Chesney swings into action
Monday, April 20, 2009 – Kenny Chesney's tour swung into action Friday night at Mohegan Sun, a casino complex in Connecticut.
And this is what fans can look forward to - Chesney emerged from under a camera stand at the back of the arena floor, stepped over a bar that was rising - and began swinging towards the stage. The trapeze is wired to go right and left and side-to-side, allowing Chesney to fly to any section of the floor he wishes.
Chesney rode low over the fans heads, high-fiving and waving, as he moved to the right, then to the left. His rig also allowed him to turn in mid-air. While starting facing the stage, by the time he landed, he faced the audience. "I knew this was something we could do," Chesney said, "it was just a matter of figuring out how to make it safe enough - because there's not a whole lot holding me up there. And, obviously because we're not on a track, but cables, there needed to be different kinds of systems in place to make it work...but the tech people we work with figured it out.
"And what's so cool about this entrance - beyond the way it feels when I'm up there flying, which is a rush - is if I want to take somebody a beer in the back of section six or whatever, I could. We're still really learning what all the swing is capable of doing (and how to do it), but just being able to literally cover the entire floor last night was insane. Even more of a rush for me than running through the crowds to get to the stage."
The set opened with She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy. "This year, I wanted people rocking from a whole different place from the moment we hit the stage," Chesney said. "What better way to say, we're gonna hit you harder than ever than to open with the song we've bringing the show to its peak with for the last several years? Cause if we're starting there, then you know, we're starting pretty high and climbing from there."
"And I gotta tell you: those fans... those fans were so loud, so live, so ready... I knew we missed the crowds and being on the road, but they made us never wanna go home. That kind of energy, to create it, to feel it, to be part of it... that, to me, is what you go to concerts for."
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CD reviews for Kenny Chesney
Life on a Rock
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Chesney's latest is something of a running journal of his »»» |
Welcome to the Fishbowl
Kenny Chesney is synonymous with all things summer and good times. "Welcome to the Fishbowl" is a radical departure. If you're going to drink a beer and listen to this album, you may need a Prozac chaser. It is a bit short on fun as Chesney deals with terminal illnesses, loss of privacy and lost love.
It leads off with the catchy Come Over, which is in the same vein as Lady A's Need You Now. On Sing 'Em My Good Friend, a man selling an old guitar full of memories »»» |
Hemingway's Whiskey
There are two warring sides to Kenny Chesney's musical personality. There's the part of him that wants to record throwaway, beach bum anthems like Coastal. However, the singer's better half excels at ballads like Where I Grew Up. The latter song contrasts youthful foolish behaviors with events that add quality real world experiences to a life. Drinking beer with high school buddies may have made him feel like a man, but it was a drunk-driving accident that grew him up - but fast. »»» |
Editorial: Walking the talk –
When names like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon and the Hag are invoked, you're talking hard core country. These are the touchstones of country , the guys who made country music what it was and still is (or maybe can be). When these folks would sing about being down-and-out and the rough-and-tumble, they knew of what they were singing about. Fast forward a few years to the country singers of today. »»»
Concert Review: Steve Earle doesn't rest (on laurels) –
If you didn't realize Steve Earle had a new disc out, "The Low Highway," it would have been no problem realizing that quite and quickly.
That was because Earle started the two-hour show with three straight tracks from "The Low Highway," and he would not be done for the night. The title track of was a midtempo effort... »»»
Concert Review: The Howlin' Brothers leave the radar behind –
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