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Chesney reaches new heights with McGraw New York Sheriff Not Amused By Country Stars' Horse Play Updated 11:05 PDT Mon, Jun 05 2000 In the old days, Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw might have found themselves swingin' from a tree for horse rustlin' after the stunt they allegedly pulled in Orchard Park, N.Y., June 3. Articles on fan fair 2001
Chesney was the next to the last act on the bill, and just before he finished his set, he said he wanted to pay tribute to his upcoming tour-mate, Tim McGraw. As the band began a McGraw tune, Kenny then introduced Tim to the crowd that responded with a huge roar. It was a shameless plug for the Tim McGraw on Tour concert show that features Kenny as guest artist, but the fans didn't mind. They got the chance to see two big stars on stage at once and that is what Fan Fair is all about. According to Tower Records, which sold CDs at the Nashville Convention Center, Adelphia Coliseum and Riverfront Park Stages, the top 10 selling artists for Fan Fair 2001 were (in order) Brad Paisley, Trisha Yearwood, Montgomery Gentry, Trick Pony, Tammy Cochran, Kenny Chesney, Travis Tritt, Billy Gilman, Chris Cagle and Sara Evans. All of these artists performed during Fan Fair. Chesney sticks up for friends, fans 07/06/01 By CHUCK YARBOROUGH Kenny Chesney's publicity photos show piercing blue eyes, impish smile, golden tan and wide-brimmed Stetson and make it pretty easy to understand one half of his appeal. "We want the female audience to love what we do," said Chesney, calling on a dying cell phone as his tour bus rolled through the California mountains last week. Yeah, but what about the rest of us, the ones who shave our faces, not our legs? Why on earth would we be among the throngs who have already sold out the Blossom Music Center Pavilion and are threatening to take the last lawn seats available for Chesney's concert with headliner Tim McGraw and opener Mark Collie on Tuesday? "I don't know. It's hard to put my finger on it," said Chesney. "I think Tim and I have similar fan bases and that the females love us and the guys wanna hang out with us and have a beer on Saturday night. And they can." Sure, like it's easy to go pop a top with a guy who's sold nearly six million records and had seven No. 1 hits the way Chesney has. And hoist a few with a duo who have the Nos. 3 and 5 albums on Billboard's country charts - McGraw's "Set This Circus Down" and Chesney's "Greatest Hits," respectively. "I want to make my fans feel like they can hang out with me and me be just like one of them. Tim's that way, too," Chesney said of his buddy of 10 years - a friendship older than their recording careers. "I think Tim and I both have kind of kept our feet on the ground and kept reaching for the stars as much as we can. I just guess people can relate to that. The kind of songs we sing makes people relate to the music, and then they can relate to us." Friendship plays a big role in this, one of the biggest tours of the year. "I've known Tim for 10 years and we've dreamed of doing this, period. We've toured together the past two years on the George Strait tour and we've always wanted to go out together. "I can remember when we first moved to Nashville (native Tennesseean Chesney after graduating from college with a degree in marketing and McGraw after college in Louisiana), neither of us were on the road and we were going, Man, wouldn't it be great to get a song on the radio, get on a tour bus and just go out and do some shows together somewhere, even if it's just a club?'" Chesney said. Blossom and other concert sites around the country where the two are bringing their tour is a little bigger than some club like the one in Nashville where Chesney first found work, singing and playing for tips five or six nights a week. But the fun is happening, just as they predicted. "It's very laid back. We play basketball every day," Chesney said. "Faith (Hill, McGraw's superstar wife) and Tim's kids are out there. I have more fun playing with Tim's kids than anything. We just have a blast together. We've always been great friends, but especially since the Buffalo thing happened, we've become a lot closer." Ah, the Buffalo thing. You remember that, don't you? That was last year, when the two buddies were on the Strait tour and played a date in Buffalo. Chesney hopped aboard a police horse and went for an unauthorized ride that didn't end till both were corralled in a Buffalo courtroom. Chesney was charged with disorderly conduct and McGraw, who came to his pal's defense, was accused of second degree assault on the cop who tried to yank Chesney off his high horse. "The Buffalo thing was a very unfortunate thing that happened," Chesney said. But it has its up side. "You never know how somebody will come up and stand up for you, no matter who it is." The two were acquitted of all the charges, and the incident made their friendship stronger than ever. "When you go through something like that together . . . you can't help but grow closer going through it together. So it was a neat thing for our friendship, but it was a big pain in the butt as far as dealing with it every day," Chesney said. Not so big, though, that it would keep Buffalo off this year's tour itinerary. McGraw and Chesney, like Cisco and Pancho before them, ride into Buffalo four days after their show in Cuyahoga Falls. "Really, we're kind of looking forward to it," Chesney said. "We're not going to hold the fans up there hostage because of what happened. It's not the fans' fault that it happened anyway, so we're going to go up there and do a show for 'em." Apparently, sticking up for your fans is just as important as sticking up for your friends - and may be the same thing, at least for Chesney and McGraw. The Ken Man Kenny grew up in a small town near Knoxville, Tenn. His musical dreams developed after he received a guitar for Christmas while attending college at East Tennessee State University. Kenny began playing four or five hours a day and, shortly thereafter, he landed gigs at a Mexican restaurant, local bars and fraternity houses. He graduated in December 1990 with a degree in advertising and moved to Nashville the following month. After arriving in Music City, Kenny paid his dues singing at clubs and parking cars while concentrating on his songwriting. A songwriters showcase led to the signing of his first recording contract, with Capricorn Records. Kenny soon moved on to the BNA label, where his star really began to rise. Since 1996, he's racked up six chart-topping singles, including his most recent, "Don't Happen Twice," from his 2000 Greatest Hits album. Tim McGraw is close friends with Kenny. The two currently are on tour together, they're neighbors and they even were arrested and went to court together. On June 3, 2000, during a George Strait Country Music Festival stop in Orchard Park, N.Y., the two good buddies got into a little scuffle with some officers of the law after Kenny went for a ride on a police horse. The incident resulted in a protracted legal battle for the singers, both of whom maintained their innocence from day one. On May 23, 2001, Kenny and Tim were acquitted of all charges. Kenny's next single will be "The Tin Man," a song he released twice before. He's hoping that the third time will be the charm. He'll be on tour with Tim through Aug. 25 before hitting the road in the fall on his own headlining jaunt with Phil Vassar and Sara Evans. Kenny also is working on a new studio album he expects to release in spring 2002. Kenny recently sat down to talk about touring with Tim, hanging out at Tim and Faith Hill's house, the trial, "The Tin Man" and lots more. (By Donna Hughes)  On the Road Again
Tim and Kenny, Part II
( When He Closes His Eyes
Hey Maw, What's for Dinner?
All He Wants Is a Heart
They Fought the Law . . . and They Won!
Next Up
(Interview by Donna Hughes and Heather Spillman)
Born in 1968 in Knoxville, TN, Kenny Chesney was raised in Luttrell, the home of Chet Atkins. However, country music never played a big part in his youth; in fact, Chesney plays in an uptempo, mainstream rock-influenced style. Country became his love when he heard Merle Haggard's "That's the Way Love Goes" on the car radio while driving home from East Tennessee State (where he received a marketing degree). He began practicing his guitar up to seven hours per day and gigged around campus. After graduation, Chesney moved to Nashville to make it in the country music business. Associating himself with the New Traditionalists, he signed a writing contract with Acuff-Rose, which got his foot in the door for a deal with Capricorn Records. His debut, My Wildest Dreams, appeared in late 1993 followed by All I Need to Know in 1995 and Me & You in 1996. Chesney's prolific tradition continued in 1997 with I Will Stand and resumed two years later with Everywhere We Go, which generated the smash "You Had Me from Hello." BMG Entertainment pulled together all of Chesney's favorites for his Greatest Hits CD in late 2000 Kenny Chesney <!-- kenny+chesney" -->  While other artists have streaked momentarily across the musical landscape only to fade back into obscurity, Kenny Chesney has built his career the old-fashioned way: one step, one hit, one gold record at a time "like a slow burning fuse on the way to a big explosion" is how Billboard described Chesney's gradual yet steady ascension in the nearly four years since his major label debut. "It has been a slow build," says the 29-year-old East Tennessee-born singer, whose first single release aptly titled Whatever It Takes came out in November, 1993. "All along I've just tried to learn everything I can and take small, little-bitty steps, no matter what they were, just knowing that one day I'd be able to look back and see I've covered a lot of ground. And it's worked especially in the past couple of years. We've really established a fan base, and it's continuing to grow." Building on the foundation of a pair of 1995 Top Five singles (Don't That Make You Want To) Fall In Love and All I Need To Know (the title tune from his second BNA album) Chesney literally struck gold in recent months. Sales of his 1996 album, Me And You, spurred by the Number One hit, When I Close My Eyes, have surpassed the coveted half-million mark. Though the progression of Chesney's early recording career may have been measured off in small increments, he's taken a giant step with I Will Stand, his third and most recent BNA album. Musically speaking, he has never sounded so confident, mature, soulful and rooted in his bedrock influences. "I did a lot of writing for this project and spent about four months just looking for songs," says Chesney, who co-wrote three of I Will Stand's 11 tracks. "My producers, Norro Wilson and Buddy Cannon (George Jones, Sammy Kershaw, etc.) and I spent another four months in the studio. We really worked hard on production; we went back in and re-cut some of the tracks three or four times. The worst thing I felt could happen was to rush the process, because this is such a crucial album for me." I Will Stand, emotionally, thematically, and career-wise, is very much a sheer labor of love from a man who will tell you with utter, unflinching convincing: "I love country music." Chesney is quick to point out it's no coincidence that love, along with faith and reassurance, are themes that recur in many of the songs on I Will Stand. Such as the yearning Lonely Needin' Lovin' (penned by Chesney, Buddy Brock, and Donny Kees); the powerful title track (co-written by Mark Germino and Casey Beathard); the tender, understanding She Gets That Way (When I'm Gone) (Roger Brown/Adam Hughes); the profoundly sad, Dean Dillon/Royce Porter-penned A Chance; and the heart-wrenching, lost-in-love ballad, She Always Says It First, which Chesney co-wrote with Dean Dillon. "Conway Twitty was always one of my favorite performers, and he always said that he tried to record songs that the women loved, and which said things that the men always wanted to say to the women but couldn't. Well, if I can do that too, then that's definitely what I wanta do." Other musical dimensions and ambitions are also fleshed out here by this versatile, seasoned young artist who grew up in Luttrell, Tennessee (the birthplace of Chet Atkins) surrounded by country music, but listening to "everything from old Keith Whitley and Ricky Skaggs bluegrass records and George Jones to Lynyrd Skynyrd and James Taylor." Chesney gets to showcase a previously untapped side of his musical temperament on his sensuous, simmering rendition of Tony Joe White's Steamy Windows. He also takes a sharp, heartfelt rightward turn down the dirt road leading to his country roots on the gut bucket From Hillbilly Heaven To Honky Tonk Hell. He's joined on this pathos-drenched cut by his pals and musical heroes Tracy Lawrence and George Jones. On the moving confessional That's Why I'm Here Chesney also delves into mature thematic territory that he's never visited before. "No matter how good a song is, I just can't make it believable if my heart's not a hundred percent into it, and ultimately that's what I have to go on," he explains of his arduous song-screening process. "I've passed on songs that I knew would be hits and later were big hits by other artists. But that's okay, because I know they wouldn't have been hits for me, because my heart wouldn't have been in them." If Chesney's career has unfolded a little differently than others, it should be no surprise that his personal history, as it pertains to his musical development, has a few unique twists, as well. "I'm not one of these guys who can sit here and tell you that since I was four years old I knew I wanted to be a country singer," Chesney laughs. "I think it's often b.s. when people say that anyway. To be honest, I never dreamed about being a singer as a kid. Never once gave it a thought. I was mainly just growing up and playing sports. I didn't know what I wanted to do until I was in college at East Tennessee State in Johnson City. "Even then," he adds, "it wasn't like I just woke up one day and decided, I'm gonna be a country singer!' It just happened, just evolved into what I do. I was in college, I got a guitar, I learned a lot about it. Then all the sudden I'd written a few songs, then I was out playing clubs and making a little money here and there. And ya know, about another year after that I was doing it all the time. It wasn't till I got out in the clubs that anyone ever said to me, Man, you really oughta try to do something with this.'" Chesney became a fixture at prestigious Johnson City area venues a Mexican restaurant called Chuckie's Trading Post and Quarterback's Barbecue. "The scene up there then was mostly blues, rock, and folk," he recalls. "I was about the only one doing George Jones and Hank, Jr. I got to where I had a pretty good following." An awakening of sorts came when he went into the Classic Recording Studio in Bristol, Virginia. Backed by several musicians he knew from college who are now the core of Alison Krauss's band, he recorded an album's worth of songs he'd written. When he pressed up a thousand copies and sold them all at his shows and made enough to buy a new Martin guitar, he realized he was onto something. A month after graduating college with a degree in advertising he headed down I-40 West to Nashville in early 1991 where, "I dug my feet in, took a deep breath, and went for it." The going was slow the first couple years. He made the rounds of the publishing companies without much success. He went to see the only person he knew in the business, producer Kyle Lehning, who told him, "You've definitely got something, but it ain't there yet." The only steady gig he could find playing music was in a down and dirty honky-tonk called the Turf. This was on Lower Broadway before the area's recent regentrification. "Once the tourist season was over the majority of people in there were drunks and prostitutes, a lot of em really living in the street," Chesney recalls with something approaching nostalgia. "These ol' boys would be sitting there double-fisting Milwaukee's Best Lite and wanting to hear every Vern Gosdin song ever recorded, and I'd sit there and play every one of em. It was tough, but I always felt safe down there. People treated me good, and a lot of those street people became my friends. Some nights I'd walk out with twenty dollars, some nights with two hundred. "The only problem," he adds, "was after eight months I began to realize that nobody was gonna come walkin' into the Turf and discover ol' Kenny Chesney. So I quit and took a job parking cars." Setting out to meet as many people in the business as he could, Chesney made one steadfast ally: Clay Bradley, head of publisher/writer relations at BMI. After countless turndowns by publishers, Bradley, in 1992, set up an audition with Acuff-Rose, one of Music City's oldest and most venerated song mills. Chesney came out of the audition with a songwriter's contract. A year or so later an appearance one night at a songwriter's showcase led to a recording contract with Capricorn Records, which had recently started a country division. "The whole Capricorn deal was a very big emotional roller coaster ride," Chesney remembers. "Of course, for that matter, the whole music business is the biggest roller coaster ride in the world." Ultimately, Capricorn had neither the clout or the staying power to get much done with Chesney's impressive debut album. He'd had only a couple of modest chart singles when the label closed its Nashville office. But one of his 1994 singles, a song he wrote called The Tin Man, stirred considerable interest up and down the Row, despite only making it to Number 70. Almost immediately there was interest from several majors. RCA's Joe Galante put in a call and not only offered Chesney a contract, but also offered to buy the masters of his Capricorn album. That's when the long, slow climb began in earnest. Though his Capricorn LP sold only about 100,000 units, All I Need To Know, his debut 1995 BNA disc, more than tripled that figure, setting the stage for his gold-certified second BNA album, Me And You. "I'd be lying if I told you there wasn't a lot of frustration at first because I wasn't getting much airplay and was kind of perceived as an independent artist," Chesney acknowledges. "But my real goal in this business is to treat people good and build the kind of relationships so I can stay around a long time. Ten or even twenty years from now, if I'm still lucky enough to be having hits, or even if I'm not, I still would like to be able to go out and tour all year long. "But I also made a resolution last New Year's Eve to have as much fun as I can with all this," he adds with a satisfied grin. "I have a friend who was a very, very successful major league baseball player, but he told me one day his only regret was that he was so stressed out all the time that he didn't enjoy one minute of it, didn't have an ounce of fun. "Well, I don't know how long the good Lord's gonna let me be in this music business, or even be this successful at it," he adds with a warm, measured smile. "So while I'm here I want to enjoy every minute of it." Faith gives Kenny some decorating tips Kenny Chesney, on a short break from the Tim McGraw tour, spent much of yesterday at his house doing a photo shoot with Country Weekly. This must be quite a sight: Word from several of our mutual acquaintances is that Kenny's Williamson County home is quite nicely decorated. Kenny did a lot of it himself, though he did have some help. ''I picked out the colors and the furniture, and she helped me put it together,'' Kenny says of Rozanne Jackson of The Iron Gate in Franklin. Kenny also had some help from a good buddy of his: Faith Hill. ''When I first built the house, she told me what color to paint the kitchen,'' Kenny said. ''Faith is like Martha Stewart ? her house is unbelievable.'' Look for the fabulous house in Country Weekly next month. Country hunks make 'em squealBy PAMELA DAVIS © St. Petersburg Times,
McGraw and Chesney are the reigning hunks of country music and they wear black hats, tight shirts and snug pants to prove it. But that's just part of the equation for the two best friends who are working their way through a more than 40-date tour this summer. They also can sing. And unlike the aforementioned boy bands, McGraw and Chesney don't need dance moves to keep the crowd's attention. Some powerful vocals and a bunch of hit songs work just fine. Though not officially presented as one, Saturday night's concert was a double bill. With five albums and a greatest hits collection under his belt, Chesney is beyond being an opening act. Chesney kicked off his set with Don't Happen Twice and moved effortlessly into She's Got It All. There's no flash or fancy footwork with Chesney (unless you count sprinting from one side of the stage to the other). He doesn't need it. Chesney tossed in a ballad or two, but it was his up-tempo songs he chose to do Saturday night. He had the crowd singing along to I Lost It and large, orange beach balls appeared out of nowhere during How Forever Feels as a nod to the song's lyrics and video. Chesney cranked it up a notch with She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy. During the song, he brought up on stage a little boy from the audience, who donned a black cowboy hat, and let him sing the song's chorus. One of the highlights of Chesney's set was his version of Conway Twitty's I'd Just Love to Lay You Down and the strut he made across the stage during the song (okay, so he dances a little). He also slipped Billy Joel's You May Be Right into his hourlong set but it felt a little out of place. McGraw kicked off his set from the arena's floor where he belted out Elton John's Tiny Dancer from a stool and then walked through the audience to the stage while singing and high-fiving people in the audience. As multiple video screens tossed out images behind him, McGraw (wearing tattered Levis) launched into Down on the Farm and moved into Grown Men Don't Cry from his current album, Set This Circus Down. The generation of country music fans who are more familiar with Eddie Van Halen than Eddy Arnold have practically knighted McGraw, and don't think he doesn't appreciate the gesture. McGraw puts on a high-energy show with plenty of pointing to the crowd and lots of that outstretched-arm stuff. Taking a cue from Chesney, McGraw allowed a young girl to join him during Don't Take the Girl. As the two sat on the edge of the stage, two children joined them, and when the song's lyrics appeared on the video screen behind him, the audience took over. McGraw has so many hit songs that he had to pack a bunch into a medley. When he sang the full song, like he did withThings Change, he went all out with video images of artists such as Hank Williams, Elvis and Johnny Cash. McGraw strapped on an electric guitar for Forget About Us from his new album but didn't do much with it. Looked good though. McGraw is wise to the way of appearances. For his encore, he changed into a tank top. For the final song of the night, Chesney (his head wraped with a bandana) joined McGraw on stage. Kenny Chesney Gave His Heart To "The Tin Man"  Kenny Chesney, the boy from Luttrell, Tennessee who dreamed of being a country singer and went onto to double platinum success, came to Nashville like so many before him. Not knowing quite how things would work out, he began the time-honored tradition of writing songs and doing showcases, making friends and tyring to figure it out.<BK><BK> Along the way, he put a fresh broken heart to music -- and came up with "The Tin Man" which would be a very important song for him. "It was the first year I'd moved to Nashville," says the proud owner of six #1s. "I'd been seeing this girl, and it was over! Just over...and there I was.<BK> <BK> "I remember watching 'The Wizard of Oz,' thinking it was so cool? But as soon as Ray Bolger got his heart, Dorothy moved back to Kansas -- and he said, 'Now I know I have a heart, because it's breaking?' And I thought, 'Man, you don't know how lucky you were!'"<BK> <BK> Drawing a parallel between his pain and the movies, Chesney sat down and hit emotional paydirt. "The Tin Man" resonated for everyone who heard the song. "This song got me my publishing deal," Chesney allows. "It got me my record deal with Capricorn -- and even ultimately 'The Tin Man' got me my deal with (BMGE Music Group Chairman) Joe Galante. So you could say it gave me nine lives."<BK> <BK> Climbing to the death-defying chart position of #70 on Capricorn Records, the traditional-leaning singer knew it was the circumstances, not the song. And the 2001 TNN/CMT/Country Weekly Fast Track Award winner knew one day he would return to the ballad he wrote with David Lowe and Stacy Slate. It was just a matter of when.<BK> <BK> When it was time to put together his platinum-plus Greatest Hits, returning to where it all started for him -- and to a song that he'd endless response to over the ensuing eight years -- seemed to be the perfect way to close the circle. And it allowed him to re-cut "The Tin Man," bringing all his accrued experience to a song that drew on the innocence of that first broken heart.<BK> <BK> "We recorded 'The Tin Man' in 1993 -- and I'm definitely a better singer now. I've learned a lot, and being on the road, especially the way we are, it makes you stronger," Chesney offers. "Plus, I've gone through a few more broken hearts since then. You know, I can tell you, all of those broken hearts were in the studio that day when we re-cut this. It's still about that first girl, but every one of them shows you something about how your heart is wired and how it can hurt."<BK> <BK> "The Tin Man" is already doing far better than in its first showing. For Kenny Chesney, out burning up the road with Tim McGraw this summer, it's all he can ask. "You know how there are just songs you can't let go of? Well, this is one of those for me."<BK> <BK> Somewhere, Ray Bolger's smiling.<BK>   <BK>
<BK> The release of Chesney's Greatest Hits album highlights another winning <BK>season for the platinum-selling<BK>
<BK><BK>At the most recent Fan Fair, Chesney repeatedly brought 20,000 country music enthusiasts to their feet with his emotionally explosive stage show. And while he was busy whipping concert audiences into a frenzy, the easy-going artist continued to be one of the favorite voices on country radio. <BK><BK>Critics routinely single out Chesney for his showmanship, vocal authority and song sense. In its review of his Fan Fair show, Country.com said, "There was nothing gimmicky about his performance. No between-songs chatter. No jokes. Just solid and animated singing. Much of the time, he was bending over or kneeling to touch the moving thicket of hands thrust up at him from the edge of the stage." <BK>Over the years and miles he has devoted to his music, Chesney has developed some <BK>very clear ideas of what he wants his songs to do. "It's a given that you want <BK>to <BK>
<BK> <BK><BK>True to his word, the East Tennessee native has picked bonus songs for his Greatest Hits collection that exude all the emotional sincerity of his tried-and-true hits. "I Lost It," with its rapidly shifting patterns of anticipation, euphoria, distraction, despair and redemption, epitomizes Chesney's lyrical ideals. So does "For The First Time." "Just about everybody's had a first love," the singer observes, "and chances are those people aren't together anymore. This song is about how-even though you wouldn't trade what you have now for it-you still think of how special that first time was." <BK><BK>"Because Of Your Love" was the first song that really got Chesney's attention when he began picking tunes to enrich his Greatest Hits. "It has groove and a melody that are a little bit different from what I'm used to doing," he explains. Recalling his initial attraction to "Don't Happen Twice," he says, "There are some songs you're sure you can make a hit record the first time you hear them. 'She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy' was like that. It's the same with this song. That first chorus was just haunting to me-the melody, the images, everything." <BK><BK>Greatest Hits also features a re-recording of "Back Where I Come From," which Chesney first cut for his Me And You album. "Here we did it as a live recording," he points out. "The reason I love this song so much is that it paints a picture of what it was like growing up in the country. It's how I grew up." <BK><BK>Because he began his career in Nashville as a tunesmith, Chesney persists in setting the highest standards for songs he writes and records. Quality and emotional relevance are the core of his music.<BK> Surf on over to Kenny's official website: <BK>www.KChesney.com Kenny Chesney Feted by BMI at No. 1 Party 06/15/2001 Kenny Chesney was honored on Thursday (June 14) with a No. 1 party at BMI in Nashville to celebrate his No. 1 hit "Don?t Happen Twice." He said picking the song was easy. "The first time I heard it, I told my producers, Norro Wilson and Buddy Cannon, that I knew we could make a good record on it." Chesney said that part of the pleasure of having the song go to No. 1 was who he knocked out of the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. "You have no idea," Chesney said, "how satisfying it was to jump [Tim] McGraw to get a No. 1." 06/15/01 <!-- > e-mail this story to a friend > print this story --> McGraw, Chesney Set Up Circus in Albuquerque Kevin Hopper 06/21/2001 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Their scrapes with police and their legal hassles behind them, it was business as usual for Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney Wednesday night (June 20) when they kicked off "Tim McGraw on Tour" at the Journal Pavilion here. The swing through 40-plus cities follows McGraw's highly successful outing last year with wife Faith Hill on their Soul 2 Soul Tour. He played Wednesday to what appeared to be a capacity audience at the 12,000-seat outdoor amphitheater. Judging from the screams of his fans and their unprompted chanting of nearly every lyric of every song, "Tim McGraw on Tour" definitely has the potential to match last year's achievement. Before Chesney's appearance, opener Mark Collie warmed up the crowd with some originals and a few Johnny Cash tunes set to a powerful rock beat. Collie, who has played Cash in an independent film, looked a lot like a young Cash, dressed in a nearly all-black outfit, with slicked-down hair. Chesney followed, goading on the crowd at every step, running from one side of the stage to the other, urging hand claps and performing brilliantly to a receptive and emphatic crowd. He played a few ballads like "Don't Happen Twice" and "I Lost It," but stuck mostly to high-energy numbers like "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" and Conway Twitty's "Love to Lay You Down." He even found time to reference Jimmy Buffett in "How Forever Feels" and to cover Billy Joel's "You May Be Right." By the time Chesney finished, he'd definitely done his job as opener, priming the crowd for the big show. Appearing out of nowhere, from within the crowd, McGraw opened his show a short time later with, of all songs, Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." Surrounded by security, he slowly made his way to the stage as hundreds of fans clamored to touch this new country music hero. Once he reached the stage, the show kicked into high gear with a brilliantly bright and colorful light and video show that was more Las Vegas than downhome Dehli, La., the singer's hometown. Behind McGraw's seven-piece band, a larger-than-life video screen projected images the entire show, making McGraw appear like a giant before his thousands of adoring fans. The Country Music Association's reigning male vocalist of the year was in prime form and dressed to please the women in the audience. He wore snug, faded bluejeans, a signature cowboy hat and a tightly fitting, long-sleeve but see-through shirt -- showing just enough to melt all the cowgirls' hearts. Pounding his chest and raising his arms high for the crowd, McGraw went through many of his now-classic songs including "Refried Dreams," "Everywhere," "Please Remember Me" and a very emotional and heart-wrenching "Don't Take the Girl," in which every lyric appeared on screen. By song's end, not a single dry eye was left in the house. Though many of McGraw's songs were played medley-style, he managed to fit in nearly every tune that a McGraw fan might want to hear. It was evident that everyone in the crowd hoped to see or at least catch a stage-left glimpse of McGraw's devoted wife, Hill, said to be with him on tour despite her recent pregnancy with the couple's third child. It was not to be. Nor did McGraw spend much time speaking to the audience, save for the usual "How are we doing tonight Albuquerque?" Most of McGraw's time was spent rifling through as many songs as he could cram into his 90-minute set. McGraw also introduced a few new songs from his latest album, Set This Circus Down, No. 1 on the Billboard country album chart for six consecutive weeks before yielding this week to Trisha Yearwood. "Telluride" was a sweeping, anthem-like tune about the Colorado mountain town. A great little song called "Things Change," accompanied by vintage black-and-white images of Hank Williams, Elvis, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Willie Nelson and many others, left the crowd cheering. The photos were surrounded by color graphics that simulated fire, and by quotes like, "Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change." Another highlight was a Mark Collie-penned tune, "Forget About Us" that sounded vaguely like early Bruce Springsteen. As for the encores, McGraw saved the best for last, playing the raucous, crowd-pleasing singalong, "I Like It, I Love It," "The Cowboy in Me" and "Where the Green Grass Grows." The latter was a crowd favorite. The finale proved Faith-less, but Chesney did ramble back onstage to perform "Good Ol' Boys" with McGraw, a fitting end for the pair in light of all they've been through since their tangle with police in Buffalo just over a year ago. McGraw and Chesney move to Phoenix Thursday night (June 21). "Tim McGraw on Tour" wraps up Aug. 25 in Nashville. <!-- > e-mail this story to a friend > print this story --> ?Good Ol? Boys? McGraw, Chesney Call It a Wrap
Michael Gray 08/27/2001 This summer, Tim McGraw resurrected the old Joe Stampley/Moe Bandy chart-topper ?Just Good Ol? Boys,? turning it into an anthem for his tour. At the end of each show he invited opening acts Kenny Chesney and Mark Collie to join him onstage for the song. Playing the last concert of the tour Saturday night (Aug. 25), before a capacity crowd of more than 17,000 at Nashville?s AmSouth Amphitheatre, McGraw got a bonus. For the encore, Stampley and Bandy strolled out to sing with the cast as they brought the curtain down after playing more than 40 cities. McGraw fell to his knees, bowing repeatedly to the country veterans to signal his respect. In the audience, McGraw?s stepdad, Horace Smith, and country artists Tanya Tucker, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and the Warren Brothers cheered him on. Staged in their hometown and filmed for a possible TV special, the last show stuck close to the script of the first, back in June, in Albuquerque, N.M. Faith Hill, McGraw?s spouse and occasional duet partner, did not make a surprise appearance. There was little of the horseplay that has become common at the end of a country tour. That?s not to suggest that fans left disappointed. The singers packed the show with an abundance of hits. Eager to please, the good ol? boys made good on their promise to entertain. Chesney asked the crowd to check any worries at the door, and the audience seemed to take his request to heart. Many in the jovial crowd stood from beginning to end, responding enthusiastically throughout. Not everything came from the singers? own repertoires. Collie opened with a Johnny Cash tribute that included ?Folsom Prison Blues,? ?Ring of Fire? and ?Rock Island Line.? Chesney worked the crowd with a cover of Billy Joel?s ?You May Be Right? and appealed to the ladies, in particular, with his rendition of Conway Twitty?s sexy ?Love to Lay You Down.? Appearing suddenly from within the crowd, McGraw opened his set with Elton John?s ?Tiny Dancer,? singing and making his way to the stage amid a heavy security contingent. Though he performed Twitty?s tune, little else about Chesney?s 12-song set recalled the late Country Music Hall of Famer. Twitty reached audiences without pandering or putting style before substance. Chesney has natural charisma, but relied on concert clich?and pumped-up stage antics to carry the majority of his show. Not content just to accept enthusiastic applause, he appeared to gloat over the reaction he provoked. Backed by a seven-piece band, Chesney leaned heavily on hits including ?Don?t Happen Twice,? ?She?s Got It All,? ?Fall in Love,? ?Me and You,? ?I Lost It? and ?She Thinks My Tractor?s Sexy.? McGraw, dressed in tight blue jeans, camouflage shirt and black cowboy hat, played 25 songs ? eight in a medley ? with his band, the DanceHall Doctors. The maudlin lyrics to ?Don?t Take the Girl? were scrolled across giant, wraparound screens behind McGraw. On cue, the audience turned the song into a giant singalong, rivaled only by the crowd participation during ?I Like It, I Love It.? McGraw?s 100 minutes on stage were divided between his older hits and nine songs from his new album, Set This Circus Down, including ?Forget About Us? (penned by Collie) and ?Grown Men Don?t Cry.? He sang the title track, about leaving the road and settling down, accompanied by candid, compelling video footage of his band, crew and family on tour. Lines such as ?One of these days/We?ll find a piece of ground/Just outside some sleepy little town/And set this circus down? seemed especially poignant in the closing moments of the long tour. ?One of these days ? ,? the singer teased following the song. ?But not as long as you keep coming to see us.? Without Chesney and Collie in tow, McGraw plays his final summer date Monday (Aug. 27) at the New York State Fair in Syracuse. When tallies are figured, his recent circuit will be one of the biggest country tours of the year. The high-profile outing should earn him an entertainer of the year nod when the Country Music Association reveals its award nominees Tuesday (Aug. 28). <!-- > e-mail this story to a friend > print this story --> HOME ALONE AND LOVING IT Kenny Chesney, country's hottest bachelor Story by Wendy Newcomer ? Photo by Chuck Jones <!--image10273-->It's not your typical bachelor pad. There are no dirty dishes in the sink, no dust bunnies lurking in the corner. And there are no signs of dirty underwear anywhere. No, it's not your typical single guy's abode - because Kenny Chesney is anything but typical. This guy happens to be country's hottest star on the rise. Coming off two blockbuster tours with George Strait and Tim McGraw, a seemingly endless string of chart-toppers and three million-selling albums, Kenny's barely had time to enjoy the sprawling Nashville brick home he moved into last winter. "My mom said there was no way she could live in this house because she couldn't walk this much," says Kenny with a sheepish grin. "She said, 'It's a good thing the laundry room and the bedroom are on the same floor!' You know, guys don't think about that stuff." As Jimmy Buffett plays on the stereo, Kenny grabs a guitar and ventures out to his front porch. It's a long, peace-inducing overhang with white rocking chairs, ceiling fans and French doors that open into his dining room. "I spend a lot of time out here at night," he says. "Last spring, I'd invite people over and we'd sit out here all night. It's like another room." Room, in fact, is what drew Kenny to the home. "It's very spacious - and there's not a curtain in this house," he says, pointing to the sunlight streaming through the window panes. "Everybody says, 'You've got to get curtains.' But I just love the light." Kenny's growing fame may make him reconsider getting curtains. He's reluctantly building a fence and gate. Published on: August 31, 2001 |
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Instead, the two country music stars are free on bail after Chesney reportedly rode away on an Erie County Sheriff's horse and McGraw allegedly assaulted an officer in an ensuing fracas. An attorney for McGraw called the whole thing "a misunderstanding."
The final big label show and the climactic event of Fan Fair was the RCA Label Group show Sunday evening and its long list of stars that included Tracy Byrd, Sara Evans, Andy Griggs, Alan Jackson, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Lonestar, Martina McBride, Lorrie Morgan and Sammy Kershaw, Phil Vassar, Brad Paisley and Kenny Chesney.
Kenny Chesney has built his career the old-fashioned way: one step, one hit and one gold record at a time. He released his debut album, In My Wildest Dreams, in 1993, but didn't earn his first No. 1 hit, "When I Close My Eyes," until three years later. And even though he's been in the public eye for nearly a decade, the TNN & CMT Country Weekly Music Awards honored him last month with the Fast Track Award, which is given to artists who demonstrate creative growth and increased chart success. Kenny remains quite humble about his career achievements. "It's amazing that I am still making records after eight years," he recently told CountryNow.com. "I just wanted to hear my song on the radio one day." 
Kenny Chesney: We've been out there starting our eighth year on the road. We have experienced a lot of things in those eight years. And we have been able to grow. My label has been real patient with me. You know, we haven't always been as successful as an artist as we are right now. And I haven't had it always together as we have it right now. And so they have been patient, been able to weather a lot of storms. We have been able to be very lucky. The Lord has been very good to me. We have been able to weather the kind of storms that some of the people weren't able to . . . It's amazing that I am still making records after eight years. I just wanted to hear my song on the radio one day. And now, after eight years, we are still making records and growing every year. I hope I am still growing 10 years from now.
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