On the road again: Kenny Chesney
USA TODAY's Brian Mansfield talks with Kenny Chesney, who kicks off his latest tour on Thursday — his birthday.
Revival movement. When the country star kicks off The Big Revival Tour 2015 at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena Thursday, he'll need only to move his rig down the hall. Chesney has rehearsed the tour, which will play arenas and stadiums through the summer, inside the venue for the past several weeks. The tour starts on the singer's 47th birthday. "My mom wanted to be with me on my birthday," says the Tennessee native, "but I wanted to open my tour on my birthday, which meant I had to do it pretty close to home." The 53-market tour will include 10 stadium shows with Jason Aldean and five with Eric Church.
Marley the Marlin. Each of Chesney's past 11 tours has drawn more than a million fans. And, for more than a decade, a blue marlin has accompanied Chesney on those tours. He caught the 235-pound fish, dubbed Marley, in 2003 near the Virgin Islands. "That fish, backstage on this big road case, is something to look at every day to remind me not to take myself too seriously," Chesney says.
Playing hurt. At the start of a 2008 concert at the University of South Carolina, Chesney got his foot caught between a hydraulic lift and the stage, suffering a massive hematoma. He performed for two hours with his foot swelling so much his boot had to be cut off afterwards. "That's the only time I've told my road manager, David Farmer, to make me something in the bus so I wouldn't have to feel my foot," he says.
Spring training for tours. Chesney has been getting in road shape since January. "We usually start like a baseball team," he says. "We've got spring training, then we start in March or April. Leading up to then, I'm really strict with my diet." In addition to an intense one-hour workout daily, Chesney eats no carbs after 5 p.m. "And that's tough. But I eat a lot of vegetables."
The merch lottery. For The Big Revival Tour, Chesney plans to reinstate an old tradition — putting his crew's names into a hat for a monthly drawing to win the proceeds from that night's merchandise sales. Chesney has made sure to always include at least one stadium show, where sales can reach six figures. In the past he says, "they ended up splitting it amongst everybody, so not just one person got it. They could have, but they decided to take the money and split it, which is great."
Kill fee. Chesney once paid Taylor Swift not to tour with him. After booking her as a support, he realized he'd scheduled a minor to open shows sponsored by Corona Light beer. "I had to call her and tell her she couldn't be on the tour," he says. He also gave her a hefty check by way of apology. Not long afterward, Swift ended Chesney's four-year run as the Country Music Association's entertainer of the year, keeping him from breaking a record he still shares with Garth Brooks. "I went up to her backstage, gave her a hug and told her I wanted my money back."
Tour dates (subject to change)
March
26-27 - Bridgestone Arena, Nashville
28 - Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, S.C.
April
3-4 - The Joint @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
8 - Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, S.C.
9 - Legacy Arena at the BJCC, Birmingham, Ala.
11 - Tortuga Music Festival, Fort Lauderdale
16 - Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.
17 - KFC Yum! Center, Louisville
23 - Times Union Center, Albany, N.Y.
24-25 - Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn.
29 - Gila River Arena, Glendale, Ariz.
May
2 - Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
6 - Scottrade Center, St. Louis
7 - Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines
9 - Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
12 - State Farm Arena, Hidalgo, Texas
14 - Bok Center, Tulsa
16 - AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
21 - Austin360 Amphitheater, Austin
22 - BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston
23 - Bayou Country Superfest at LSU Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge
27 - Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Md.
28 - PNC Arena, Raleigh, N.C.
30 - Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
June
4 Ford Center, Evansville, Ind.
6 - Soldier Field, Chicago
11 - TWC Arena, Charlotte
13 - Georgia Dome, Atlanta
14 - Florida Country Superfest @ Everbank Field, Jacksonville
18 - Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, S.D.
20 - Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wis.
21 - Ohio Country Superfest @ Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
25 - Ambleside Live @ Ambleside Park, Vancouver, British Columbia
27 - CenturyLink Field, Seattle
July
8 - CMAC, Canadaigua, N.Y.
9 - Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
11 - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
16 - Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Neb.
18-19 - Target Field Minneapolis
22 - Harvey's Casino, Lake Tahoe, Nev.
23 - SaveMart Center, Fresno, Calif.
25 - Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
29 - Snowden Grove Amphitheatre, Southaven, Miss.
30 - Arkansas Music Pavilion, Rogers, Ark.
Aug.
1 - Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
6 - Energy Solutions Arena, Salt Lake City
8 - Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver
13 - Darling's Waterfront Pavilion, Bangor, Maine
15 - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
19 - Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa
20 - First Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario
22 - Ford Field, Detroit
28-29 - Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.