Kenny Chesney will be the next headliner at Sphere in Las Vegas, the country superstar announced exclusively on TODAY on Jan. 16.
The “There Goes My Life” singer, 56, will be the first country act to headline there.
Chesney, whose legion of followers are known as “No Shoes Nation,” will kick off his Sphere shows May 22 and headline a dozen shows over four weeks. He will join U2, Phish, Dead & Co., Anyma and the Eagles as the only artists to headline Sphere, known for its unique globe shape that seats 18,000 people and features 167,000 individual speakers.
“It’s something that we’ve been working towards since last May, actually,” he said on TODAY.
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“And it’s an exciting time for us. You know, me, my band, my crew, my road family, but not just us, but the audience. And the reason that this was exciting for me to do is because it’s such a different road for us to go down. I get to take my audience down this really immersive space, if you will,” Chesney explained.
“For the first time, it’s going to be such a shared experience for us. And it’s as if almost we’re just in a completely different state of consciousness in a way because usually it’s us onstage and it’s the audience out there and I try really hard for it to be a really great shared moment. But this is, it’s just so unique.”
“I’m always looking for ways to deepen the way No Shoes Nation experiences this music,” Chesney said in a statement announcing the residency. “Over the years, they have shown me through their own response to these songs how passionate they are about what they mean, how they’re part of their lives. When people give you that much heart, I want to give them even more."
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“So, when the people from Sphere expressed interest in talking with us, I was all in," he continued. "I knew it’d require mountains of work to create something that embraced the 4-D technology while raising the experience so No Shoes Nation was immersed in music, visuals, sound and being together. To me, this is going to be a whole new way of rocking the fans, and I can’t wait.”
Sphere hinted at the possibility that Chesney would perform at its venue. On Jan. 15, Sphere’s account on X posted a video of a blue chair on a beach that was later joined by a guitar and a cowboy hat. Some users associated the image with the country star, prompting them to comment that Chesney, who recorded the song “Old Blue Chair” in 2004, may perform at Sphere.
Chesney, who has headlined 18 tours and sold 30 million albums worldwide over the course of his career, released his 20th album “Born,” in March 2024.
Tickets for Chesney's Sphere shows will go on sale Friday, Jan. 31, at KennyChesney.com. Here’s a look at all the dates Chesney will perform at Sphere.
- Thursday, May 22
- Saturday, May 24
- Sunday, May 25
- Wednesday, May 28
- Friday, May 30
- Saturday, May 31
- Wednesday, June 4
- Friday, June 6
- Saturday, June 7
- Wednesday, June 11
- Friday, June 13
- Saturday, June 14
Chesney, who wrapped up his “Sun Goes Down Tour” last year, has said he likes his concerts to be a place where fans can come together in a party-like atmosphere.
“There is that element, but it is a community,” he told Willie Geist in a Sunday Sitdown last year.
“If it was just a party, we wouldn’t have kids here. You know we wouldn’t have families bringing their kids here. And what we try to bring to the audience every night is the anecdote in ways of what they get on TV from the news, whatever it is, all the devices and stuff.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY: