A staple of contemporary pop/country, Kenny Chesney made the rare appearance at Papa John Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky on May 29th. Once regaled as a hotbed for various genres in the music world, this demographic area has dissipated into the proverbial sunset during the last fifteen years predicated on antiquated venues versus a more neoteric facility like those of Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Because of the declining appeal of Louisville as a routing date, this event would evolve into an epic adventure that would see a burgeoning horde of country music fans spin through the turnstiles from 2:30 until the last act at approximately nine o'clock. Most of these patrons were sent scurrying for access during the last few days ranging from $80-$400 per ticket. As dusk approached, the evening crowd had filled the seats and adjusting to the 30,000 plus chorus line as all sang in unison to various Top Ten hits by selected artists. It evolved into a Summer soiree, a cotillion augmented with an illustrious group of neoteric musicians and marry minstrels that once defined the dance hall concept of the often forgotten Golden Age of music during the fifties and sixties. The four ancillary bands assembled to augment this Kenny Chesney Tour were collectively a possible performance of the year as all were excellent in their own rite and need not be perceived as an opening act in most scenarios. It was a spiritual enlightenment with Lady Antebellum opening to a thunderous ovation and well deserved. This trio of three part harmony, led by Hillary Scott (daughter of Linda Davis, she of songwriting fame in Nashville and a myriad of tours with Reba McIntire), have successfully devoted themselves to the expansion of their chosen art form and the departure from traditional country music. All the components of perceived greatness were on display, i.e., stage charisma, crowd rapport, visual allure and the ability to recreate the voclas heard through studio releases and radio.


In a flash, Miranda Lambert scurried onto the stage during this diva ensemble, the current core of reigning divas from Nashville and she continued to appease the pouporri of enthusiasts who had traversed the highways of the midwest for this once in a lifetime gathering in Louisville, Kentucky. Miranda brought a tinge of bravado, a touch of hedonism and a sprinkle of rebellion. She is the "new country" and by her performance, will be a staple of Nashville royalty for years to come. Montgomery - Gentry seemd a bit mundane and anti-climatic after the first two performances but the hometown boys were well received and as a tandem that rose to fame from nearby Lexington, Kentucky a mere decade ago, the crowd reciprocated their forty minute set with a standing ovation. The bonafide success story would be the increasingly popular Sugarland and Jennifer Nettles was obviously born to be an entertainer. Her love for music, self penned tunes by she and Kristain Bush and the exploding career that began two years ago have made them a perennial crowd favorite across the globe. I suspect many of the sold-out stadium were there for this band as well as Kenny Chesney. The set would be vastly misconstrewed if not noted as brilliant but I'm not the reigning authority on this chosen genre.


Kenny Chesney emerged on an innovative ski lift and would not disappoint. He was the mirrored image of Nashville Royalty, an icon that has saturated the market for a decade and without an ending in the forseeable future. The normal 2-4 year expectancy for stardom will not become a trait synonyous with the Chesney popularity. That type of romanticized and sensationalized media hasn't existed since the death of John Lennon in 1980. He indulges his fans, augmented with the mystery and mystique of various entites joining this current tour and a key factor in continuous sell-outs. This was one of those Herculean events, a seldom seen event in today's market, a footprint in the sands of memorable happenings in a person's lifetime. When 32,000 fans can collectively gather and accept cultural disparity, group comaraderie and universal harmony, it allows us to digress to a more carefree time for a few hours and ultimately equate to a job well done. Plaudits to 360 Live, Dave Lucas, Andy Wilson and the other cogs of this musical wheel. It is that ambience that permeates chosen concerts, the ashes of The Golden Age and it bears credence to the adage, when we come in peace to an event of this nature, "We're all playing in the same band".


Cheers

Don Aters - Editor
Haight Street Music News