"Summertime is Finally Here!" Kenny Chesney Goes Coastal in Lexington. May 14th Concert Review.
The last time I saw Kenny Chesney was about a year and a half ago in a rinky dink establishment called the Exit/In in Nashville. It was what he calls a shed show. It lasted 4 hours and had guests such as David Lee Murphy and Brad Paisley. It was one of the most memorable nights of music I've ever experienced. Little did I know that I would see the same artist months later and be given a completely different type of show; and it still be just as memorable.
This marked the first show I had ever seen in Lexington, KY. I was slightly worried about how the crowd would be compared to Atlanta, Nashville, and even Knoxville. But I learned I had nothing to worry about, the crowd was amazing. Lexington is now going to become one of my concert hotspots.
I was joined by Kenny Chesney aficionado Jamie, who also happens to be my aunt and partner in crime when it comes to awesome concerts (Garth, Buffett, Kenny, etc.). The Goin' Coastal Tour is billed with Uncle Kracker and Billy Currington opening the show. Kracker was up first.
My first thought was Kracker sounds pretty good, but he looks strange. I examined him on the screen... Is he stoned? When his set concluded, we determined he may actually have been sick. This theory was pretty much confirmed when he didn't join Kenny later on during “When the Sun Goes Down.” Kracker's set was impressive sound wise, even though it wasn't very exciting. “Follow Me” was given the acoustic treatment, which was very nice even though I would have preferred the full band version. Kracker told a story of how he used to pretend to be Kenny Rogers when he was a kid as he launched into his cover of “The Gambler.” He payed homage to Kid Rock by covering “All Summer Long” before ending his short set with his mega-radio hit (but kind of generic) “Smile.” I feel Kracker wasn't able to give us his all, but was happy he was such a trooper to still perform. The show must go on I suppose...
I didn't know what to expect with Billy Currington. Going into his set, I couldn't name more than 3 songs he sang, but I just didn't realize all the songs he actually has had on radio. His set up was much more complex than Kracker. He had a major light show and a combination of background screens as well. “Pretty Good At Drinkin' Beer” sounded great with the crowd singing along; everyone held up their beers at the same time. It was quite a sight. He caught me by surprise when he covered Stevie Wonder's “Superstition.” It sounded good, but it didn't fit in with the rest of his traditionally country set. He grabbed the crowd back though with a triple shot of hits to close his show. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed his set. In fact, I am now planning to get his latest album. Job well done Mr. Currington.
Kenny's stage set up was typical for him. Nice and large main stage with a pathway jutting out into the crowd intersected with a T. The lighting rig was complex; The backdrop rotated between screens and lights. I was thoroughly impressed with the overall production of his show. It was most certainly top notch for the world of live entertainment.
The kabuki lowered to hide the stage as the intro video played. The arena immediately transformed into a pit of energy as the curtain raised. Kenny ran toward the mic as “Live a Little” and “Reality” (two brand new songs) kicked us into high gear. The double shot motioned into a string of classic Kenny anthems that got the crowd worked up into a frenzy. Chesney ran from one end of the stage to the other repeatedly, showing his passion for performing. “The Woman with You” was a nice surprise as it replaced “Coastal” in the regular set. The crowd remembered it as they sung along to every word.
The hardest part of the night for me was “Anything But Mine.” I was tempted not even to mention it here. I thought to myself, “I'll just give a straight review and leave the emotions out.” But the impact was undeniable. I can listen to this song over and over and be completely fine. But being there while it was played live affected me. The passion of live music overtook me. The song flooded me with memories of my past. With what has happened in the recent months, this song reminded me of all the good times. It left out anything bad or negative, it was just completely filled with positive memories that I shared with a certain someone. And honestly, it's hard to picture her as anything but mine. I was brought to tears. And not just a couple of stray ones. It was a stream. But I knew that if I could sing through the song and let the emotions run over me, I would feel better. So I did. I sung the lyrics and let the images encompass my mind. It was therapeutic. And as it concluded, I did indeed feel better. “That was terrible!” I exclaimed to Jamie while laughing and wiping my face. She had no clue I was even having that emotional release. It occurred right there in front of 15,000 people, yet it felt so intimate; and looking back on it, I'm glad I let it take me over, cause the night was better because of it. It meant a lot to me that I could look back at the good things considering how I have thought nothing but negative things about my romantic past recently. It was the most memorable song of the night for me. And that is really saying something considering what happened next...
At this point in the show, Kenny would usually slow things down. Usually he plays two or three slower songs and chooses between “Old Blue Chair,” “There Goes My Life,” “You and Tequila,” “I'm Alive,” and a couple of other similar songs. But as Kenny prepared to do that, he was sneaked up on by a country music legend... GEORGE JONES. For no reason other than to surprise Kenny (and all of Rupp Arena), the Possum walked onto stage to say hello. With nothing to promote, no new music, and no other real intentions other than to get out there and be with all of us, George Jones decided to grace us with his presence. He is in a class all his own, and is, in my opinion, the greatest country singer still alive today.
“You know,” George started as Kenny tried to regain his composure, “I used to perform here to all your parents and grandparents! And I'm still doing it today... And I don't need your rocking chair!” Jones launched into the song that revived his career with Kenny's band anxiously following the icon's lead. Jones sounded rough. His voice has been to hell and back more times than I could ever know. But no one cared. Lexington was the loudest it had been all night and showed Jones the respect he deserves. As he finished, he modestly thanked us and waived goodbye and made his way backstage. But Kenny wasn't going to miss his chance to make a memory. After conferring with his band, he started in “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Jones creeped back onstage, just enough to where we could all see him. Together, new school and old school found common ground on the left corner of the stage. Chesney let George sang the parts he could, and held up the song when Jones' voice needed the backup. The duet was anything but seamless. The band was unsure of how to get through the song and it was full of uncertainty. But the pure spontaneity of it, and the fact that we were all witnessing it, more than made up for the technical/musical side. It was truly a great moment not only for the show, but for Chesney's career.
Unsure of where to go from there, Chesney decided to completely skip the slow part he had planned and jumped back into the energy filled songs for the second half of the set. “Living in Fast Forward” is his most rocking song and it was spotless tonight. Clayton, Sean, Nick and the rest of the boys were on fire all evening, but they really sounded great here. “Young” was next and Kenny introduced the band just before launching into the secret 3rd verse of “Young” which included a crowd pleasing line involving the word 'ass.' I thought it was a blatant Garth rip off, but Lexington loved it. Current smash “Somewhere with You” sounded fabulous live. The special effects were really cool during this one. “Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven” was really fun to hear and “The Good Stuff” was beautiful, but the next standout was “Out Last Night.”
I heard this song before it was ever released and prophesized that it would be a huge hit. I was right. Lexington ate it up. They sang incredibly. I was super surprised at how cool the song was live. It was like we were all living the lyrics right there in real time.
“Tractor” rocks hard live and brought Billy Currington back onto the stage. They ended the song together and it closed out the regular set.
A mediocre encore of “Boys of Fall” followed and the show was over. I thought it was a dull way to close, but the subject of “Boys of Fall” is very important to Chesney, so I understand why he ends with it.
So with that, Jamie and I made our way back to Knoxville. She's off to Atlanta next weekend to do it all over again, I, however, am content. The show was everything I expected and more. It ranged the spectrum of emotions. I was completely satisfied with what I witnessed. As I step back and analyze the evening, I see now how much it has done for me. I've spent every weekend for the past two months keeping my schedule jam packed and being as busy as I can be. And now, with this weekend's conclusion, I look ahead and see empty days- weekends without activities planned- time when I know I will be alone with just myself for periods longer than I have been in months. Years actually. And for the first time, I'm okay with that. And I owe not Kenny Chesney for this, not Lexington, not Jamie, not even myself. I owe music. Thanks to the passion of music, I'm finally alright. But I will give Chesney credit and say this to him- Thanks for helping me see that.
Goin' Costal Tour- Lexington, Kentucky- May 14th, 2011
Uncle Kracker Set-
1.In A Little While
2.Drift Away
3.Follow Me (Acoustic)
4.The Gambler (Kenny Rogers cover)
5.Good To Be Me
6.All Summer Long (Kid Rock cover)
7.Smile
Billy Currington Set-
1.That's How Country Boys Roll
2.Hillbilly
3.I Got A Feelin'
4.Love Done Gone
5.Pretty Good At Drinking Beer
6.All Day Long
7.Let Me Down Easy
8.Don't
9.Superstition (Stevie Wonder cover)
10.People Are Crazy
11.Must Be Doing Something Right
12.Good Directions
Kenny Chesney Set-
1.Live A Little
2.Reality
3.Live Those Songs
4.Summertime
5.Beer in Mexico
6.The Woman with You
7.Big Star
8.I Go Back
9.No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems
10.Anything But Mine
11.I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair (with George Jones)
12.He Stopped Loving Her Today (with George Jones)
13.Living in Fast Forward
14.Young (with band introductions and 3rd Verse)
15.Somewhere with You
16.Don't Happen Twice
17.Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven
18.Never Wanted Nothing More
19.The Good Stuff
20.Out Last Night
21.When The Sun Goes Down
22.She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy (with Billy Currington)
ENCORE
23.Boys of Fall
NOTES-I was in full island/tropical cowboy attire complete with sandals, hole ridden jeans, a blue Kenny shirt, a red flowered Hawaiian shirt, Jamaican colored bandanna, and a cowboy hat- Rupp Arena sounded pretty good for a college basketball room- Jamie took still photos, I took video. The videos sounds great minus my constant singing. Because of that, they will not be on YouTube- George Jones looked decent for his age- Hundred Mile!!!- The drive to and from Knoxville to Lexington is pretty nice- I wish Kenny would perform more of his older tunes- I have a feeling I'll see Chesney again on the future-
More shows already on the agenda for the summer- Huey Lewis and the News, The Beach Boys, and Alan Jackson are all lined for Riverbend, see ya then.
This marked the first show I had ever seen in Lexington, KY. I was slightly worried about how the crowd would be compared to Atlanta, Nashville, and even Knoxville. But I learned I had nothing to worry about, the crowd was amazing. Lexington is now going to become one of my concert hotspots.
I was joined by Kenny Chesney aficionado Jamie, who also happens to be my aunt and partner in crime when it comes to awesome concerts (Garth, Buffett, Kenny, etc.). The Goin' Coastal Tour is billed with Uncle Kracker and Billy Currington opening the show. Kracker was up first.
My first thought was Kracker sounds pretty good, but he looks strange. I examined him on the screen... Is he stoned? When his set concluded, we determined he may actually have been sick. This theory was pretty much confirmed when he didn't join Kenny later on during “When the Sun Goes Down.” Kracker's set was impressive sound wise, even though it wasn't very exciting. “Follow Me” was given the acoustic treatment, which was very nice even though I would have preferred the full band version. Kracker told a story of how he used to pretend to be Kenny Rogers when he was a kid as he launched into his cover of “The Gambler.” He payed homage to Kid Rock by covering “All Summer Long” before ending his short set with his mega-radio hit (but kind of generic) “Smile.” I feel Kracker wasn't able to give us his all, but was happy he was such a trooper to still perform. The show must go on I suppose...
I didn't know what to expect with Billy Currington. Going into his set, I couldn't name more than 3 songs he sang, but I just didn't realize all the songs he actually has had on radio. His set up was much more complex than Kracker. He had a major light show and a combination of background screens as well. “Pretty Good At Drinkin' Beer” sounded great with the crowd singing along; everyone held up their beers at the same time. It was quite a sight. He caught me by surprise when he covered Stevie Wonder's “Superstition.” It sounded good, but it didn't fit in with the rest of his traditionally country set. He grabbed the crowd back though with a triple shot of hits to close his show. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed his set. In fact, I am now planning to get his latest album. Job well done Mr. Currington.
Kenny's stage set up was typical for him. Nice and large main stage with a pathway jutting out into the crowd intersected with a T. The lighting rig was complex; The backdrop rotated between screens and lights. I was thoroughly impressed with the overall production of his show. It was most certainly top notch for the world of live entertainment.
The kabuki lowered to hide the stage as the intro video played. The arena immediately transformed into a pit of energy as the curtain raised. Kenny ran toward the mic as “Live a Little” and “Reality” (two brand new songs) kicked us into high gear. The double shot motioned into a string of classic Kenny anthems that got the crowd worked up into a frenzy. Chesney ran from one end of the stage to the other repeatedly, showing his passion for performing. “The Woman with You” was a nice surprise as it replaced “Coastal” in the regular set. The crowd remembered it as they sung along to every word.
The hardest part of the night for me was “Anything But Mine.” I was tempted not even to mention it here. I thought to myself, “I'll just give a straight review and leave the emotions out.” But the impact was undeniable. I can listen to this song over and over and be completely fine. But being there while it was played live affected me. The passion of live music overtook me. The song flooded me with memories of my past. With what has happened in the recent months, this song reminded me of all the good times. It left out anything bad or negative, it was just completely filled with positive memories that I shared with a certain someone. And honestly, it's hard to picture her as anything but mine. I was brought to tears. And not just a couple of stray ones. It was a stream. But I knew that if I could sing through the song and let the emotions run over me, I would feel better. So I did. I sung the lyrics and let the images encompass my mind. It was therapeutic. And as it concluded, I did indeed feel better. “That was terrible!” I exclaimed to Jamie while laughing and wiping my face. She had no clue I was even having that emotional release. It occurred right there in front of 15,000 people, yet it felt so intimate; and looking back on it, I'm glad I let it take me over, cause the night was better because of it. It meant a lot to me that I could look back at the good things considering how I have thought nothing but negative things about my romantic past recently. It was the most memorable song of the night for me. And that is really saying something considering what happened next...
At this point in the show, Kenny would usually slow things down. Usually he plays two or three slower songs and chooses between “Old Blue Chair,” “There Goes My Life,” “You and Tequila,” “I'm Alive,” and a couple of other similar songs. But as Kenny prepared to do that, he was sneaked up on by a country music legend... GEORGE JONES. For no reason other than to surprise Kenny (and all of Rupp Arena), the Possum walked onto stage to say hello. With nothing to promote, no new music, and no other real intentions other than to get out there and be with all of us, George Jones decided to grace us with his presence. He is in a class all his own, and is, in my opinion, the greatest country singer still alive today.
“You know,” George started as Kenny tried to regain his composure, “I used to perform here to all your parents and grandparents! And I'm still doing it today... And I don't need your rocking chair!” Jones launched into the song that revived his career with Kenny's band anxiously following the icon's lead. Jones sounded rough. His voice has been to hell and back more times than I could ever know. But no one cared. Lexington was the loudest it had been all night and showed Jones the respect he deserves. As he finished, he modestly thanked us and waived goodbye and made his way backstage. But Kenny wasn't going to miss his chance to make a memory. After conferring with his band, he started in “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Jones creeped back onstage, just enough to where we could all see him. Together, new school and old school found common ground on the left corner of the stage. Chesney let George sang the parts he could, and held up the song when Jones' voice needed the backup. The duet was anything but seamless. The band was unsure of how to get through the song and it was full of uncertainty. But the pure spontaneity of it, and the fact that we were all witnessing it, more than made up for the technical/musical side. It was truly a great moment not only for the show, but for Chesney's career.
Unsure of where to go from there, Chesney decided to completely skip the slow part he had planned and jumped back into the energy filled songs for the second half of the set. “Living in Fast Forward” is his most rocking song and it was spotless tonight. Clayton, Sean, Nick and the rest of the boys were on fire all evening, but they really sounded great here. “Young” was next and Kenny introduced the band just before launching into the secret 3rd verse of “Young” which included a crowd pleasing line involving the word 'ass.' I thought it was a blatant Garth rip off, but Lexington loved it. Current smash “Somewhere with You” sounded fabulous live. The special effects were really cool during this one. “Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven” was really fun to hear and “The Good Stuff” was beautiful, but the next standout was “Out Last Night.”
I heard this song before it was ever released and prophesized that it would be a huge hit. I was right. Lexington ate it up. They sang incredibly. I was super surprised at how cool the song was live. It was like we were all living the lyrics right there in real time.
“Tractor” rocks hard live and brought Billy Currington back onto the stage. They ended the song together and it closed out the regular set.
A mediocre encore of “Boys of Fall” followed and the show was over. I thought it was a dull way to close, but the subject of “Boys of Fall” is very important to Chesney, so I understand why he ends with it.
So with that, Jamie and I made our way back to Knoxville. She's off to Atlanta next weekend to do it all over again, I, however, am content. The show was everything I expected and more. It ranged the spectrum of emotions. I was completely satisfied with what I witnessed. As I step back and analyze the evening, I see now how much it has done for me. I've spent every weekend for the past two months keeping my schedule jam packed and being as busy as I can be. And now, with this weekend's conclusion, I look ahead and see empty days- weekends without activities planned- time when I know I will be alone with just myself for periods longer than I have been in months. Years actually. And for the first time, I'm okay with that. And I owe not Kenny Chesney for this, not Lexington, not Jamie, not even myself. I owe music. Thanks to the passion of music, I'm finally alright. But I will give Chesney credit and say this to him- Thanks for helping me see that.
Goin' Costal Tour- Lexington, Kentucky- May 14th, 2011
Uncle Kracker Set-
1.In A Little While
2.Drift Away
3.Follow Me (Acoustic)
4.The Gambler (Kenny Rogers cover)
5.Good To Be Me
6.All Summer Long (Kid Rock cover)
7.Smile
Billy Currington Set-
1.That's How Country Boys Roll
2.Hillbilly
3.I Got A Feelin'
4.Love Done Gone
5.Pretty Good At Drinking Beer
6.All Day Long
7.Let Me Down Easy
8.Don't
9.Superstition (Stevie Wonder cover)
10.People Are Crazy
11.Must Be Doing Something Right
12.Good Directions
Kenny Chesney Set-
1.Live A Little
2.Reality
3.Live Those Songs
4.Summertime
5.Beer in Mexico
6.The Woman with You
7.Big Star
8.I Go Back
9.No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems
10.Anything But Mine
11.I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair (with George Jones)
12.He Stopped Loving Her Today (with George Jones)
13.Living in Fast Forward
14.Young (with band introductions and 3rd Verse)
15.Somewhere with You
16.Don't Happen Twice
17.Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven
18.Never Wanted Nothing More
19.The Good Stuff
20.Out Last Night
21.When The Sun Goes Down
22.She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy (with Billy Currington)
ENCORE
23.Boys of Fall
NOTES-I was in full island/tropical cowboy attire complete with sandals, hole ridden jeans, a blue Kenny shirt, a red flowered Hawaiian shirt, Jamaican colored bandanna, and a cowboy hat- Rupp Arena sounded pretty good for a college basketball room- Jamie took still photos, I took video. The videos sounds great minus my constant singing. Because of that, they will not be on YouTube- George Jones looked decent for his age- Hundred Mile!!!- The drive to and from Knoxville to Lexington is pretty nice- I wish Kenny would perform more of his older tunes- I have a feeling I'll see Chesney again on the future-
More shows already on the agenda for the summer- Huey Lewis and the News, The Beach Boys, and Alan Jackson are all lined for Riverbend, see ya then.
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