Kenny Chesney’s “Gone Coastal!” After months of planning, preparation and anticipation, Corona Presents Kenny Chesney’s “Goin’ Coastal” Tour sailed into sunny Florida where the fans had been waiting a long time for a party that only Kenny Chesney can throw!

The tour opened on Thursday night in West Palm Beach, and The Palm Beach Post heralded Chesney’s performance as “Flawless,” and added, “Chesney holds thousands of fans in his spell. Everyone is absolutely focused on him for two solid hours of on-your-feet time.”

The show also included Chesney’s friend and duet partner Uncle Kracker on the #1 song, “When the Sun Goes Down” and singer Billy Currington who is enjoying his 4th consecutive # 1 single. Chesney also welcomed to the stage special guest reggae singer Mishka for Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds.”

The party in West Palm Beach also included friends of Chesney’s such as football legend Joe Namath, Jason Witten of the Dallas Cowboys, Mike Vrabel of the Kansas City Chiefs, Wes Welker and Matt Light of the New England Patriots and Steve Hutchinson of the Minnesota Vikings.

Chesney Live 2011

Saturday marked the first of 11 stadium shows when the tour cruised into Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium. By 2:00 pm the parking lots around the stadium were overflowing with tailgaters partying to Chesney’s music, grilling and warming up to welcome Chesney back to the stadium where he hadn’t played since 2006.

When Chesney took the stage on Saturday night, the sold-out crowd of 50,548 went coastal! The two-plus hour set included many of his 21 #1 hits, from “How Forever Feels” (1999) to his latest #1 song, “Somewhere with You,” plus album cuts and classic songs. He also welcomed some special musical guests to join him, including a 30-minute jam with Zac Brown Band. In describing the Tampa concert, Sean Daly at the St. Petersburg Times wrote: “man, oh, man, did we need a day like this one and a concert like that one” while drawing comparisons between Chesney’s band, AC/DC, Alan Jackson, and U2.

The atmosphere was lively backstage, too, with lots of family and friends. Also on hand were New York Yankees Nick Swisher, Super Bowl winning and Monday Night Football commentator Jon Gruden, Philadelphia Phillies players Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Chase Utley, and former player John Smoltz.

The tour now sets the compass north for next weekend’s shows in Des Moines, IA (3/24); St. Paul, MN (3/25); and Omaha, NE (3/26). Chesney’s current album, Hemingway’s Whiskey, is nominated as Album of the Year from the Academy of Country Music, and it includes the current song, “Live a Little,” and the #1 singles “The Boys of Fall” and “Somewhere with You.”

Lady Antebellum

The country mega concert in Twin Lakes  Wisconsin – Country Thunder – one of country music’s premiere festival events is back with a bang, bringing some of today’s hottest artists out for the 2011 line-up.   Kicking off the festival on Thursday, is 2010 CMA “Vocal Group of the Year” Lady Antebellum, who is sure to get the crowd going with their 2010 CMA Single of the Year, “Need You Now“. Newly crowned CMA “New Artist of the Year” Zac Brown Band won’t want to be missed on Friday as they takes over the stage to perform their numerous #1 hits. Bringing her beauty and talented vocal skill, 4 time CMA “Female Vocalist of the Year” Martina McBride hits the stage on Saturday night. Last but absolutely not the least country music’s most awarded group of the decade, Rascal Flatts, will close out the festival ending 4-days of a musical extravaganza. Country Thunder guarantees to bring just what fans deserve, a festival experience like no other!

Taking place July 21-24, 2011, music fans can cowboy-up for a full 4-day general admission pass for the sweet price of only $99.00. That’s less than a hundred bucks for four hot headliners and a full weekend of amazing country music. VIP and sponsorship packages are also available with added perks including hospitality tent access, preferred parking, and premium concert seating.

For the thousands of new and returning fans of Country Thunder, several tent and campsite options are available, offering primitive rugged to rustic and modern amenities. Check out our new website for all the information!

The announced line-up includes:

Thursday, July 21st
Music begins at 5:30 pm
Lady Antebellum

Friday, July 22nd
Music begins at 1:00 pm
Zac Brown Band

Saturday, July 23rd
Music begins at 1:00 pm
Martina McBride

Sunday, July 24th
Music begins at 1:00 pm
Rascal Flatts

More artists will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets and additional information available online: www.countrythunder.com
Media wishing credentials will be required to get clearance through Country Thunder’s Publicity reps in Nashville, Tennessee.

Kenny Chesney made the announcement via nifty press release below that he will indeed embark on a mega tour this upcoming 2011 summer.    It looks to be a good thing for country music.

What no one saw coming is the fact that he has agreed to CO-Headline his stadium shows.   Zac Brown Band will be joining Kenny at a bunch of stadium shows that are sure to be hits.

It’s already arguable that either artist could fill these stadiums… or maybe with todays economy both camps need a bit more juice to fill stadiums.  Either way it’s great for the country fan with our biggest names and a show – they say- with tickets as low as $25 buck.

Official release below:

Kenny Chesney Announces First Concerts for 2011 “Goin’ Coastal Tour”

Chesney And Zac Brown Band To Share Stage on 9 Stadium Dates

Kenny Chesney’s “fans can count on his shows to be fun, fun, fun” (LA Times), and they can prepare to see “how deep this country megastar’s talent really runs” (Chicago Tribune) as Chesney announces the first leg of what will be his biggest tour in five years. After a hiatus from the road in 2010, the 4 time CMA and 4 time ACM Entertainer of the Year will take his “Goin’ Coastal Tour” to 9 stadiums next year. Chesney was the second biggest ticket seller of the decade and the only artist in any genre to sell over a million tickets for 8 consecutive summers.

Tickets for stadium dates in nine cities will go on sale starting November 20, with additional arena and amphitheatre dates to be announced later, with more dates than any Chesney tour since 2006. Chesney will co-headline the stadium dates with Zac Brown Band, GRAMMY’s “Best New Artist” in 2010 whose latest album ‘You Get What You Give’ debuted at #1 on the Billboard top 200. Multi-GRAMMY nominee Billy Currington has secured the highly coveted support slot powered by six No. 1 Billboard country singles and the success of his fourth and latest album ‘Enjoy Yourself.’  Uncle Kracker, who sang with Chesney on the #1 country hit “When The Sun Goes Down,” will open all the stadium dates except Foxboro, MA.

The man the Associated Press calls “among the hardest charging acts on the road” is already excited about returning to the stage. “We’re going to be playing new songs and lots of old favorites, and I can already tell it’s going to be a lot of fun,” says Chesney.  ”I can’t wait to get back in front of my fans.”

“With four acts on the bill, we’ve created these shows as all-day events, and are working hard to make them affordable for our fans,” says tour promoter Louis Messina.  Chesney will make at least 7,000 tickets available at $25 at the majority of the stadium dates, with a whopping 13,922 for the March 19 Tampa show.

Chesney took a break from the road in 2010 to record his new album ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey’ (BNA Records), which entered the Billboard 200 at #1 (his sixth album to achieve that feat) and to produce “The Boys of Fall,” the documentary about high school football now available for pre-order and in Walmart beginning November 9. “I’ve always loved playing stadiums because I get to see so many of my fans at one time, but after everything I learned from the football heroes I met while making ‘The Boys of Fall,’ I’m seeing stadiums in a whole new way,” Chesney says.

Fans can buy tickets at http://www.kennychesney.com’. The Kenny Chesney Official Fan Club will be offering presale tickets for all shows on Kenny’s 2011 Tour prior to the general public on-sale.

Kenny Chesney 2011 Tour (Stadium Dates Only – co-headline with Zac Brown Band)
Sat Mar 19  - Tampa, FL – Raymond James Stadium (on sale Sat Dec 11)
Sat Apr 16 – Dallas, TX – Cowboys Stadium (on sale Sat Dec 4)
Sat Jun 4 – Washington, DC – FedEx Field – (on sale Fri Dec 3)
Sat Jun 11 – Green Bay, WI – Lambeau Field (on sale Sat Dec 11)
Sat Jun 18 – Philadelphia, PA – Lincoln Financial Field (on sale Sat Nov 20)
Sat Jul 2 – Pittsburgh, PA – Heinz Field (on sale Sat Dec 4)
Sat Jul 30 – Kansas City, MO – Arrowhead Stadium (on sale Sat Dec 4)
Sat Aug 20 – Detroit, MI – (on sale Sat Dec 4)
Sat Aug 27- Foxboro, MA – Gillette Stadium (on sale Sat Nov 20)

The tour is billed as Corona Extra presents Kenny Chesney’s Goin’ Coastal Tour, starring Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band.

About Crown Imports LLC:
Corona Extra and Corona Light are imported by Crown Imports LLC, a joint venture that imports, distributes and markets the Modelo portfolio and other fine beer brands across the entire U.S.

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.

Zac Brown has had an explosive debut with “The Foundattion” and that’s an interesting fact because he’s about to pair up with a musical legend that hasn’t really had the same radio success.

Jimmy Buffett and the Zac Brown Band are the next pairing on CMT Crossroads. The special will tape before an invitation-only audience next month in Nashville, to premiere in March 2010.

Zac Brown

Brown has been compared to a mash-up of Buffett and James Taylor… so this could shape up to be the most compelling (thanks Zac) and most mass appeal (Buffett) crossroads yet. Way to go CMT.

Past Crossroads specials included Taylor Swift with Def Leppard and John Mellencamp and Kenny Chesney.

Zac Brown

Atlantic Record’s Zac Brown Band and Cracker Barrel Old Country Store have partnered to release an exclusive version of their album The Foundation, a cookbook of Brown’s recipes, and a cleverly titled  ”Southern Ground Grub” rub Southern Gound is the name of his music group)  and sauce. 

  We’ve heard Zac is quite the cook (owning his own “Zac’s Place” restaurant in the past) Out Monday at all locations, the CD will feature three unreleased tracks including live versions of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Martin” and “I Shall Be Released.” The cookbook, rub and sauce will be available this fall.