with Megan Moroney
When people think of Kenny Chesney, they think of his high velocity stadium shows, which are no doubt where No Shoes Nation comes together at its most powerful. But long before Chesney became the only country artist in Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Last 25 Years, he captured the imagination of young people coming of age across America with amphitheater and arena shows that often crashed the switchboards and ticket sites in the markets where he played. Those shows had the same intensity, but also an intimacy that reflected who the attendees were as much as they were the life of the songwriter from East Tennessee.
With 23 stadium plays – on sale or sold out – across America, Chesney decided he wanted to capture some of that intimacy and intensity this summer. As he said, “It takes a lot of work to put together a stadium-sized show, and that’s actually part of the fun. But you can get so busy with all the details that go into a stadium show, it captures your focus… and then you look up, and you realize that there’s also this thing that’s smaller and more intimate, and you want that, too.