Kenny Chesney kicked off his I Go Back Tour with a sold-out show at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia on Thursday evening (March 23).
For approximately two hours, Chesney took the capacity crowd of 13,017 fans on a journey through three decades of hits and fulfilled his promise to fans to include some surprises within his nearly 30-song setlist.
Kelsea Ballerini was on hand as direct support with a 50-minute set that included her earliest radio hits like “Love Me Like You Mean It” and “Dibs,” as well as tracks from her brand-new project, Rolling Up The Welcome Mat.
Ahead of the show, Chesney teased “some real surprises” in the setlist, including “a couple songs we’ve not played in a long time.”
He more than delivered on that promise.
Thursday night’s show marked the return of several songs to Chesney’s setlist, from his 1999 chart-topper, “How Forever Feels,” to other favorites like “Don’t Happen Twice,” “The Good Stuff,” “Big Star,” and more.
In the midst of his headlining set, Chesney invited Kelsea Ballerini back to the stage to perform “Wild Child,” a tune that originally features Grace Potter, and their chart-topping duet, “Half Of My Hometown.”
Presented by Blue Chair Bay, The I Go Back Tour finds the East Tennessee native returning to his roots as he visits arenas and cities that he played on his rise to superstardom.
While the venues may be smaller than the massive NFL stadiums he played last summer, Chesney brought the same energy and the same large-scale production to the stage, once again making his ticket a must-buy for all country fans this summer.
I wanted to bring all the power and all of the passion that we have at those stadium shows,” Chesney said post-show. “I want every single person who’s in the room to know how much we love them, to feel as good as they’ve ever felt and to go home hoarse from the cheering and singing. Charlottesville, Virginia sure made the opening night feel like the biggest stadiums.”
8 – Wilkes-Barre Township, PA – Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
12 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at the BJCC
14 – Jacksonville, FL – Daily’s Place Amphitheater
16 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Tortuga Music Festival*
22 – North Little Rock, AR – Simmons Bank Arena
25 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena
27 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
29 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
May
4 – Moline, IL – Vibrant Arena at The Mark
6 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
9 – Grand Forks, ND – Alerus Center
11 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford Premier Center
13 – Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena
18 – Fort Wayne, IN – Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
20 – Evansville, IN – Ford Center
25 – Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium
27 – Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf
23 – Endicott, NY – En-Joie Golf Course*
July
22 – Des Moines, IA – Hy-Vee Indy Race*
*festival/one-off show dates
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