This summer, country songs have made a regular appearance at the top Advertising sign charts, with several pop artists leaning into the country space. But for Kenny Chesney's No Shoes Nation, the 56-year-old singer-songwriter and tireless, energetic entertainer has been the key to making every summer a “country summer” for the better part of three decades.
He has become a towering purveyor of hard-hitting songs, in both Advertising sign chart (with Chesney scoring an enviable 33 No. 1 Country Airplay hits) and emotional, with music that exhilarates the raucous tracks that have fueled countless party nights, alongside ballads that capture deep emotions from love to loss, all resulting his relentless pursuit of writing and recording well-crafted songs that endure.
Chesney brought all that musical power to his hometown of Tennessee, leading tens of thousands of fans to a raucous party at Nashville's Nissan Stadium on Saturday night (August 3) as part of his Sun Goes Down 2024 tour. As the sun set above Nissan Stadium, Chesney's music and legendary party heated up as he descended the steps to center stage, then proceeded to put his joyous, high-energy, hit-and-miss reputation as an entertainer on full display — and the faithful, fervent No Shoes His Nation was more than up to the challenge. He last played the stadium in 2022, on the Here and Now tour.
He opened with 'Living in Fast Forward' and from there ran across the stage with the energy of an elite athlete, in constant motion, while staying as close as possible to the fans at the edges of the catwalk stage. The East Tennessee native lent his warm, conversational vocal style to relatable small-town odes, island anthems and arena-sized rockers, delving into songs of nostalgia and escapism. These included songs such as 'Just to Say We Did' and 'Take Her Home', from his latest album, as well as many well-worn hits such as 'Somewhere With You', 'Keg in the Closet', 'No Shoes, No Shirt, No Trouble', 'American Kids', 'Young' (with screens adorned with photos of Chesney as a child and teenager) and the very appropriate 'Summertime'.
On that August night, as summer slowly began to wind down, the flow of music offered a space of renewal through melody, stories, and human connection. Joining Chesney on that mission were 14-time Country Airplay chart toppers Zac Brown Band, up-and-coming country artist Megan Moroney and Uncle Kracker.
Here, we look at the five best moments from the night.
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Chesney & Moroney Team Up
Late in Chesney's set, he welcomed Moroney back onstage to join him for “All the Pretty Girls,” which proved to be a favorite moment of the show, as Moroney donned a Tennessee Titans jersey and she and Chesney flew shirts to audience members crowding the pit near the stage. They kept the party going with “She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy”.
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The crowd is carried away with a rock classic
Uncle Kracker returned to the stage during Chesney's set for a cover of their 2004 collaboration “When the Sun Goes Down,” followed by a version of Dobie Gray's “Drift Away.” The melodic rock classic also gave Chesney a moment to show off his intense range, while the two musicians' kinship was highlighted, as was the crowd's overwhelming acceptance as the tens of thousands in attendance took to singing the tune, cheering and clapping. .
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Country's Rising Star delivers rock-inspired moments
Georgia and self-proclaimed 'emo cowgirl' Megan Moroney has released her second album, I'm fine;, earlier this year and wowed audiences with her lead song, soothing vocals and heartfelt performance. Her set mixed newer songs like “Hope You're Happy,” “Man on the Moon” and her upcoming country radio single, “Am I Okay?” as well as songs from her debut project including “Lucky”, “Sleep on My Side” and her breakthrough hit “Tennessee Orange”. But with the audience spanning a range of ages, he also wisely included a version of Bryan Adams' timeless “Summer of '69.” Using her shimmering guitar and a confident presence, Moroney proved that while her own songs offer heartfelt lyrical constructions and a pop-fusion twang, she can also belt out a classically heartfelt song.
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Jam band by Zac Brown Band Jamboree
Like Chesney, ZBB has also built a reputation for sunny, island tunes, and the Nashville crowd was clearly craving some sea and sand as they danced and gyrated to cool tracks like “Jump Right In,” “Knee Deep” and their new song “Tie Up”. ZBB's Jam Band sound, a mesh of tight harmonies, bright horns, razor-sharp violins, rocking guitars and drums forged from years of scaling from clubs to stadiums, is so well-oiled and loose enough to incorporate sounds that roll from elements of country, funk, jazz, blues and rock, combining a number of cover songs among their own hits.
The band's musical prowess was on passionate display throughout, but most notably when they welcomed guitar maestro Marcus King to join them for a blistering version of Chicago's “25 or 6 to 4,” which followed later in the set with the spot -on by ZBB , an intricate version of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody', which had the packed stadium singing and swaying.
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The lasting power of a song
One of the strongest moments during the show was Chesney's 2003 hit “There Goes My Life.” As he launched into the tender ballad about youthful “mistakes” becoming life-changing blessings, the crowd was immediately lit up with cell phone lights. Two decades later, the ballad still proved to be one of the concert's strongest moments, highlighting the power of a well-crafted song years later.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/lists/kenny-chesney-nashville-nissan-stadium-concert-2024-review/
