Country star Kenny Chesney is used to selling out stadiums and performing for millions of fans – but this time, he’s decided to take things down a notch and have a more intimate tour. The singer is changing up his usual performance atmosphere for his upcoming Songs for the Saints Tour.
During Chesney’s 2018 Trip Around The Sun Tour, he broke the record for becoming the single biggest-seller at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. He explained that although he loves “reaching to the very top, the very back of a football stadium,” he also enjoys the “idea of really being able to see the back of the room.”
“I wanted to change it up,” Chesney said in a statement. “Last year was so intense, and amazing. No Shoes Nation took it to a whole other level, and they blew all of us away. It was the kind of energy you don’t take for granted. So when we started thinking about next year, they made me wanna come to them. Rather than the massive two-day set-up, make everyone come to a stadium away from their homes, I wanted to go to where the fans live… strip things back a bit, and make it a little more intimate.”
So, this time around, Chesney will be hitting mid-country cities, southern states, and will make select stops in the mid-Atlantic. The first part of the Songs for the Saints tour will span over three months, kicking things off in Louisville. From there, he will visit several cities without stadiums like Columbia, Missouri and Wichita, Kansas before wrapping-up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
“This is the kind of thing you do for passion,” Chesney said. “To rein things in a bit, change up the way we present the music, I know these songs will show us things they don’t when we’re in those massive stadiums. I never worry about the energy or the passion, but I think the songs are different depending on where you play them. So I’m fired up for 2019.”
The tour will be in support of Chesney’s most recent record, Songs for the Saints, which dropped this past July and features singles “Get Along,” “Pirate Song,” and “Song for the Saints.” The LP follows 2017’s Cosmic Hallelujah and 2014’s The Big Revival, adding to the singer’s vast catalog of 18 studio records.
While there are only 18 cities announced for the tour so far, Chesney is expected to reveal more gigs soon with corresponding dates. Check out the initial list of dates below and find all Kenny Chesney tickets here.
Sometimes it’s about stripping things back & creating a different experience. Making Songs For The Saints showed me the power of bringing things closer to the heart. I wanted 2019 on the road to get the music to the fans. Dates at https://t.co/Sfyaib5qOI. #songsforthesaintstour pic.twitter.com/3EgNdFG4M2
— Kenny Chesney (@kennychesney) November 16, 2018
Kenny Chesney – Songs for the Saints Tour Dates 2019
Apr. 4 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
Apr. 5 – Champaign, IL – State Farm Center
Apr. 6 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
Apr. 12 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
Apr. 13 – Jacksonville, FL – Daily’s Place
Apr. 18 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
Apr. 25 – Charleston, SC – Volvo Car Stadium
Apr. 26 – Tallahassee, FL – Donald L. Tucker Civic Center
Apr. 27 – Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf
May 2 – Columbia, MO – Mizzou Arena
May 3 – Wichita, KS – INTRUST Bank Arena
May 4 – Oklahoma City, OK – Chesapeake Energy Arena
May 9 – Albany, NY – Times Union Center
May 10 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – Mohegan Sun Arena
May 11 – Atlantic City, NJ – Hard Rock Live at the Etess Arena
May 17 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
May 18 – Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena
May 25 – Tuscaloosa, AL – Tuscaloosa Amphitheater