Kenny Chesney Has A Special Connection With His Fans

Summer and Kenny Chesney are synonymous with each other. On April 21st in Tampa, Kenny kicked off his 2018 Trip Around The Sun Tour, thus marking it summertime. Over the course of the next four months, he and his crew will travel all across the country playing some of the biggest stadiums in America. This year though, Kenny isn't only playing just stadiums, but he's making a stop at amphitheaters along the way.

We caught up with Kenny backstage at his stop in Kansas City, at Arrowhead Stadium. It's a stadium that he says is one of the loudest they play all year. It's so loud, that they used multiple tracks from the stadium on his live album, and a photo from it even made the cover.

While he's already halfway through the tour, he said it's already been special. "This year has been such a beautiful summer and music has driven that connection even harder. When we walk out on stage this year there's nothing else in my life that makes you feel that kind of high, it's crazy."

The connection that he's referencing is with the No Shoes Nation, his group of unbelievably passionate fans, that show up early and stay late. They bring so much energy to the shows that it doesn't matter where you are in the stadium, you can feel it.

"To see that many people care about music, to care about the music you've made, and being able to connect with them all these years .. there's this love affair if you will, and it's awesome. It's beautiful."

Having that connection with the fans has impacted how Chesney designs his stage setup. He's intentionally created the giant T that you see coming off the stage, to allow himself to be immersed in the crowd. 

"For me to touch as many people as possible on stage, is important to me. To tell them thank you for coming means everything to me. I don't like to be cooped up on stage, so I've got to have room. We have that T in front of the main stage, and that's my area. I spend about 75% of the night out there, because it makes me feel good to be in the middle of all those people that have went through so much to be a part of that night."

The area around that T is known to fans as the "sandbar" and it gets them as close to Chesney as possible. During the show in Kansas City, I was standing at the edge of the sandbar, and to see the look on fans faces that were in the sandbar for the first time was unbelievable. Their eyes lit up the moment they realized just how close they were going to be to the man they had all came to see.

He wouldn't disappoint them and give them, he gave them one of the best concerts of their life.

It takes Chesney's crew a few days to set up one of these massive stadium shows. The crew is building the stage, setting up the lights, sound, and more. They are making sure that he has everything he needs to give the fans the best experience possible. The rest is up to him and the band.

So how does he make sure he connects with every fan, even those at the top of the stadium? He goes to the highest point in the stadium himself. You've probably seen one of the photos he's posted from the top of a football stadium, with a helmet on, and just thought "cool photo." There's so much more to it than that.

[Pre-Order Song For The Saints on iTunes]

"I go to the top of that stadium on a Friday, before we play on a Saturday night because I personally like to be reminded of how far I've got to go. Mentally, emotionally, visually. I know what it looks like from the stage, up there. I want to know in every stadium, how far I've gotta go so I want to look at it from that perspective."

Beyond the perspective that it gives him, the trip to the top of the stadium is really a special moment. "It's a moment of gratitude and a moment of realizing how lucky we all are, to do what we do. It's a moment of stillness that I don't usually have in my life anywhere else. Being up there alone in a completely empty football stadium is a lot like sitting in an empty church because it's not always like that. I love sitting up there and feeling the stillness of the place."

Kenny, his crew, and team, have taken the fan experience and live performance to a level that most artists only dream of, and his 2018 Trip Around The Sun Tour is no exception. With half of the dates left, if you have the opportunity, go see this show - you will not be disappointed.

Tickets and more information are available at kennychesney.com.

To get a taste of what you can expect, watch a live performance of "Get Along" from Arrowhead Stadium below. "Get Along" is on Kenny's new album Songs For The Saints which will be released on July 27th.

[Pre-Order Song For The Saints on iTunes]

Photo: Jill Trunnell