Eleven Stadium Shows (w. More Ahead) Are 1st First 2016 Tour Reveal
Miranda Lambert Again Pairs with 8-Time Entertainer of the Year
Sam Hunt, Old Dominion Are Also Part of All-Day Stadium Shows
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 27, 2015) After breaking nine attendance records – many his own – and selling in excess of 1.3 million tickets on The Big Revival Tour, Kenny Chesney wanted to harness the energy of last year’s audiences. Naming his 2016 tour Spread the Love
to reflect the No Shoes Nation’s passion for living life and loving
music, he’s announcing the first wave of shows for next year – starting
with the already-on-sale April 23 concert at Auburn’s Jordan Hare
Stadium.
“People always want to know about the stadiums,” Chesney laughed,
“because it’s a big show… a lot of music… and the kind of day people
come together and celebrate friendship. We know a lot of people travel
to these dates from all over, so to give them as much time as possible
to get ready, I figured it’d be nice to get these out in front of our
other shows! There could be a stadium date or two added, but for
everyone who’s asking, let’s get next year started, right now.”
With the core line-up of Miranda Lambert, Sam Hunt and Old Dominion for
these shows, a few cities will see a surprise artist in Hunt’s slot
(those shows marked with asterisks below). Multi-platinum, 11-time CMA
Award and two-time GRAMMY winner Miranda Lambert appeared at last year’s
Soldier Field show – and the chemistry sparked this year’s re-teaming.
“Miranda was such an awesome addition in Chicago,” Chesney said. “When I
was thinking about what I wanted to do this year, how to keep the
energy we had and give the fans something truly great musically, she
just made sense. She’s a songwriter, a great singer and she loves music
every bit as much as I do. In a stadium, those things matter.”
Groundbreaking triple CMA Award nominee Sam Hunt, who’s nominated for
Best New Artist plus Song and Single of the Year for “Take Your Time,”
wrote Chesney’s pulsating No. 1 “Come Over.” “The second I heard Sam’s
demo for ‘Come Over,’ I knew he was onto something very unique,”
Chesney, who gave Hunt his first cut, said. “Watching him develop as an
artist, seeing his songwriting evolve – and knowing how he brings it
when he gets on stage makes him a perfect act to come out with us.”
Old Dominion, who return in the opening slot, are becoming Nashville’s
band of songwriters on the verge of their very first No. 1 with “Break
Up With Him.” In addition to penning Chesney’s three-week No. 1 “Save It
For A Rainy Day,” members of the good-vibe group of musicians have
written chart-toppers for Blake Shelton (“Sangria”), The Band Perry
(“Better Dig Two”), Tyler Farr (“Guy Walks Into A Bar”) and Dierks
Bentley (“Say You Do”).
“There is nothing like the energy of a stadium show,” Chesney said. “Old
Dominion kicked the whole summer off last year with the best vibe. If
we’re talking about Spread the Love, those guys are all about it. If there’s anything I want to see this summer, it’s that attitude that really defines what’s going on.”
“Two parts Mick Jagger, one part Bruce Springsteen and one part Billy Graham,” The Dallas Morning News deemed Chesney this summer – and the man hailed as “The King of the Road” takes his shows very seriously.
“After last year, we’ve got a bar to clear, but I am fired up… and
missing the fans already. There are a bunch more dates coming, but let’s
get the first wave of major stadium shows on the calendar right now!”
May 7 — Chase Field — Phoenix, Ariz.
June 4 — AT&T Stadium — Arlington, Texas*
June 18 — Miller Park — Milwaukee, Wisc.*
June 25 — Lincoln Financial Field — Philadelphia, Pa.*
July 2 — Heinz Field — Pittsburgh, Pa.
July 16 — Arrowhead Stadium — Kansas City, Mo.
July 23 — Century Link Field — Seattle, Wash.
August 6 — Levi’s Stadium — Santa Clara, Calif.
August 13 — Ford Field — Detroit, Mich.*
August 20 — MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford, N.J.
& MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED…