Kenny Chesney Brings The Heat & The Hits For His 200th Stadium Show
Kenny Chesney performs at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium. Photo: Allister Ann
The sun was blazing as fans filed into Nashville’s Nissan Stadium Saturday night (Aug. 3) for Kenny Chesney‘s Music City stop of his “Sun Goes Down 2024 Tour.” The No Shoes Nation energy was in the air as soon as the music got started, with 57,523 people packing into the stands, besting Chesney’s previous attendance record at the venue by 300.
Uncle Kracker was the first to hit the stage. He set the party vibe with sing-along anthem “Follow Me,” a cover of Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” and a few new tunes from his new project Coffee & Beer, which marked his first new full-length album in over a decade.
Photo: Jill Trunnell
Next, rising superstar Megan Moroney hit the stage. She’s fresh off a brand new album, too, and she played several selections from the sophomore project Am I Okay?, including “No Caller ID,” “Man on the Moon,” “Hope You’re Happy” and “Miss Universe.” She seemed very comfortable with the stadium-sized crowd, continuously engaging with fans and inviting them into the songs’ narratives with eye rolls and winks.
The crowd gave a big reaction to Moroney’s “I’m Not Pretty,” “Indifferent,” “Girl In The Mirror” and, of course, her breakout hit “Tennessee Orange.” She ended her set with her new album’s title track “Am I Okay?” and revealed that it would be her next single to country radio.
When it was time for the Zac Brown Band, the stage filled with musicians. Their sheer number, and talent, made for a musical extravaganza than spanned multiple genres. After a three-piece horn section warmed the crowd up with “Gonna Fly Now” from Rocky, the band launched into their 2011 hit “Keep Me in Mind” and then 2009’s “Toes.”
The group really impressed with a fiery version of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” highlighting Jimmy De Martini‘s fiddle playing. It was one of many covers in the Zac Brown Band set, with the group also selecting tracks like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” to entertain the crowd.
They got concert-goers dancing with “As She’s Walking Away” and “Loving You Easy,” before Brown invited Marcus King and Will Jones to the stage to cover Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4.” After “Beautiful Drug,” the band went a journey from their own “Jump Right In” to Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” They continued with musical odyssey with new songs “Tie Up” and “Same Boat.”
One of the night’s highlights came with the next song, 2011’s “Knee Deep.”
“I’d like to think that if Jimmy Buffett‘s spirit is out here tonight, he’d be right here with us. We invited him to come, let’s see what happens,” Brown said. When Buffett’s parts of the song came, a video of his smiling face singing it appeared on screen, touching the Parrot Heads in the crowd.
Brown invited out another guest, Dermot Kennedy for a few verses of “Colder Weather,” which turned into the Eagles’ “Take It to the Limit.” Then came the nine-times Platinum “Chicken Fried,” during which the band spotlighted a veteran in attendance. The band closed their set with an ultimate fan-favorite “Homegrown.”
Photo: Allister Ann
By the time Chesney hit the stage, the sun had long been down, but it was still quite hot and humid. He wouldn’t be deterred from giving it his all, though, drenching his tank top in sweat within just a few songs.
The eight-time Entertainer of the Year started his set with a bang, thrilling fans with party anthems “Living in Fast Forward,” “Beer In Mexico” and “Keg in the Closet.” His sheer athleticism as a performer was on full display as he ran from one corner of the stage to the other to get a good look at over-57,000 fans sharing in his glee. Often mouthing “I love you!” to the crowd and grinning wide, Chesney reflected the energy in the room all night.
He performed some of the more philosophical cuts in his songbook, bringing us to the present moment with “Here and Now,” “Reality” and “Til It’s Gone” before creating a special moment with his 2006 hit “Summertime.” Fans celebrated the dog days of summer, dancing in the heat and singing enthusiastically to the classic “Yoo-Hoo (Yoo-Hoo) bottle on the floorboard” line.
Chesney invited Old Dominion members Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen and Brad Tursi out for “Save It for a Rainy Day,” which Ramsey and Tursi wrote with the late Andrew Dorff. He kept the vibes going with “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems.”
Kenny Chesney with Old Dominion’s Trevor Rosen, Matthew Ramsey and Brad Tursi. Photo: Allister Ann
Then came “Somewhere With You,” a true diamond in his gem mine of a catalog. Audience members grasped at their chests as the song started and closed their eyes as Chesney delivered the heart-wrenching tune.
He continued to supply beloved hits “I Go Back,” “Get Along” and “Never Wanted Nothing More.” Chesney then invited Uncle Kracker back out for their mega-hit collaboration “When the Sun Goes Down” and then Kracker’s “Drift Away.”
Chesney kept the party vibes going with “Out Last Night” and then touched hearts in the crowd with “There Goes My Life.” He then brought Moroney back out for “All The Pretty Girls” and “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.” The two strutted down the catwalk hand-in-hand and showed true admiration for each other.
For the final stretch of the two-hour set, longtime Chesney fans were delighted with mega-hits “Young,” “American Kids,” “Setting The World On Fire” and “How Forever Feels.” The entertainer then left the stage, but quickly reappeared for a grand finale of “Don’t Happen Twice.”
Marking his sixth play at the home of the Tennessee Titans, the concert was Chesney’s 200th stadium show. After a night of enduring Chesney hits and the unending energy transfer between him and his fans, it’s easy to see why he’s been able to sustain such a long period of dominance on the road.
With just a few weekends left, Chesney will take his “Sun Goes Down 2024 Tour” to Columbus, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan this weekend.
