Kenny Chesney is getting ready to kick off his "Here and Now Tour" after three years of being off the road.
“When we realized we weren’t getting to spend 2020 with No Shoes Nation, I never thought it would be three years until I would see my most favorite people in the world,” Kenny said when announcing the tour.
The country superstar is upping the ante for his return to live performances. He added Keith Urban multi-instrumentalist Danny Rader on guitar and Col. Bruce Hampton & The Aquarium Rescue Unit drummer Nick Buda to his band.
“When we were looking at where to go, what to do next, it was interesting to see the chemistry with different people,” Kenny explains. “So many great musicians came out, which took all of us to a new place in how we see these songs, what they’re capable of. But in the end, because this is a band, not just a group of musicians who back someone up, what Danny and Nick brought was a freshness that hits hard and lifts everything up in some pretty great ways.
“It’s leaner, but more muscular,” he says. “There’s a real sense of power when they play, engagement in the way they listen to each other — and really push how we deliver these songs. It’s crazy. It’s always been a rocking band. But this year, this group of people, the chemistry and energy they have together, I was shocked to see how much more these songs could be; every day, it’s another surprise, and it’s awesome.”
Kenny says to expect a 26-song setlist that will include some older fan favorites and a new spin on his 2021 single, “Knowing You."
“We’ve worked up a pretty cool version of ‘Knowing You,’” he says. “As much as this show is built on high energy, rock hard, have fun vibes, there’s a feeling to ‘Knowing You’ that’s going to make every football stadium in America feel like that place you go with your most special memories, wherever that is."
“It means ‘You And Tequila’ and ‘Wild Child’ may not be in the stadiums this year,” he adds. “But I think No Shoes Nation is going to respond to this the same way they did ‘Anything But Mine.’”
“I don’t think I’ve ever thought about what these songs taken as a whole are made of,” he says, “But playing to them with this new band, I realized: the songs I’ve always gravitated to are the ones about living life the way you want to, loving the experiences you have and the people you meet along the way."
“Maybe that’s why No Shoes Nation is unlike any other group of fans I’ve ever encountered,” he adds. “They share that same compass, too. So, when they hear these songs, they recognize a real truth in them, too.”
Here And Now 2022 kicks off April 23 at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium and will make a stop at Jiffy Lube Live on June 16th.
More Posts for Show: Stephanie Taylor
