I basically grew up hearing Kenny’s songs on country radio (WUSY 101 out of Chattanooga, TN) & videos on CMT, especially when the high school teachers left the TV on while we did our classwork and I watched him there (algebra who?). While I’m listening to the tour preview on No Shoes Radio, its bringing back a LOT of fun memories that I’ll share here on this post. I’m attending my 20th Kenny concert this summer just over 20 yrs since the 1st headline tour and I CAN’T FLIPPING WAIT! Here’s the official list of cities and dates but if you want to scroll on down for the memories I won’t stop you.
- 2002 Atlanta, GA
- Dec 31, 2002 Nashville, TN
- 2003 Atlanta, GA
- 2004 Chattanooga, TN
- 2004 Atlanta, GA
- 2004 Nashville, TN
- 2005 Today Show Nashville, TN
- 2005 Atlanta, GA
- 2006 Athens, GA 40 Watt Keg
- 2006 Nashville, TN
- 2006 Atlanta, GA
- 2007 Atlanta, GA
- 2009 Fargo, ND
- 2011 Minneapolis, MN
- 2012 Minneapolis, MN
- 2013 Minneapolis, MN
- 2015 Minneapolis, MN
- 2018 Minneapolis, MN
- 2019 Sioux Falls, SD
- 2022 Minneapolis, MN
2002 No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems tour (shoes and shirts were required though haha): I remember being soaking wet on the lawn from the rain the first time I saw him headline with Deana Carter & Keith Urban on July 3rd. I lived in north GA at the time so I attended shows in that area, Nashville TN etc.
Dec 31, 2002: Kenny played a New Year’s Eve concert in downtown Nashville, TN with Keith Urban & Montgomery Gentry – one kick ass hell of a party! After the show we were still pretty awake after midnight so we strolled the honky tonks. I was only 20 so had to drink Coke, still fun though! Even more fun than our usual VA Beach New Year’s tradition.
2003 Margaritas & Senoritas tour: returned to see him again in Atlanta, GA but was in the real seats under the covered area and no rain, go figure.
2004: Guitars, Tiki Bars and a Whole Lotta Love tour: I bumped into Wyatt (keyboardist) in Atlanta. I got to see him in Chattanooga (TN), Atlanta (GA) and the final show in Nashville, TN arena there was an indoor tailgate party for the fan club across from the venue. Kenny made an appearance via video on a screen to announce the release of “Songs from an Old Blue Chair”.
2005 Somewhere in the Sun tour: April 2005 the Today Show visited Nashville, TN where he played 3 songs (I still say it counts). Got there before sunrise, the crowd was already massive. Had my cardboard cutout of Kenny with me so I found myself easily on my recording, ha! Crashed on my grandparents’ couch after we got back to GA. I also saw him in Atlanta, GA later that same summer.
2006 Road & the Radio tour: I learned he’d be playing the 40 Watt Club in Athens. I spent my whole paycheck on the tickets on eBay but actually met the seller in person to collect the tickets. That was a fun damn night of Kenny, Uncle Kracker showed up so it was just like the “Sun goes down” video all over again in there. I had an extra lei so I held it up, Kenny took it from me and put it on! He signed my cardboard cutout of him and I got a guitar pick from the crew. I also went to the stadium show that summer in Nashville, TN with surprise guests Keith Urban & Mac MacAnally. I also went to Atlanta, GA and tailgated with other fans near the band buses, and some of the members were sitting out. Jake Owen walked up & took photos, and I had a fan club meet & greet with Dierks Bentley – really sweet dudes!
2007 Flip Flop Summer: Mom and I were running out of reasons to keep living in my home state of GA, but we attended the last show that year at the ampitheater aka shed in Atlanta, GA. We started at the Longhorn pre-party the morning of the show, got loaded with cups, glasses, drink shaker, new cardboard cutout of Kenny, autographed guitar. From there we lined up to tailgate in the parking lot, and someone took a group photo. Joe Walsh was at my show, I think Dave Matthews was the night before that.
2009 Sun City Carnival Tour: Fargo, ND. No offense to the north, but the tailgating fell flat compared to what I was used to down south. Then he took another year off so I had to find the closest theater to see the Summer in 3D movie (I’ve since acquired it on DVD with my other DVDs of him).
2011 Goin’ Coastal: he played the XCel in St Paul right about his birthday, so that was a fun night. We screamed Happy Birthday Kenny led by Kracker, and he heard it backstage!
2012 Brothers of the Sun: I found out he was touring with Tim McGraw and they would be playing the still new Target Field, aka MN Twins baseball stadium. I decided to go for the sandbar, thank goodness I took water in with me cause it was freakin’ hot down there! I met up with 1 of my Kenny friends in the sandbar so we hung out right behind the VIP line. Someone in front of me dropped their beer and it spilled all over my legs, the first act wasn’t even on yet! I almost crashed at the end of McGraw, I grabbed my ice pack from my soft cooler to cool my skin & somehow perservered through to the end. It was insane when Kenny came out.
2013 No Shoes Nation Tour he played at Target Field (Twins baseball stadium) again, except this time I went with the lower cost seats in the shade and felt much better for it. I enjoyed my time in the sandbar but I don’t think its right for me in such a large place, though I might consider it at smaller shows in the future.
2015 Big Revival-Burn it Down tour: Kenny Chesney & Jason Aldean joined tour forces at Target Field where the Twins play baseball. I first saw Aldean as a new dude in my hometown of Dalton, GA about a decade before this so to see him handle a stadium was pretty special.
2018 Trip Around the Sun tour he played the MN Vikings US Bank Stadium the 1st time. It happened to fall on Kentucky Derby day, so we got to see that on the screens between the openers. David Lee Murphy was the special guest! Kenny’s band shared a sombrero and they gave him a huge margarita for Cinco de Mayo, he shook his head lol!
2019 Songs for the Saints: managed to make it to Sioux Falls, SD and saw him there. Got to meet Caroline Jones & David Lee Murphy. I was in the middle of another move, but I made sure I was clean & shower fresh so David Lee Murphy told me I smelled good lol!
2022 Here & Now Tour: Minneapolis, MN my 20th time seeing Kenny live in person! I listened to the tour preview and he mentioned he might sing “Boys of Fall” as it will be close to the season. It falls on Mom’s 70th birthday (sorry, Mom) but we’re pumped!