WEEKEND ONE IN THE KENNY-SPHERE

For a man who can’t stay in one place very long, Kenny Chesney is creating an even deeper sense of what one of America’s best loved collection of songs means with each night of his residency at Sphere Las Vegas. Even with the high intensity visual media, the intensely dialed in sound and an intimacy afforded by the immersive venue configuration, what stands out more than anything is the unwavering connection between the high energy East Tennessee born artist and No Shoes Nation.

Early in the show on Sunday night, Chesney stood at his mic and confessed, “I rarely take requests, but there are some people here from the islands… and they said, ‘We’ve heard all the hits, now play us something from the heart.’ Regaling the capacity crowd with the story of how life becomes art, he went completely off-script to deliver a tender take on “Old Blue Chair,” the semi-title track from Be as You Are: Songs from an Old Blue Chair.

With people lining up to get into his Guitars, Tiki Bars & A Whole Lotta Love experience at 3:30 the first few mornings the free activation at the Venetian was open, the fervor for the songwriter/superstar set a bar for opening weekend that was palpable. After Kelsea Ballerini dropped in on opening night, Grace Potter arrived for the weekend and a sultry take on the double GRAMMY-nominated “You & Tequila.”

Dressed in thigh high vintage Ann Klein boots of many colors panels, she embodied the rock & roll spirit expected from the fiery roots songstress. “It’s not often our circles converge anymore,” Chesney says of the woman recently profiled in The New York Times, “because she has a life of her own, but when it does, it’s magical.”

Parade raved, “Country legend leaves fans speechless during ‘absolutely unreal’ show,” while ABC News called it “historic” and even Jambase proclaimed he “doubled down.” But it was USA Today who offered the deepest dive, headlining their review, “Kenny Chesney delivers vibrant, visually arresting feast at Sphere Las Vegas” – and calling the show “a technicolor wonder” and writing “It’s as much a concert as a sonic and visual roller-coaster ride pairing one of the most acclaimed stars of country with the evolving technological wizardry of the Sphere.”

Whether dedicating the power of girls who fearlessly dream rocker “Big Star” to two-time Academy of Country Music Lainey Wilson, who snuck in to see the show on a rare night off, or making an audible and playing “The Boys of Fall,” because Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid and Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell were in the house, each night’s shows are being tailored to the moment and the chemistry within.

“Having friends stop by, having friends get up on stage,” Chesney says, “this is about creating a whole new experience for No Shoes Nation. Something that could only happen here – a venue built around this groundbreaking technology – I’m so grateful so many members of No Shoes Nation were willing to travel to the desert to experience this with us. It’s strange in the best way: the intensity, the immersion, the way songs come to life almost literally.  

“The animation with Kracker? The midway for ‘Til It’s Gone’? To literally be in a fish bowl? How could we not habe those experiences? But even more, hearing the audience sing that second chorus on ‘American Kids’ with such joy? You can tell their hitting another gear from the joy in their voices.”

The only country artist to be in Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Last 25 Years for the last 15 years, Chesney joins the very select handful of cultural icons and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees U2, (Grateful) Dead & Company and the Eagles, plus Phish to play the 17,600-seat spherical venue that deploys next-generation technologies. 

Over a year in the making, Chesney and his team, along with experts from Sphere Studios’ advanced tech and creative teams, captured content. They’ve created and captured myriad worlds, from the University of Tennessee’s Volunteers rushing onto the field to underwater adventures, candy skulls, iconic moments, lighthouse entanglements, NASCAR cams and the rush of being onstage at a stadium show. 

Drawing on songs never performed live, including the sweeping “One Lonely Island” and a mesmerizing “Seven Days,” the farflung show also creates an intimacy never before seen in Chesney’s massive stadium concerts. For all the fans of the man from Tennessee, this is Kenny Chesney as he’s known and loved, but also as he’s never been seen before.

Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere Las Vegas Remaining Shows:
LIMITED TICKETS REMAIN
Wednesday, May 28
Friday, May 30
Saturday, May 31
Wednesday, June 4
Friday, June 6
Saturday, June 7
Wednesday, June 11
Friday, June 13
Saturday, June 14
Wednesday, June 18
Friday, June 20
Saturday, June 21