The Heart Life Music Tour starts in East Tennessee on November 1st
With the audiobook underway, the final edits complete, and the start of fall ahead, Country Music Hall of Fame 2025 electee Kenny Chesney knew he wanted to do something very special to launch his upcoming Heart Life Music. Tracing the path of a pretty regular kid living well beyond the lights of Knoxville, Tennessee, he decided to kick off his book tour at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee, where his dream truly took wing, with a special event at the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts on November 1st at 3 pm.
“Having looked at my life in ways I never thought of,” says the East Tennessee native, “I realized: I’ve always loved sports, music and the sea. But the idea I’d chase this dream came together in Johnson City, trying to learn Doc Watson picking from Jack Tottle, playing Quarterbacks and Chuckey’s, and going to Russia with East Tennessee State University’s Bluegrass Band.
“For me, going back to East Tennessee State University, where all of this began, was the only way to kick this book tour off. Hopefully, someone in the audience who’s wondering about their own dream might find what they need to get serious about whatever it is they’re chasing.”
And if he’s leaning into his heart, it stands to reason that Chesney would hit Boston the next day. With his legendary Gillette Stadium shows, including a three-day run in 2024, No Shoes Nation was named in 2012, and he passed a million fans in 2018, as well as the friends he’s made from the region over the years, the eight-time Entertainer of the Year will appear at Back Bay Events Center on November 2nd at 7 pm.
“Whether the friends I made in the islands long before this journey kicked into gear, Ginny Brophy who welcomed a kid with nothing going on at WKLB, the crazy fun with Grace Potter, sailing and more with Ethel Kennedy around the Nantucket Sound, conversations with the Globe’s Steve Morse or Super Bowls with Robert Kraft and his organization, there’s been something about the people of New England that recognizes the kid from East Tennessee in me. I like to say, ‘They believe me,’ but I think it’s more they know the same grit and passion that’s driven me and my team all these years.
“I know these are intimate events,” Chesney continues. “But I want everyone to really be able to hear, absorb and feel like we’ve come together before they dive into the book. There’s a lot there, and a lot that went into it – and I want to have very real conversations about all of it to give people a real sense of the role where they live has played in my journey and the man I wanted to be and – hopefully – became.”
Chesney will be joined by music critic, friend, and co-author Holly Gleason for freewheeling conversations to enrich reading Heart Life Music, anchoring the places where book events will occur. Having found his voice delivering the experiences of coming of age and living life as fully as possible in the 21st Century, the songwriter/superstar wants each event to reflect his relationship with No Shoes Nation, the music and anyone trying to find inspiration to create their own place in the world.
Known for commanding the largest stages nationwide, Heart Life Music ventures to places long gone, makes unexpected music in Jamaica, the Kremlin, New England and Cabo San Lucas, drifts across the waters of the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Beyond meeting and collaborating with heroes, forging transcendent friendships in the islands and beyond, Chesney’s introspective look at the songs and sound that defined No Shoes Nation offers the intimacy of sharing a slow afternoon on the water.
