Kenny Chesney has been selling out stadiums across the country for his Trip Around the Sun tour, and his No Shoes Nation packed in to see him up close-and-personal Tuesday night at the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys. The country music idol even wore boots.
The Independence Day Eve concert was spot on. No elaborate stage, just a large video screen and equipment, same as his 2015 concert in Tahoe. At 50 years old, Chesney is still very high energy, and hasn’t missed a beat. He continued a tradition that involves any one of his band/crew who is having a birthday. The celebrant comes out onstage and is presented with a birthday cake and a huge, and I mean really huge — like 3-foot tall — margarita. There also was a toast for “Beer in Mexico.”
Chesney has been touring in support of his upcoming album, “Songs for the Saints,” to be released on July 27. The recording was influenced by Hurricane Irma and its impact on his beloved Virgin Islands last September. “It’s an album about the refuges we all have, how temporary life is and the way we navigate to better places, dig in and face the destruction. And sometimes, we learn to own our wild hearts in the process,” he said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Chesney was accompanied by band members Wyatt Beard (band leader, keyboards, background vocals), Sean Paddock (drums and percussion), Jon Conley (acoustic, electric rhythm guitars, background vocals), Clayton Feibusch -(stage-left lead guitar, background vocals), Kenny Greenberg (stage-right lead guitar) and Harmoni Kelley McCarty (bass guitar.)
A number of Chesney’s fans slung their bras onstage during the show. His encore explained why: “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.”
– Kurt Johnson
Tahoe Onstage photos by Kurt Johnson
Old Dominion
