ABC/Image Group LAThough Kenny Chesney isn’t supposed to officially kick off his tour for more than a month, Monday night in Key West, Florida, the superstar from East Tennessee couldn’t wait to play any longer. Kenny entertained an audience that included NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. for more than three hours, stopping along the way to invite several special guests onstage.
“We’ve been off, and we’re getting to know each other again,” Kenny told the crowd, as he delivered favorites like “Beer in Mexico,” “Til It’s Gone,” “Summertime” and “Pirate Flag.” “Nothing gets us as in the mood to go out and play music for you all summer long quite like coming down to the Florida Keys and doing this show: old songs, new songs, we may even make up some songs before the night is over,” he joked.
Just when the crowd thought it couldn’t get any better, there was another surprise. Eric Church joined forces with Kenny to do his hits “Springsteen” and “Drink in My Hand,” and then offered a stripped down version of “Mr. Misunderstood” after his host requested it. Then, Old Dominion’s Matthew Ramsey teamed up with Kenny to do the hit he co-wrote, “Save It for a Rainy Day.”
Along the way, the leader of the No Shoes Nation also covered everything from the Kinks “You Really Got Me” to Willie Nelson’s “Whiskey River” to “Take It Easy” by the Eagles.
“There is nothing after several months off, like coming together, hitting a bar and just playing ‘til we wanna drop, to remember every single thing you love about music: how it feels, what it means, the way it charges people up,” he reflected. “There is no feeling like it… It tells me it’s time to get out there and start rocking America.”
Kenny officially starts rocking America April 23 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. We’ll get our first listen to his new music on Thursday, when he unveils the lead single from his next album, titled “Noise.”
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