Luke Bryan Reigns At Spring Break Panama City

Kenny Chesney Returns To The Joint
Hard Rock Las Vegas Venue Gets 4 Shows in 2010: May 14-15, July 2-3

     Nashville: When Kenny Chesney said he wasn't staging a major tour, the 4-consecutive Academy of Country Music and 4-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year was clear that he intended to get out on the road and play for his fans… And true to his word, a few major outdoor festival announcements have been made. Now the high-intensity performer who is hard at work on “Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3-D,” the concert film which captures 5 of his stadium-sized shows and arrives in theatres April 21, announces a far more intimate way to hear the songs that have become the soundtrack to summer for this century.

     The shows - May 14 & 15 and July 2 & 3 - bring Chesney, the face of Corona Extra, back to the Joint at the Hard Rock Las Vegas, where he was part of the opening weekend which also included Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, the Killers. For the man who's used to rocking close to 60,000 people, the chance to be in a venue where the farthest seat from the stage is merely 155 feet away appeals to the man known for his unannounced Keg in the Closet tours of college and beach bars.

     “Obviously we like to play,” Chesney laughs about his band. “The beauty of the Joint is that not only is it a  great rock and roll room, but they'll let us get up there and play… and play… and play. We have so much fun, because we can throw in all kinds of stuff we don't get to play in our regular show, and the audiences are diverse enough that no matter what we throw at them, they know the songs!”

     In April 2009, Chesney not only played a whole lot of his songs and covers from U2 to Steve Miller, Van Halen to Tom Petty, he also brought his very talented road crew onstage to share in the jamming during his over 3 hour set. No word on what will happen this year, but no doubt Chesney will take his 4 Joint shows well into the Keg in the Closet zone.

     “That's what so great about a gig where the capacity is under 4000, especially at the Joint,” Chesney enthuses. “It's the best of both worlds: you get the energy of a club, but it's still enough of a stage that there's room to run around and have fun! Because when we do these smaller, less structured shows, we like to let loose without tripping over each other or getting tangled in someone's chord.

     Chesney, who was recently cited by  The Los Angeles Times as the 2nd biggest artist of the decade for record sales, touring impact and hit singles, released two albums in 2009: the intimate Lucky Old Sun, which yielded the #1s “Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven” and “Down the Road,” a duet with the song's writer Mac McAnally, and Greatest Hits II, feauring “Out Last Night” and “I'm Alive,” a duet with Dave Matthews - and is preparing to his next studio release.