Chesney 10/17 Austin City Limits

Kenny Chesney “Austin City Limits” Airs Oct. 17
Special One Hour Show Offers Intimate Peak @ Stadium-Sized Superstar

Austin, TX: Playing to 49..215 people at Detroit's Ford Field and 57.890 at Boston's Gillette Stadium, there's a certain kind of rush people expect from Kenny Chesney, the biggest ticket-seller in any genre in North America this century - and the man who's the 4-time and current Country Music Association and the 4-consecutive Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year certainly delivers the kind of high-intensity, maximum good-time show over a million people have bought tickets to see each of the past seven summers. But when you want to get to the heart of the quiet-spoken singer/songwriter from Luttrell, Tennessee, sometimes it's the more intimate settings that show fans just who someone like Kenny Chesney is at the core.

For fans of the leaner, more song-driven Kenny Chesney - or just those who wonder about the man behind the giant stadium-sized concerts - PBS' legendary “Austin City Limits” is dedicated a special one hour show to the man The Chicago Tribune's lead critic and author of Wilco: Leaning How To Die wrote “has redefined mainstream country for the first decade of the 21st century.” That show is slated to debut on PBS Oct. 17 - though check your local listings for exact times.

     “There are some things that just define country, no really American music,” says Chesney of his straight-up band, no production appearance on America's longest running performance-driven show. “All of the greatest artists, singer/songwriters have done 'Austin City Limits' over the years, regardless of genre - and to be a part of such a heritage, well, it's something I'd think every musician would want to do at some point in their career. I'm just blown away that I get to have an entire hour to give my fans this music in a whole different way than I think they're used to.”

     Beyond stripped down performances of huge hits - including “Beer In Mexico,” “Summertime” and “Young” - Chesney reaches into his more contemplative songs with his signature “Anything But Mine” and the never before performed “Somewhere In The Sun,” from Chesney's introspective Be As You Are: Songs From An Old Blue Chair, which was written 3 blocks from the KLRU studios.

     Also joining Chesney, band, horns and percussionist Drummie Zeb from the Wailers is singer/songwriter Mac McAnally, who contributed Chesney set anchor “Back Where I Come From,” for a quiet as a whisper performance of their #1 duet “Down The Road.” McAnally has been popping up all summer on Chesney's stadium shows, between dates as the longstanding acoustic guitarist/vocalist with the Coral Reefers.

     “To me, 'Austin City Limits' is a place where you can do special things like that,” allows the man who wraps up his Sun City Carnival Tour Sept. 18th at Lincoln Financial Field in Indianapolis. “The song with Mac was really special to me, and this is the sort of place where it can have the respect it truly deserves… and I think it does. I can't wait for people to see this show.”