Chesney’s portion of the show was rescheduled for the next night
Megan Moroney had already finished her set on Wednesday evening when the weather got too gruesome to continue at the Talking Stick Resort Amphitheater. Rain, wind and weather advisories couldn’t dampen the spirit of No Shoes Nation who waited a full two hours for Kenny Chesney to be able to take the stage for the local stop on his Sun Goes Down 2024 Tour. And then the lightning struck.
“I won’t take chances with the people I love,” Chesney has always said. Making good on that notion, the songwriter/superstar was in the trenches monitoring weather movement, talking to promoter reps and people in the building, and looking for solutions for interminable circumstances. When he found out he could play the next night, even as lighting started slicing the sky, Chesney made the decision – and moved the sold-out show to Thursday.
“I came to Phoenix to play,” he said. “I wanted to share this music with the Arizona faction of No Shoes Nation, and I didn’t think some rain would stop us. But lightning is something else. After we’d waited so long when that happened, there was only one thing to do: come back tomorrow night.”
Taking to social media to announce the change of plans, the eight-time Entertainer of the Year also dropped in at two local country radio stations – KNIX and KMLE – on Thursday to let fans know the show would go on that night as An Evening with Kenny Chesney. Taking it to the control room and the people, the East Tennessean wanted to let fans know he was committed to playing despite the weather.
And that’s just what he did. Again, monitoring the weather forecasts and radar, they held the doors. Staying watchful, the show intro finally rolled at 7:20 – and an intimate evening with one of America’s most songwriter-forward superstars was underway. Playing for over two hours, Chesney offered tour rarities “There Goes My Life” and “Out Last Night” in place of his duets with Moroney, who had another show booked en route to Saturday’s Denver stadium play.
“When you’ve got a sold-out house, fans like the people in Phoenix, and a band that’s as on fire as my crew has been all summer, really, you do want to play. We’re not quite the post office – come wind or rain or snow or sleet or hail – but we’re not worried about getting wet if No Shoes Nation is in the house and looking for music. That’s when my band really shines.”
Chesney has a history of making good on rain delays. In 2009, Chesney had to stop mid-show at Frisco, Texas’s Pizza Hut Park. He was back on the first open date, picking up where he’d left off. Without missing a beat, Chesney threw himself into the music and made the fans feel loved.
“I think when we all go through things like this together, No Shoes Nation comes together even more tightly bound. I feel that way even more. Those fans who came, stayed and believed? It’s a whole other kind of connection, and one I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”
Presented by Blue Chair Bay Rum, it’s all about the friends, high energy and songs people know by heart.
