Free Concert Set For CMT

update:The 90-minute CMT Presents Jimmy Buffett & Friends: Live From The Gulf Coast, originally scheduled for Thursday, July 1^st has now been rescheduled to air live and commercial-free on Sunday, July 11^th at 7PM Eastern time on CMT. Special guests are yet to be determined.  Performances will be simulcast live on Radio Margaritaville, available on Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, all CMT Radio Network affiliates, and streamed live on www.CMT.com.

Jimmy Buffett has been seen on the news lately reacting to the Gulf Oil Spill. Now he’s responding with music and his pals Zac Brown and Kenny Chesney are playing along with a free concert on the Alabama coast to show support for the Gulf region.

The Alabama tourism department says the show will be July 1 on the beach at Gulf Shores.

Buffett’s website says the concert is meant to demonstrate support for the people, businesses and culture of the Gulf Coast. It will be broadcast live on CMT.

Buffett (who has a and his Coral Reefer Band will be joined in Gulf Shores by Sonny Landreth, Kenny Chesney,Zac Brown (who crossed roads with Jimmy recently)  Band, Jesse Winchester and Allen Toussaint.

In a new benefit twist a special Tshirt will be designed for the concert. It will be available online and at the show.

It’s become an annual benchmark for different industries… From down on high comes the big fat list who makes the most money from the richest magazine on newsstands- Forbes.

Country music has grown up and now has it’s own list and you may be surprised what stars have all the buzz versus what singing sensations have all the bank.

The mag wisely points out that there are over 2,000 country radio stations that send writers money for more income for artists/writers noting that eight of the ten most played artists on radio last year were country artists.    For this tracking, Forbes looks at concert box office receipts, merch and cd/download money, publishing royalties and endorsement/licensing deals.   The tracking time is between June 2009 to June 2010. We would have thought Swift would have topped things during the time frame… but maybe next year.

1. Kenny Chesney tops the list with estimated earnings of $50 million, down a bit last year’s $65 million.
2. Toby Keith $48 million
3. Taylor Swift $45 million
3. Rascal Flatts $45 million
5. Tim McGraw $30
6. Keith Urban $28
7. George Strait $25
8. Brad Paisley $22
9. Alan Jackson $15
10. Carrie Underwood $13

See The Whole Forbes Story HERE

While Kenny Chesney is finally starting to try and carve a little time out of his year off to actually take some time off, it doesn’t mean that this year’s CMA Music Festival will be missing the laidback singer/songwriter’s kind of country.

Kenny Chesney On Tour

Thursday night during what used to be known as Fan Fair will host Kenny at the Hard Rock. Kenny web radio station starts covereage at 7pm Thursday at NoShoesradio.com and the 6 + writers start playing at 8p

On tap for the show at Nashville’s Hard Rock Café, which sits at the lowest part of Broadway, right at the top of the Cumberland River are Mac McAnally (“Down The Road,” “Back Where I Come From”), Craig Wiseman (“The Good Stuff,” “Ain’t Back Yet,” “Summertime”), Brett James (“When The Sun Goes Down,” “Out Last Night”), Neil Thrasher (“There Goes My Life,” “I Lost It”), Wendell Mobley (“There Goes My Life,” “How Forever Feels”) and Casey Beathard (“Don’t Blink,” “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems”).

The show – which has already sold out of VIP tickets – benefits Musicians on Call.

“There’s a point where I just can’t do everything,” Chesney admits. “The idea of a year off was to get a mental break… but then you have projects, be it the 3-D movie, making this record or something we’ll be announcing shortly… and it’s June, and you’ve not stopped for a second. I was joking that getting back out on tour next summer not only gets me back out with my fans, but I’ll get some rest…

“But that doesn’t mean I don’t hate I’m not in town this week… and I’m honored that some of the best songwriters I’ve ever heard – and have had the pleasure to work with – agreed to get together for my fans and do something a little special. This is kinda like the way, when I’m lucky, I get to hear the songs, and they’re gonna share it with all the fans – with the money going to Musicians on Call, which gets music to critically ill children who’re too sick to even leave their beds.”

Rumor has it a couple more writers of Chesney’s most enduring hits might just show up. Could it be Paul (“She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy”) Overstreet? Maybe Scotty (“Keys In The Conch Shell,” “Soul of a Sailor”) Emerick? And let’s not forget that No Shoes Radio’s own Mark Tamburino has co-written a pair of Chesney hits: “I Go Back” and “I’m Alive.”

“These guys have written hits for everyone,” Chesney laughs, whose co-written David Nail’s current “Turning Home” and Rascal Flatts three week #1 “Take Me There” beyond his own hits. “Tim (McGraw), Keith (Urban), Toby (Keith), the Flatts, Strait, Buffett, Gary Allen, Reba, Faith, you name it…It’s not just my songs, but a whole lot of music – from the source – for anybody who loves songs.”

Tickets are $10 at www.TicketAlternative.com. They will also be available at the Hard Rock on a first come, all gone basis. With just two Festival dates and his final pair of July concerts at the Las Vegas Hard Rock, this is a pretty great way to see Kenny Chesney’s music come to life.

Kenny Rescues A Memory

Nashville is still recovering from the floods and it will be a long time before there is a normal day there.
Big questions still remain about the future of Fanfare (CMA Music Fest) and other big tourist landmarks.

MusicRow.com is doing a great job of tracking the latest HERE.

Recently Kenny Chesney called in to CNN’s Anderson Cooper – where Cooper apologized for not giving the story enough. See video.

Kenny Chesney On Tour

Los Angeles, CA: After a star-studded Las Vegas premiere – that included friends Morgan Freeman, Matthew McConaughey, Reba, Tim McGraw & Faith Hill, Dierks Bentley and Jewel — “Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D” arrived in 3D theatres nationwide. Aside from the confusion that the movie is not receiving continual showings and is ONLY being screened in 3D theatres, it’s opening night screenings were strong enough to make it the #7 movie in the nation – and by Thursday, it had out-earned all the 3-D films by legitimate music acts except the Rolling Stones and U2.

“This isn’t the same kind of animal as a straight theatrical release,” Chesney said of the film that captured 6 NFL stadium shows on his million + ticket-selling Sun City Carnival Tour. “And I hate that people didn’t understand you had to find the time the film would be shown, and that all theatres are not capable of screening it… because this film is as much about those faces as it is about reliving last year’s pretty amazing summer!

“In spite of that, when the director called to tell us our first night we’d out-performed the entire theatrical showings of some very big acts, I was thrilled. Because it means that the people who came out last summer and over the last 8 years, they wanna remember how good it felt just as much as we do… and they figured out how to get out of the house at very specific times for an unconventional film.”

Obviously, U2 and The Rolling Stones were in theatres for extended runs – and Chesney’s film, which grossed just over 1 million dollars in its first four days, is currently slated for only one more week in the theatre. With late additions last weekend of Friday night showings and midnight movies, word did not get out to the fans, but somehow people still managed to find the showings.

“The biggest challenge is helping people understand: you need to see it now. You need to know it’s not playing over and over, only at specific times. It is a finite run. But especially, all the fans are pretty amazing to see. As I’ve said in a bunch of interviews: so many times when I’m in the midst of a show, I’d stop and think, ‘I wish they could see how this looks and they could feel what I feel.’ To me, the beauty of this movie is now you can – you truly can know how it feels on that stage with us.”

As “Ain’t Back Yet,” the end theme from “Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D” makes its move towards the top of the charts, the second week of showings gears up to begin again this Wednesday. Locations and tickets for the film can be found at KennyChesney.com – or fans can go to PreserveTheParks.com, where a dollar from each ticket purchased will go to the National Parks Conservation Association, via Chesney’s association with Nature Valley Granola Bars.

“It’s crazy… seeing how big these shows are, how loud the crowds are, how much this music means to the people,” says the high energy performer. “If someone had told me one day our shows would be a movie – let alone a 3D film – I’d've thought they’d lost their minds. But watching the faces and the band, it’s the most natural thing in the world – and I’m so glad it’s out there and rocking.”

Knoxville, TN: After almost a year and half from conception to the final edit, “Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D” is set to open nationwide April 21 for a limited run. To celebrate the film, which captures 6 NFL stadium dates on the East Tennessean’s 2009 Sun City Carnival Tour, the 4-consecutive Academy of Country Music and 4-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year returned to his native Knoxville to team with Regal Cinemas for a charity preview screening to benefit Variety: The Children’s Charity of Eastern Tennessee.

Saturday night Kenny held a special screening with a red carpet loaded with Tim, Faith and a bevy of Country stars…

Opens Everywhere This Week

“When you step back and consider how far you’ve come, in a lot of ways it makes you want to go back to where you come from,” said the high energy performer. “You realize how much the values you were raised with – and the support for crazy dreams – help you do things you would never consider. So who better to share a moment like that with? And to benefit Variety – which takes such an active role in making a difference in young people’s lives… that’s makes everything about this so much sweeter.”

With Regal’s East Tennessee home office, Knoxville has hosted similar preview events for “Twilight,” “Talledega Nights” and “Good Luck Chuck.” But “Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D” was a very special premiere – one that due to demand found the Regal folks re-outfitting even their IMAX theatre at their Pinnacle Stadium 18 to accommodate the film that not only offers Chesney’s show from the front row, the wings and the Goodyear Blimp, but onstage with the band, to bring the total number of theatres to 4.

“It’s heartening to know the people back home care,” Chesney explained. “I learned a lot about dreaming there. You wanna ground something this special in something that was that important. And, you know, it’s nice to know that that dreams matters just as much to the fans… ’cause to me, it’s their dream every bit as much as its mine.”

But it wasn’t just the lucky attendees. The fans arrived early – and they waited in the sun. Well over 300 people couldn’t get a ticket to the preview screenings, which ultimately raised close to a quarter of a million dollars. The man who’s sold in excess of a million concert tickets each of the past eight summers signed autographs for over 30 minutes before addressing the over 1100 people who bought tickets.

With “Aint Back Yet” – the end theme from “Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D” — in the Top 5, Chesney hits “The Tonight Show” April 15 for an intimate performance and couch time with Jay Leno. Then it’s off to Las Vegas for the Academy of Country Music Awards April 18 – and the official premiere April 17.

“I’ve not seen the film yet,” Chesney confessed. “I kinda wanted to put on the glasses and watch it at the official premiere. It’s hard to believe something that started so long ago, something that seemed almost crazy when we started thinking about it is really happening. But it is… and after everything I’ve come to know about me, my fans and what we share from this, I can’t wait.”

Kenny Chesney On Tour

Doing a Greatest Hits – when you’ve had as many chart-toppersas Kenny Chesney – is never any easy thing.   But when you’re as musical and creative as the full-tilt songwriter/showman from Luttrell, Tennessee slowing down the creative process long enough to catch up can be harder.

So, with his well-documented love of college football yielding ESPN’s college football theme “This Is Our Moment” earlier this fall and the high-impact stadium concert experience “Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3-D” screaming out for a song to tie the 5-stadium, 6 night  and a whole lotta, in-between footage together yielding the driving ”Ain’t Back Yet,” Chesney needed a way to get the music into his fans hands.

Always one to color outside the lines, the man who played to over a
million fans for the 8th consecutive summer, decided that given the
immediacy of this music, it made more sense to do the unusual – and put
the two songs on his currently available Greatest Hits II. Working with
the team at his label to find a creative way to make this happen, the
result offers a few options to get one’s hands on “Ain’t Back Yet” and
“This Is Our Moment.”

“Those two songs are so much a moment,” says the man who played the New
Orleans’ Saints Super Bowl Victory Bash in Miami Sunday night. “You want
them when the moment is still fresh… and I won’t have a record out til
next fall. So with all the options that are available in today’s world,
I kinda felt like there has to be a way to get this music to people, to
be creative with it. I went back to my record company and asked them to
help me figure this out.”

Available digitally on March 2, the songs are also being stripped onto
physical copies of Chesney’s Greatest Hits II and should be in the marketplace
around the same date. As with anything that is outside the mold, which
is much of the way Chesney dreams, details are being sorted out as they
go. But for the man who grew up on the songs of Tom Petty, Van Halen,
Jackson Browne and Alabama, the most exciting part of this is the
ability to accelerate the process.

“It’s the possibilities that have always thrilled me,” Chesney says.
“Not what’s been done, but what could be… It’s what made me leave
Luttrell all those years ago… say ‘Why not stadiums…’ and then last
summer, ‘Why not 3-D?’ If you keep asking and dreaming, you can do
amazing things. And, you know, that’s what these two songs are about,
too: the work, the will, the desire – and what’s possible.”

“Ain’t Back Yet” isn’t going for radio airplay until early March, but it’s
already country’s radio’s most downloaded song.   The theme from “Kenny
Chesney: Summer in 3-D” captures the drive it takes to get to being one
of the guy who’s sold over a million tickets each of the past 8 summers.

2009's Summer In 3D

Los Angeles:   He knew when he decided to start shooting in 3-D, his stadium shows were something special. Even more than the high energy, good time celebrations of life the way people really live and love it, Kenny Chesney sensed that what he was sharing with his fans… what he had built with his band, crew and management team… was more than one great big rock show.

And then he got to Sony Studios in Los Angeles to work on placing the various audio tracks in the surround sound and look at the color-adjustments for the 3-d edit, which is done on a full-sized cinema screen. That was when it, “Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3-D,” really hit the 4-consecutive Academy of Country Music and 4-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year.

“All of a sudden, I’m hearing the music all around me… and then when I saw the images up on that giant screen… all I could think of were all the lives that had come together to get me to that point,” the obviously moved singer/songwriter from Luttrell, TN said standing outside the soundstage. “I’ve been looking at this footage for months now… in both 2-D and 3-D, so I know it pretty well. But when you see it like that, especially when you see the fans’ faces looking out from the screen…

“Well, you see the people singing along, reaching up, clapping along – and it just hits you: these aren’t people who’re here because they like the songs. They’re here because they believe in what we’ve built, too… because they were a big part of this: telling their friends, coming back, playing me in their trucks, on the way to things that were such a part of their lives.

“To see that kind of passion… To be able to really see those faces where I can just stand there and take it all in… Now that is something I don’t see very much, and I go to a lot of shows, and watch a lot of crowds, but the folks who come out for us, well, it’s something I can’t explain, but I can’t wait for the fans to get to see themselves, to get to see what me and the guys get to see every night! It’s cool…”

With a national opening April 21, Chesney is under the gun to get all the editing and sweetening done in time for the prints to be manufactured. Though the process can be tedious, Chesney says that his time in California has really kicked him into overdrive.

“Anyone who knows me knows I’m not afraid of the work – and I very much care about the quality of what I do,” he explains. “Some things are harder than others… Some things take more time… But honestly, I can’t think of very many things I’ve been as fired up about finishing and getting out to the fans. The places these cameras go, the way the songs and the people are captured… This truly is closer than you can get with a ticket, but it’s also the chance to see things from a perspective that’s not just mine, but where none of us could ever go…”

A Toast to the 2000's For Kenny

Nashville: While he’s the only country act in Pollstar’s Top Tours of 2009′s Top 10 – finishing at #6 with a gross of $71.1 million, Keith Urban being next at #16 – but more impressively, after only 8 of the new century’s first 10 years spent as a headliner, the high energy performer still came in as the #2 most attended and #3 highest earning tour of the 21st century’s first decade. Granted 5 of those years saw Kenny Chesney headlining multiple NFL stadiums, but it’s still an achievement he finds staggering.

“I remember how good it felt when I was selling out small halls and bars, and you can tell everyone “I sold the show out…,” Chesney says with a laugh. “You know that idea that there are no more tickets left, no matter how small the venue, it’s exciting – and you can feel it in the crowd. So, when you start playing bigger and bigger places, you want to keep that… the energy you have, and the excitement when you hear you’ve gone clean in a venue.”

“But even as you’re hearing that stuff, there’s still some sense of, well, it’s not real. You sell out Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium 5 years in a row – it’s not ho-hum…. and it’s still more things people say than real until you walk out onstage, hear the crowd and go, ‘WOW!’ Because in a weird way, these numbers – especially to a guy from Luttrell, TN who thought they had it made playing the Turf in Nashville one New Year’s Eve – are surreal.”

Ironically, the only act who outdrew Chesney for the decade was good friend and duet partner Dave Matthews, well established as a headliner in the last 90s. For sheer gross, Celine Dion’s historic Vegas residency put her at #2 – with DMB earning $529 million, Dion bringing in $522 million and Chesney earning an impressive $455 million with aggressively low ticket prices. Rounding out the decade’s Top 10 are stalwarts Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, U2, Madonna, the Eagles, Elton John and Jimmy Buffett.

“You look at those names, and you look around,” the 4-consecutive Academy of Country Music and 4-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year concedes. “Every name on that list is a serious performer whose songs have made a mark on how people live their lives, how they mark their passages – and to be on a list with those sorts of icons really makes me pause and think about all of it…

“Because to be honest, for me and the guys, it’s really more about the next show, the next chance to get up onstage and rock. That energy… the way the fans throw it back at us, sing these songs like they are their lives… well, that is, hands down, the greatest feeling in the world!’

The names on the 2009 list are pretty impressive, too. With U2′s stadium-only tour coming in at #1, it’s Bruce Springsteen, Elton John & Billy Joel, Britney Spears and AC/DC making the top 5 – and the Jonas Bros, Dave Matthews, Fleetwood Mac and Metallica closing out the Top 10 tours of the year. With a 3-D moving coming in April, who knows what 2010 holds for country’s biggest draw?