Roots, Toots n' Hoots Blog

An easy decision for Kenny Chesney

Jeffrey Remz  |  August 24, 2011

The decision by Kenny Chesney to shift Sunday's gig at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. came as no surprise. After all with the possibility of Hurricane Irene breathing down your neck, there was no way that Chesney, stadium officials and those concerned about safety would have allowed the show to go ahead.

Instead, Chesney moved up the show to Friday. Chesney still is playing two shows at Foxboro, one of the most popular locales he has played on his stadium tour.

"Our first and foremost priority is the fans' safety," said promoter Louis Messina of TMG/AEG Live, "so we have made the difficult decision to reschedule the show." All tickets for Sunday's show will be honored on the new date, and the line-up and set-times will remain the same. There will be no show on Sunday, Aug. 28.

"I want the last weekend of the 'Goin' Coastal' Tour to be a great experience for everybody. But I also want it to be the safest experience for everyone," said Chesney. "I've always said Foxboro is a highlight of our tour, because the fans are ready for a great night of music and fun no matter what night it is."

The decision comes very soon after the disasters at the Indiana State Fair and the Pukkelpop rock festival in Belgium where people were killed at both due to staging coming down. The Indiana event particularly hit home because Sugarland was slated to play that night. In both cases, bad weather led to the problems.

So, there was no way Chesney cold have gone ahead. Of course, it was the prudent thing to do, and fortunately he and the other acts playing could shift their schedules to play on Friday.

For those unable to make the show, they will be offered a refund at the point of purchase. There's not much Chesney could do to placate all fans because some doubtlessly can't make it the Friday gig, but don't blame Chesney.

There is another bonus for New England fans of Cheney, which comes tomorrow night. He is playing a club show with singer songwriters Matraca Berg, Brett James, Wendell Mobley, Craig Wiseman and the evening's host, Bob DiPiero at a club in Boston. The event will be a guitar pull where the performers sit and talk about their songs and then play them acoustic. This is going to be quite different for those who have seen Chesney before.

Fortunately, the weekend is not a total washout for those of us who can't see Chesney due to the weather.