Kenny Chesney replacing Morgan Wallen at 2023 Gulf Coast Jam

Country star announces two festival appearances

Kenny Chesney is having the summer of his life! Having finished 2022’s Here And Now Tour setting records in several stadiums and being the only country artist in Pollstar’s Top 5 Tours of the Year, he made the decision to take his current band to those cities that were so pivotal in his own rise to being an impactful headliner with his I Go Back 2023 arena tour.

I Go Back was designed to focus commitment to the fans beyond the stadium markets. It’s a special kind of show, designed as much for intimacy as it was delivering almost three hours of music.

With I Go Back 2023 wrapping on May 27th in Orange Beach, the 8x Entertainer of the Year will be stepping in as a headliner at Gulf Coast Jam and Carolina Country Music Fest – bringing his stadium sized energy to those events.

“It’s like an extra little bit of something,” Chesney says of the decision to play the add-on events. “We love playing those great big stages, and I think everyone knows that. But this year, in these venues, has been unlike anything we’ve done in years – so much fun, so great, so spur of the moment – and I wouldn’t change a thing.

“I can’t lie, though. I was missing those big stages just a bit. And now, me and the road family get to have our cake and eat it, too. When we got the call, even though we were basically done, I thought it over, and of course we wanted to be there for the fans. They’re the reason we do this – and the opportunity to step in and let even more people see how white hot and awesome these players are is awesome. Funny how life has a way of stepping in!”

For the first time in its 11-year history, the Country on the Coast music festival in beautiful Panama City Beach sold out in late November. Superstars Miranda Lambert, Hardy and Kane Brown are also set to headline the event from June 1-4, with more than 20 more artists performing over the four days.

Chesney is replacing original headliner Morgan Wallen on both festivals after being ordered on mandatory vocal rest for six weeks by doctors. The country star reinjured his vocal chords and has vocal fold trauma following three concerts last weekend.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com