in December 1993 and becoming a format force by 1995, Chesney dominated the first quarter of the 21st century, landing all 17 of his No. 1s on the weekly Top Country Albums chart between 2000 and 2020. With his trademark mix of love songs and breezy beach singalongs, he also ran up 20 No. 1s (of 23 total) on Hot Country Songs in that span. Both totals are the highest among all artists in those years.”
With Heart*Life*Music, his first book, due in November of this year and available for preorder now, it’s been quite a journey. For fans of the leader of the borderless No Shoes Nation, who’ve marveled at his Sphere residency, there’s so much more to come.
Kenny Chesney Wraps 1st Sphere Weekend: Grace Potter, Island Requests, Boys of Fall
For a man who can’t stay in one place very long, Kenny Chesney is creating an even deeper sense of what one of America’s best loved collection of songs means with each night of his residency at Sphere Las Vegas. Even with the high intensity visual media, the intensely dialed in sound and an intimacy afforded by the immersive venue configuration, what stands out more than anything is the unwavering connection between the high energy East Tennessee born artist and No Shoes Nation.
Early in the show on Sunday night, Chesney stood at his mic and confessed, “I rarely take requests, but there are some people here from the islands… and they said, ‘We’ve heard all the hits, now play us something from the heart.’ Regaling the capacity crowd with the story of how life becomes art, he went completely off-script to deliver a tender take on “Old Blue Chair,” the semi-title track from Be as You Are: Songs from an Old Blue Chair.
With people lining up to get into his Guitars, Tiki Bars & A Whole Lotta Love experience at 3:30 the first few mornings the free activation at the Venetian was open, the fervor for the songwriter/superstar set a bar for opening weekend that was palpable. After Kelsea Ballerini dropped in on opening night, Grace Potter arrived for the weekend and a sultry take on the double GRAMMY-nominated “You & Tequila.”
Dressed in thigh high vintage Ann Klein boots of many colors panels, she embodied the rock & roll spirit expected from the fiery roots songstress. “It’s not often our circles converge anymore,” Chesney says of the woman recently profiled in The New York Times, “because she has a life of her own, but when it does, it’s magical.”
Parade raved, “Country legend leaves fans speechless during ‘absolutely unreal’ show,” while ABC News called it “historic” and even Jambase proclaimed he “doubled down.” But it was USA Today who offered the deepest dive, headlining their review, “Kenny Chesney delivers vibrant, visually arresting feast at Sphere Las Vegas” – and calling the show “a technicolor wonder” and writing “It’s as much a concert as a sonic and visual roller-coaster ride pairing one of the most acclaimed stars of country with the evolving technological wizardry of the Sphere.”
Whether dedicating the power of girls who fearlessly dream rocker “Big Star” to two-time Academy of Country Music Lainey Wilson, who snuck in to see the show on a rare night off, or making an audible and playing “The Boys of Fall,” because Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid and Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell were in the house, each night’s shows are being tailored to the moment and the chemistry within.
“Having friends stop by, having friends get up on stage,” Chesney says, “this is about creating a whole new experience for No Shoes Nation. Something that could only happen here – a venue built around this groundbreaking technology – I’m so grateful so many members of No Shoes Nation were willing to travel to the desert to experience this with us. It’s strange in the best way: the intensity, the immersion, the way songs come to life almost literally.
“The animation with Kracker? The midway for ‘Til It’s Gone’? To literally be in a fish bowl? How could we not habe those experiences? But even more, hearing the audience sing that second chorus on ‘American Kids’ with such joy? You can tell their hitting another gear from the joy in their voices.”
The only country artist to be in Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Last 25 Years for the last 15 years, Chesney joins the very select handful of cultural icons and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees U2, (Grateful) Dead & Company and the Eagles, plus Phish to play the 17,600-seat spherical venue that deploys next-generation technologies.
Over a year in the making, Chesney and his team, along with experts from Sphere Studios’ advanced tech and creative teams, captured content. They’ve created and captured myriad worlds, from the University of Tennessee’s Volunteers rushing onto the field to underwater adventures, candy skulls, iconic moments, lighthouse entanglements, NASCAR cams and the rush of being onstage at a stadium show.
Drawing on songs never performed live, including the sweeping “One Lonely Island” and a mesmerizing “Seven Days,” the farflung show also creates an intimacy never before seen in Chesney’s massive stadium concerts. For all the fans of the man from Tennessee, this is Kenny Chesney as he’s known and loved, but also as he’s never been seen before.
Photo Credit: Allister Ann
Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere Las Vegas Remaining Shows:
LIMITED TICKETS REMAIN
Wednesday, May 28
Friday, May 30
Saturday, May 31
Wednesday, June 4
Friday, June 6
Saturday, June 7
Wednesday, June 11
Friday, June 13
Saturday, June 14
Wednesday, June 18
Friday, June 20
Saturday, June 21
Kenny Chesney Gets His SPHERE On, No Shoes Nation Finds A New Dimension
They came in rhinestones, flip-flops, grass skirts, stilettos, Bermuda shorts, cowboy boots, Hawaiian shirts and a couple Low Key Bob Fan Club tees. Whatever the look, they all had the same mission: to see where Kenny Chesney was taking No Shoes Nation with his 2025 Vegas Sphere residency, his only live appearances this year.
Triumphantly taking the stage after a far-reaching DJ set by Brandi Cyrus, the East Tennessean kicked off with the longstanding classic “Beer In Mexico” as sugar skulls rained down and animated skulls danced and drank long neck cervezas from Sphere’s wraparound video wall. Between the rush of the band, the intensity of the visuals and the anticipation in the house, the energy onstage and in the room was palpable. But even more, the anticipation of the fans who’d been in line for several hours was met with an integrated experience of sonics, visuals, musicians and heart that met that built-up excitement straight on.
Whether it was the technicolor immersion of cell phones in an aquatic tank in “Welcome to the Fish Bowl,” a song Chesney wrote 15 years ago to take on the invasiveness of social media, the multi-dimensional midway carnival of “Til It’s Gone” or the almost overwhelming swirl of tiles featuring images from the “Noise” video, Chesney and the Revival met the moment – and the increased production values – with a real passion that saw an audience dancing and clapping with stadium-sized abandon.
“It’s overwhelming a little,” Chesney says, “beyond the visuals, which build and move, the fans are so close – even in the 400 section – that you’re consumed by all of it when you look up. But it makes you feel so alive to have everyone right there, rocking, singing and almost beyond being in the moment.”
When Kelsea Ballerini appeared on top of a small riser in a mirror sequined mini dress and high ponytail, it was clear this will be a residence of real surprises. Reaching out to his friend and “half of my hometown” partner, the pair blazed through an unplanned “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” as well as their No. 1 duet and Ballerini sitting in for Grace Potter on “You & Tequila.”
“We have the ability to add things in, change it up,” the artist who’s done surprise college bar tours, beach takeovers on the Alabama/Florida line, two dozen major stadiums a summer and three consecutive nights at Foxborough, Mass.’s Gillette Stadium says of the flexibility. “Even with this 4-D production, we can keep the spontaneity and in the moment magic that have made our shows a revival and right of summer for the last twenty years.”
The only country artist to be in Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Last 25 Years for the last 15 years, Chesney joins the very select handful of cultural icons and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees U2, (Grateful) Dead & Company and the Eagles, plus Phish for four very singular concerts to play the 17,600-seat spherical venue deploys next-generation technologies. The world’s highest resolution LED display wraps up, over and around the audience, creating a fully immersive visual environment.
Over a year in the making, Chesney and his team, along with experts from Sphere Studios’ advanced tech and creative teams, captured content, as well deployed cutting-edge animation techniques, to create a whole new experience in how the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar’s music is experienced. It all came together last night in Las Vegas where the crowd roared with delight, took over “American Kids” and “Anything But Mine” with a fervor that matched the largest stadium shows.
Drawing on songs never performed live, including the sweeping “One Lonely Island” and a mesmerizing “Seven Days,” the songs also took on an intimacy to match the moment. For everyone who’d traveled to the Nevada desert for the first time ever, not only were their expectations more than met, the window to what’s possible over the next several weeks has been opened. Get ready.
“We knew as we rehearsed in Sphere the last couple days this was going to be intense,” Chesney explains. “But nothing can prepare you for seeing No Shoes Nation flying through the underwater landscapes, coming over the top of pirate ships and being dropped into a pin ball machine. The looks of joy, awe and total wow on their faces did all of our hearts good.
“I can’t believe we have to wait until Saturday night to do it all over again.”
Limited tickets remain for the Sphere residency at KennyChesney.com with packages available via Vibee, the official VIP Concert & Hotel Package partner for Kenny Chesney’s Live at Sphere residency, at KennyChesney.Vibee.com. All Vibee packages offer guests a choice of premium tickets including Sandbar (general admission floor) or reserved seating, a collectable laminate and lanyard, access to the No Shoes Island VIP Pool Party, exclusive Kenny Chesney curated gift bag and early access to the Guitars, Tiki Bars and a Whole Lotta Love experience on show days for crowd-free shopping on exclusive merch items, and access to a dedicated shopping lane during public hours. Vibee Hotel Packages include a two-night stay at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas (The Venetian or The Palazzo) or Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
Photo Credit: Allister Ann
Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere Las Vegas LIMITED TICKETS REMAIN
Saturday, May 24
Sunday, May 25
Wednesday, May 28
Friday, May 30
Saturday, May 31
Wednesday, June 4
Friday, June 6
Saturday, June 7
Wednesday, June 11
Friday, June 13
Saturday, June 14
Kenny's SO Ready for SPHERE: One Day + Counting...
They loaded in at midnight Sunday. They were up and running Sunday evening. They’ve been rehearsing since Monday, feeling the arc of a whole new set list, songs rarely or never before played – and, of course, many of the favorites of No Shoes Nation.
Almost a year in the making, Kenny Chesney is ready to kick-off his much-vaunted residency at Sphere. All the technology, the vibrance, the ability to immerse No Shoes Nation in the songs that are their life is finally about to happen.
“You can’t truly imagine it,” says the leader of No Shoes Nation. “When people say you have to experience it to really understand, they aren’t kidding. Even with all the simulators, the special editing facilities, the way we have approached rehearsals, it wasn’t until we got inside Sphere that me, the band, the crew and all our road family truly got it. It is a whole other world – and I can’t wait for the people who’ve loved this music so intensely to experience this.
“Experience, because it’s so much more than just seeing a concert.”
A no-holds-barred musical experience, Chesney has refashioned his notoriously quick-hitting set list to create a new live dynamic for his shows. An energetic and emotional rollercoaster, this residency will take fans deeper into the music through the super-specific mix by legendary sound engineer Robert Scovill, the all-new visual presentation and a few surprises the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar has pulled together for this once-in-a-lifetime kind of concert opportunity.
“Keeping the focus on these songs,” the man Wall Street Journal calls “The King of the Road” says, “it made us really creative. Some of what we shot, the way the sound is being sculpted, we’re taking these songs deeper into what they can be – and when we got onstage to start rehearsing, everybody was blown away by how much more every single song seemed to mean.”
As Rolling Stone reported, “No Shoes Nation fandom will descend upon Las Vegas in May… The shows will be a rare chance to see Chesney outside of the massive football stadiums he usually hits on tour.” That means anyone who’s ever heard their life or found their meaning in his 33 No. 1’s and myriad Top 5 and Top 10 hits can get ready for a festival that binds what Variety calls “a concert-going community rivaled perhaps only by Parrotheads and Deadheads” together.
And that starts before the show. Grab a drink at the Spread the Love Bar, an amalgamation of Kenny’s favorite bars at the end of the world and get your vibe right. Hit Guitars, Tiki Bars and a Whole Lotta Love to experience his journey, no need to even have a ticket to the show! Free to all, spread the love and take that positive energy into the world – or into Sphere where Brandi Cyrus will be throwing down a DJ set to get people dancing, feeling good and ready.
“You really do have to experience it to feel how deep this goes,” Chesney says. “We can’t wait to get everybody into the room to feel that energy. We are always coming to rock No Shoes Nation, and they rock us right back. Something tells me this is going to be even more intense.”
Limited tickets remain for the Sphere residency at KennyChesney.com with packages available via Vibee, the official VIP Concert & Hotel Package partner for Kenny Chesney’s Live at Sphere residency, at KennyChesney.Vibee.com. All Vibee packages offer guests a choice of premium tickets including Sandbar (general admission floor) or reserved seating, a collectable laminate and lanyard, access to the No Shoes Island VIP Pool Party, exclusive Kenny Chesney curated gift bag and early access to the Guitars, Tiki Bars and a Whole Lotta Love experience on show days for crowd-free shopping on exclusive merch items, and access to a dedicated shopping lane during public hours. Vibee Hotel Packages include a two-night stay at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas (The Venetian or The Palazzo) or Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere in Las Vegas is presented by Blue Chair Bay® Rum.
Photo Credit: Rick Diamond
Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere Las Vegas
Thursday, May 22
Saturday, May 24
Sunday, May 25
Wednesday, May 28
Friday, May 30
Saturday, May 31
Wednesday, June 4
Friday, June 6
Saturday, June 7
Wednesday, June 11
Friday, June 13
Saturday, June 14
Wednesday, June 18
Friday, June 20
Saturday, June 21
Kenny Chesney's Spherical Premium Seats
Kenny Chesney always throws the summer’s hottest show. With all the songs, the friends, the fun, when No Shoes Nation comes together, a party happens – and memories are made. Knowing his residency at Sphere in Las Vegas brings an audience Variety calls, “a concert-going community rivaled perhaps only by Parrotheads and Deadheads” into a whole new dimension of experiencing the songs, the sound and the visuals, the songwriter/superstar wants to offer every possible way to view these landmark shows.
As the final plan for Chesney’s production at Sphere evolves from concept to reality, the opportunity to open-up additional 100 level, reserved seat inventory is now also a reality. These additional tickets will go on sale Tuesday, April 15 at 10 a.m. PT via KennyChesney.com.
“For the fans who want to be close, but maybe aren’t sure they’re ready for the sandbar experience, I get it,” Chesney says. “Normally, it’s three acts, the hot sun and a whole lotta hard plastic flooring, but when you’re being engulfed by this incredible sound and the dynamic visual content, it’s a lot to take in.
“If you’re feeling more like you’re not ready to get in the pit, you want to really absorb all the sensations, I’m really glad the folks at Sphere were able to work with us to make these seats happen. Obviously, we had to wait until everyone knew what our production was going to require; but once we got it all settled, they were very quick to help us create yet another way to come on in and be part of it with us.”
With no tour or traditional shows this summer, high-impact performer Kenny Chesney wanted to make sure No Shoes Nation got the most out of having this other dimension. Being country’s first artist to play Vegas’ groundbreaking Sphere, which literally wraps fans in 4-D technology with the globe shaped building, is a big deal. Between the intense quality of the production, some songs people have never heard and guests, the man the LA Times deemed “the People’s Superstar” didn’t want to lose that direct contact that defines his stadium shows.
“Since we’re not outside, I want everyone to have the best space possible,” he offers. “We’ve got Brandi Cyrus getting people’s party on to start. The band and I haven’t played for No Shoes Nation since those three nights in Boston – and we’re so ready to get out there and rock. To me, these seats give people one more option to make these shows the best ones ever.”
Known for songs that chronicle coming of age in the flyover, Chesney’s treating this residency as a way to celebrate two decades of stadium-sized summers. With his Guitars, Tiki Bars and A Whole Lotta Love fan experience taking over a nearby two-story space at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas as a free way for even non-ticket-holders to experience the ride, including the Spread the Love Bar to grab a drink before the show, he’s creating a space where No Shoes Nation can celebrate all of the moments shared, songs they’ve loved and being together under Sphere’s aesthetic magic.
The only country artist in Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Last 25 Years for the last 15, Chesney brings together in community, fun and letting go of what brings you down. With a three hour, no stop Sandbar experience, starting May 22 at Sphere, No Shoes Nation can get their 2025 summer started with 15 singular shows designed to make Chesney’s world without boundaries an even more engaged space.
Limited tickets remain for the Sphere residency at KennyChesney.com with official VIP Concert & Hotel Packages available via Vibee, the official VIP Concert & Hotel Package partner for Kenny Chesney’s Live at Sphere residency, at KennyChesney.Vibee.com. All Vibee packages offer guests a choice of premium tickets including Sandbar (general admission floor) or reserved seating, a collectable laminate and lanyard, access to the No Shoes Island VIP Pool Party, exclusive Kenny Chesney curated gift bag and early access to the Guitars, Tiki Bars and a Whole Lotta Love experience on show days for crowd-free shopping on exclusive merch items, and access to a dedicated shopping lane during public hours. Vibee Hotel Packages include a two-night stay at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas (The Venetian or The Palazzo) or Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere in Las Vegas is presented by Blue Chair Bay® Rum.
Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere Las Vegas
Thursday, May 22
Saturday, May 24
Sunday, May 25
Wednesday, May 28
Friday, May 30
Saturday, May 31
Wednesday, June 4
Friday, June 6
Saturday, June 7
Wednesday, June 11
Friday, June 13
Saturday, June 14
Wednesday, June 18
Friday, June 20
Saturday, June 21
Kenny Heads West To Finalize SPHERE Visual Reality; 1st Show May 22
SOMEWHERE ON THE WEST COAST – Kenny Chesney signed on to bring his iconic positive vibe country to Sphere with the idea that he could deepen how No Shoes Nation experienced so many of the songs they knew by heart. As much as his high energy stadium shows have defined summer in the 21st century, the man Variety deemed, “country music’s only true long-term stadium act” wanted to create something that captured the dynamics of those shows, but also offered an intimacy and immersion into the songs.
With no one realizing, the creative team behind so much of Sphere’s patented technology quietly embedded at several of last year’s personal record-setting Sun Goes Down shows to capture the intensity and drama. But they have also spent this time shooting footage that reflects Chesney’s life, experience and musical meaning across one of modern country’s farthest-reaching careers.
“We didn’t know when we signed on what we were signing up for,” Chesney marvels. “I realized every bit of video was going to have to be shot for this wraparound-the-audience screen, but I had no idea how much creating these moments – because it’s so much more than content – would open up my own creative portals.
“We have to go to California to create the final edit, so we can understand the fullness of how people will experience the visuals, how it will marry to the music. But just the songs we saw earlier in the year, putting the show together is going to be a complete rush.”
Given the almost engulfing visual capabilities that deliver over 171 million pixels across a 160,000 square foot screen that wraps up, over and around the audience, the Sphere shows will deliver No Shoes Nation’s soundtrack in a way it’s never been seen or experienced before. With its 16K x 16K resolution wraparound screen, the world’s highest-resolution LED display, there’s an absorption factor at work for fans that will make this the ultimate live experience.
Beyond the all new, full-immersion content, the impossibly dialed-in sound quality, the Sandbar on the floor, DJ Brandi Cyrus ramping No Shoes Nation up before the show and a set list promising some surprises, the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar sought to make this experience something that changed the way people felt his music.
“You can’t know going into something like this what you are going to experience,” Chesney says. “But you open your arms to all of it, fall into the possibilities and learn a lot about not just the technology, but what else the music is made of. Embrace it all, because it’s awesome.”
Whether it’s a longtime favorite or something never played in concert, Chesney Live at Sphere is turning into a wild ride through a whole lotta life and love. Come early, or just drop by the Guitars, Tiki Bars and A Whole Lotta Love fan experience taking over a nearby two-story space at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas and grab a drink at the Spread the Love bar, then get ready for the man who made stadium summers a rite of passage. As Rolling Stone wrote, “No Shoes Nation fandom will descend upon Las Vegas in May… The shows will be a rare chance to see Chesney outside of the massive football stadiums he usually hits on tour.”
Limited tickets remain for the Sphere residency at KennyChesney.com with packages available via Vibee, the official VIP Concert & Hotel Package partner for Kenny Chesney’s Live at Sphere residency, at KennyChesney.Vibee.com. All Vibee packages offer guests a choice of premium tickets including Sandbar (general admission floor) or reserved seating, a collectable laminate and lanyard, access to the No Shoes Island VIP Pool Party, exclusive Kenny Chesney curated gift bag and early access to the Guitars, Tiki Bars and a Whole Lotta Love experience on show days for crowd-free shopping on exclusive merch items, and access to a dedicated shopping lane during public hours. Vibee Hotel Packages include a two-night stay at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas (The Venetian or The Palazzo) or Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere in Las Vegas is presented by Blue Chair Bay® Rum.
Photo Credit: Allister Ann
Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere Las Vegas
Thursday, May 22
Saturday, May 24
Sunday, May 25
Wednesday, May 28
Friday, May 30
Saturday, May 31
Wednesday, June 4
Friday, June 6
Saturday, June 7
Wednesday, June 11
Friday, June 13
Saturday, June 14
Wednesday, June 18
Friday, June 20
Saturday, June 21