Latest / Inside Country with Wayne D / Kenny Chesney Is About To Change Live Music

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Kenny Chesney Is About To Change Live Music · Inside Country with Wayne D

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: It's been a minute, but Kenny Chesney is back in Nashville.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: How are things for you? Brothers?
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Are fantastic. I gotta say, I like you, I care
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: about you.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: But I want to say this is two times that
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: we've caught up and the weather has been horrible, was
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: about to get horrible. Yeah, so just zoom from the
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: island next time. I think I think that would be
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: much better.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: The last time we talked to you, take everybody down, yeah,
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: you know, even better. We'll talk about that later.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: No, but so the last time we caught up, it
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: was like crazy rain and it was storming down here,
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: and like, I hope you got a thick jacket, man, because.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: It's going to be hell tomorrow. I'm all right, I
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: got pretty tough skin.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: There you go. Yeah, I got to tell you it
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: has been cool to watch your career grow. You were
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: really one of the first artists to stadiums have been done,
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: but you were the first to be like, stadiums is
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: all we're going to do, and we're going to do
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: it at a high level. Obviously, the news by the
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: time this aired, the news will have just come out
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: about the sphere, which again is a groundbreaking thing. That
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: you're doing first with the residency. I'm going to ask
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: as as out there as I can, how do you
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: have the balls to keep saying we'll do it first?
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: Well? I just think for me it was it was
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: less about doing it first and more just about having
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: something a new way to present my life's work up
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: to this point in a new way doing it. Being
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: the first country act to do it is is is
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: is wonderful, right, But scary too, though? What's that scary too?
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: Though a little scary? I mean, look, we're not the
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: first one to do the sphere, so we've we know
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: that the sound work, as we know the video works,
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: you know. But so there's a lot that goes into that.
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: But I was. I was last April. I was in
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: at the Hollywood Bow at a tribute show for Jimmy Buffett,
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: and I was in my dressing room with Irving as
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: Off and everything goes You're there, You're You're the guy.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: You're the first country gat that needs to play the sphere.
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: You know. It's like I hadn't even thought about it, honestly,
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: And and then I and then I was thinking, Okay,
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: what am I going to do in twenty twenty five,
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: you know, because we were getting ready at that moment
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: to start when the Sun goes down tour in twenty
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: twenty four, and so we've been planning this for a minute,
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: right That's where the seed was sown, was last April
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: and ever since then. Well, right after that, I went
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: to the sphere to just to put my feet in
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: it and my soul in it, to see, you know,
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: what it was all about. And and they showed me
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: what was possible, you know, the the limitless possibilities that
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: what we can do in there, as far as the
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: video world, as far as the sound, and and I
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: looked at my my rown family and my crew that
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: was with me, and I said, there's no way we're
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: not doing this, you know. So it was it was
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: it wasn't about necessarily being first, which I'm honestly I'm
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: going to say, I'm I'm happy that we are, But
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: it was more about taking my brain and the audience
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: in a down a different journey. And that's what this is.
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: It's a it's a completely different I keep saying this,
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: but it's almost as if it's a it's such a
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: shared moment and it's it's really immersive and It's almost
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: as if me and the audience together are in a
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: completely different state of consciousness. And that's the thing that
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: I'm excited about is for people that have been coming
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: to our shows forever, you know, and have experienced our
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: show in a stadium or an arena or an amphitheater,
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: if they're going to see this in a completely different way.
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: And that's the thing that I'm really excited about. Yeah,
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: it feels good to be the first country act to
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: play this fear, it does, but it feels better to
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: know that we're taking these songs and this music and
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: presenting it way that we've never been able to do.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: You use the word experience a little while ago, and
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: it's crazy because there's so many artists that make music
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: and you listen to the music and you're enjoying the music.
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: You have done a great job in your entire career.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: Your music is an experience, Your shows are an experience.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: This is going to be an experience that will be
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: unlike anything else. So knowing that it seems like you
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: always focus on experience over just like a concert, knowing
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: what the sphere was right away where you like, I'm in, We're.
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: In, well, I had to see it first, you know,
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: And but as soon as I got there and saw everything,
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: I mean it was empty. We saw what was possible
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: with all the video and how you're just it's just
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: a completely different thing, you know. So I was completely
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: in when I saw it. Now getting to where we're
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: going to be on stage that first night, there's a
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: lot of work, you know, because I've had years of
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: content that we've created for our shows over the years,
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: you know, and some of what we reuse, some of
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: it we repurposed of what we go and do it
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: all over again. But we can't use a frame of
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: any of that stuff because it's just a different format.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: So we have to reshoot everything. And so every song
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: now is completely different, The whole show is completely different,
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: and that feeds me as an artist, it feeds us
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: as a band. And I think for if, like I said,
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: if you've been coming to our shows and you're wondering
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: what's going to be different about it, everything is going
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: to be different about it, and that excites me.
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: Knowing what that sphere building is capable of. I mean,
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: it's for anybody that's not aware you go to a show,
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: the stage is the biggest thing in the room, regardless
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: of where you are. Even you'd play a massive stadium,
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: the stage is massive, massive the sphere. It's like the
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: stage is the third biggest thing in the room, yes,
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: which brings the screen and brings So when you as
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: a guy who's got your hands in all you do,
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: i'd imagine you're having to almost it's like planning your
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: first so all over again.
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: It is like when I leave you. Today is our
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: fifth rehearsal. The thing that excites me also is that
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: we're it's affording us to do music that we haven't
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: done ever, you know, songs that we haven't done ever
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: in our show. Because I've always been a big believer,
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: especially in the stadium setting or an arena setting, that
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: people come to hear the familiar stuff, you know, we
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: hit them really hard. We next thing, you know, we've
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: been on stage fifty minutes and we don't even it
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: doesn't seem like we've been up there no time. Right. Well,
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: for this it's a completely different It's more it's an experience.
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: So we have to think of it that way and
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: build it that way, and so creatively that's been really interesting.
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: It's given me a little bit of anxiety, you know,
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: But I'm on the phone. I got a lot of
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: really smart people around me that are creating all the
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: content and I'm a part of that and it's been
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: good for me mentally, has been good for me creatively
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: to go down a different road. And we know what
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: the music is going to be. You know, my band,
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: we got a great band. We're in there rehearsing the music,
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: but we're also mentally preparing for Okay, what's what's How's
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: this different? I mean, what are we going to give
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: the fans you know that's coming to Vegas to see us.
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: It's going to be different, and that starts with the music.
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: It also starts with the things around us. But you're right.
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: I mean, like when people come and they walk into
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: this place before the show starts, they know it's different,
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: you know. And the stage, our stage is not that big,
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: you know. It's it's it's it's it's a Usually I'm
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: up there running around and I've got space to do that.
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: I do because I can't set still when I'm up there.
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: But it's different in this setting it I will have
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: my space to do that. But but I mean, for
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: the first time in a long time, I'm really in
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: the band, you know what I mean, I'm back there
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: with against the drums. I mean, the band was making
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: a joke the other day, Oh, you're back in the band.
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: You know, it was great, thanks for joining us.
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I could tell by your energy and the look
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: in your face talking about this, were you in a
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: spot where creatively you needed to be challenged a little more,
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: to like, because I'd imagine it's like album tour, album tour,
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: album too, Like does this kind of renew where you're at?
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: Course, I mean like I think that you can get
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: in a mundane place, right, Yeah, And not that it
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: was mundane going on tour, because this summer was one
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: of the best summers we've ever had, you know it was.
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: But creatively, I mean, I'm not gonna lie to you.
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: I was going, Okay, what's what are we going to
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: do in twenty twenty five? And I was thinking possibly
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: I was going to take the year off. I was
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: going to just write songs and create my record, and
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: I was gonna just live a little, right. But when
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: this opportunity came, I knew it was a very unique opportunity,
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: and I knew it was a way for me to
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: I don't know, feed myself as an artist and to
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: uh and for the band, to feed ourselves as a
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: band and a road and a road family, and just
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: to have a different experience that the It's just a
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: different neural pathway for us, you know what I mean.
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: And I think that's always good when you're when you're
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: a bunch of creative people and looking for new ways
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: to express yourself. And this is definitely an unbelievable way
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: to express yourself. And we've we've been working really hard
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: on all of it, and it's it's it's coming. I mean,
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: like here we are talking about it. And last year,
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: I mean, it was always in the back of our mind.
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: We were on tour where the Sun Goes Down tour. Okay,
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: we know we're doing the Sphere next year. We're shooting
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: certain things for that, but it was always down the
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: road right well, now here we are and so creatively,
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: it's it's stunning what we're coming up with. It's going
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: to be a really fun experience for me and everyone,
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: I think. And I think, like I said, I keep
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: going back to this, but the people that have been
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: coming to our shows for a while, I think that
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: it's going to be the people that truly care about
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: these songs and this music. I think they're going to
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: hear it completely different when they see when they're immersed
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: in this this shared space and experience. You know, it's
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: it's it's like I said, it's it's like you're in
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: a completely different state of consciousness in there. It's going
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: to be unreal.
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: With the amount of success you've had throughout your career,
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: the massive shows you've done, I'd imagine this isn't the
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: first Las Vegas residency that is knocked on your door, though,
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: is it.
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: Not the first? But it's close, you know. I I
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: I was always just too busy, you know. We were
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: like I was there, There were there were there were
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: there have been a couple of years where we took off,
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: you know that called my brain and soul needed it.
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: But I was always really busy within that year of
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: making a sports film for ESPN or you know, I
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: was never really off.
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: I haven't been off my whole adult life, you know,
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: but but there have been a few things to come
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: up that we just I just didn't feel like I
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: was ready for or didn't you know, want to take
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: the time. And but this was just in the nature
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: of how we present this thing. The show and the
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: music made me really excited about it. And and like
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: I said, I mean, it means a lot to be
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: the first country act to be asked by the sphere
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: of people and everybody involved that they felt confident enough
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: and uh saying, cared enough about what we're doing to be,
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: you know, in the first country act to be asked
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: to play. And it means a lot.
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: It's gonna be so good man, can't wait. Appreciate the time.
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: Can you come see the party?
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: I mean I literally come for the show.
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: H Yeah again?
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah, thanks man, I appreciate it.