When Kenny Chesney announced that he would be taking 2014 off, fans nationwide fell into a realm of disappointment, with the most dedicated members of No Shoes Nation even crying in despair. For a whole summer (originally planned, at last), the man who had been dubbed the “King Of The Road,” would step away from the places he called home for so many consecutive summers. Places like Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, and of course Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium. In each city, for so many years, Chesney would play for sold-out crowds to his most loyal fans while growing his fanbase even larger every year. There are very few artists who can do what Chesney does, and that is what made Chesney’s absence so hard in 2014.
Luckily, our friends at Gillette Stadium did not let fans down in Kenny’s absence as they brought Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Lee Brice and Cole Swindell to ‘the Razor.’ And with all due respect to these amazing performers, who did sell out the venue in 2014, it wasn’t what many fans in the area call ‘Countryfest.’ It was missing that vibe and that buzz that comes with Kenny Chesney.
So when Kenny Chesney took to Good Morning America in late 2014 to announce his return to the road, and Gillette Stadium was found in it’s known spot on the tour schedule (the final show, of course), fans rushed to get tickets to the summer tradition, forcing Chesney and his team to announce a second show, which ultimately resulted in his 12th and 13th sold-out shows at Gillette Stadium! His return to New England was even more anticipated when it was announced that fellow superstar Jason Aldean would accompany Chesney, as well as Brantley Gilbert, Cole Swindell and the quickly-rising group of Old Dominion. We here at NECM weren’t going to miss this opportunity and went for the double-header, attending both shows! While we were exhausted come Sunday morning, it was well worth it, as from beginning to end had incredible music, high energy and that buzz that only a Chesney tour can bring.
Old Dominion would kick off both shows in Foxborough with a 20-minute set, that left many wishing the 5-piece band had a larger set to show off both their original music and some of the many number one songs that band members had written for other artists. Throughout Old Dominion’s set, the band would play songs from their 2014 self-titled EP including ‘Shut Me Up,’ ‘Beer Can In A Truck Bed,’ the sexy ‘Dirt On A Road,’ ‘Wrong Turns,’ and their current radio single, ‘Break Up With Him.’ Despite a majority of the stadium being empty for their set, it would not stop them from bringing high energy and playing their asses off for those inside the stadium. On Friday night, Trevor was seen running all the way down and around the catwalk, slapping hands with the many fans who had purchased Sandbar tickets. And despite a doozy of a fall, lead singer, Matthew Ramsey would not let it stop him from returning Saturday night with even more energy. If fans did not know Old Dominion before the show, they do now, as the guys played four shows on consecutive nights in New England with a show at the Marshfield Fair on Wednesday, the Big Revival Pre-Party in Boston on Thursday, and of course two nights at Gillette Stadium. And with every show, it was apparent that their following and support in the New England area is strong and this region cannot wait for the return of New England in the near future.
Next up to on stage was Cole Swindell and his band. Cole is one of the few performers that has gotten the distinct opportunity to play Gillette in consecutive years, as he opened for Luke Bryan in Foxborough just last summer. Cole came out on the Gillette Stadium stage saying ‘hey’ to the entire crowd… literally, as he opened his nights in Foxborough with ‘Hey Y’all.’ After running around the stage waving to people in attendance and even saying “I see you” to some fans in the 300s, he went on to play ‘Brought To You By Beer,’ and ‘Hope You Get Lonely Tonight’ before ending his much too short of a set with the energetic ‘Let Me See Ya Girl’ and ‘Ain’t Worth The Whiskey,’ which he dedicated to any first responders here in the homeland and especially to those in the stadium during the weekend. At one point of the song, Cole turned the song over to the crowd for them to sing, and despite the majority of the stadium being empty, got a rousing response from the crowd with everyone inside singing along. As previously stated, Cole’s set was much too short for our liking! The current ACM New Artist of the Year brought the party to Gillette Stadium and gave the early crowd an amazing performance.
Once Cole Swindell’s gear had left the stage, it was time for country music’s ‘bad boy’ to take the stage. Members of BG Nation had arrived early as cheers were loud and steady as Brantley Gilbert took the stage to ‘Kick It In The Sticks.’ His set continued with ‘Hell On Wheels,’ and one of our favorites, ‘Small Town Throwdown.’ Brantley slowed down the mood with the always-romantic, ‘You Don’t Know Her Like I Do,’ and his last single, ‘One Hell of an Amen.’ But the mood wouldn’t stay down for long as Brantley brought it back up quickly with ‘Bottoms Up’ (to the delight of the beer drinking crowd), ‘Take It Outside,’ and ‘Read Me My Rights,’ before wrapping his night(s) up with ‘Country Must Be Country Wide.’ With his brass-knuckle shaped microphone, chains and tattoos, Brantley Gilbert definitely brought the badass to Gillette Stadium and gave a definite juxtaposition between his stage time and his colleagues. But no one was complaining. BG Nation was strong in attendance and made him feel welcome in Foxborough.
By 7PM, Gillette Stadium was nearly full as country megastar, Jason Aldean, was about to take the stage. Aldean is one of the few country artists that could possibly sell out Gillette Stadium on his own, as he played for two sold-out shows at Fenway Park in 2013. With a giant letter ‘A’ in the middle of the stage that began to raise up as music began to play, Aldean appeared at the peak of the ‘A’ with his hand in the air saying, “Are you ready Foxborough?” as he kicked off his set with ‘Hicktown,’ ‘My Kinda Party,’ ‘Tattoos on this Town,’ and ‘Amarillo Sky’ before playing his recent number one hit, ‘Tonight Looks Good On You.’ Throughout his two-hour set, Aldean would play a mix of songs from his new album like ‘Sweet Little Somethin’ and ‘Just Gettin’ Started,’ as well as some of his classic songs like ‘Big Green Tractor,’ ‘The Truth,’ and ‘Flyover States,’ during which he changed the lyrics to “Massachusetts town,” which of course got the crowd going. One of the biggest highlights of Aldean’s sets included him saying, “As of tonight, we have played two of the coolest places in New England- Fenway Park and Gillette Stadium.”
Other memorable moments included a cover of Tom Petty’s ‘I Won’t Back Down,’ some full-blown fireworks during ‘Crazytown,’ and an energetic encore that featured ‘Dirt Road Anthem,’ and ‘She’s Country,’ with even more fireworks lighting up the stadium sky from behind the stage. As Aldean said his goodbyes to the fans, the capacity-crowd cheered and thanked the Georgian for some great country music and an amazing performance. But little did they know that it would not be the final time they would see him on stage…
While stagehands rushed the stage to remove Jason’s equipment and setup, fans rushed up the aisles to use the restrooms and grab themselves some cold refreshments. No one wanted to be the one still in line when Chesney took the stage. Right around 9PM, the large video screens lit up with video messages from Kenny and other famous people like Vince Vaughn, Dick Vitale, and others welcoming the crowd to The Big Revival. There was also a flashback to when Kenny coined Gillette Stadium as the home of No Shoes Nation just a few years ago. And just a few minutes later, the enormous stage banner that masked the stage rose into the rafters, revealing Kenny’s band. But there was one person missing, Kenny Chesney. With the chords of ‘Drink It Up’ playing throughout the stadium, Kenny rose from the crowd in his chair suspended over his fans, singing his lyrics and waving hello to the crowd. Once he finally made it to the stage, Chesney would continue his set with ‘Reality,’ fan-favorite ‘Beer in Mexico,’ and ‘Til It’s Gone.’
After performing ‘Summertime,’ Chesney played ‘Pirate Flag,’ while fans waved their flags all around the stadium, and with a large banner over his right shoulder in the Gillette Stadium rafters commemorating the venue as the birthplace of No Shoes Nation, it was only appropriate that he play the song for his devout following. Kenny was already feeling the love that the crowd was giving him, the love that New England waited nearly two years to give to him. He went on to say, “What an honor it is to be back in New England. Thank you so much… That’s what you call chill bumps right there!”
Kenny continued his set with ‘Somewhere With You,’ ‘I Go Back,’ ‘Wild Child,’ and ‘Young,’ before taking a few minutes to introduce his band. And during these introductions, he gave his new bassist, Harmoni Kelley McCarty, her time to shine as she ROCKED a version of ACDC’s ‘Whole Lotta Rosie.’ The only female in Kenny’s band, and one of the newest members, had the capacity crowd in the palm of her hands, hanging on to every strum of her bass guitar. It was one of our favorite moments, hands down. But it wasn’t long until we were again in awe, as the fans seemed to drown out Kenny as they were singing along to his smash hit, ‘American Kids.’ We wouldn’t have been surprised if the crowd could have been heard from Route 1, as everyone was singing and clapping along.
Just a couple nights before The Big Revival took over Gillette Stadium, we sat down with Old Dominion on the tour bus before their show in Marshfield. Matthew and Brad had told us that despite spending a lot of time on the road with Kenny this summer, the only time they had heard Kenny sing ‘Save It For A Rainy Day,’ a song that they had written, was at Tortuga Music Festival back in April. So when Kenny brought the guys back to the stage to help him perform the song on both Friday and Saturday night, we were ecstatic for the guys. Not only to hear their song performed but to actually perform it with Kenny must have been an amazing moment for Matthew and Brad. And Matthew only helped his cause he sang the song in a Patriots sweatshirt on Saturday night with the sleeves cutoff in a very Belichick style! After finishing ‘Save It for A Rainy Day,’ Chesney performed another song that he had not performed this summer, and that’s because the only place he performs it is in New England. The crowd erupted as the hitmaker began to strum the chords of ‘Boston.’
Kenny slowed the vibe and mood down with an emotional performance of ‘Happy On The Hey Now,’ dedicating it to a friend who he met while vacationing in the Virgin Islands, and has since passed away. With her family having roots in Maine, he gave the song his all while also welcoming out Gretchen Rhodes to assist him with the song on Saturday night. But the energy came right back as Kenny went into ‘How Forever Feels’ and ‘Out Last Night’ before bringing out special guest, David Lee Murphy, on both Friday and Saturday night. Murphy has written countless hit songs including several for Chesney, and Murphy had helped him kick off the tour in Nashville this year, so it was only appropriate that he helped Kenny end the tour in Foxborough! The crowd roared as the opening chords for ‘Dust On the Bottle’ bellowed through the stadium. With everyone clapping and singing along, it was definitely a fun moment and one we won’t soon forget. The two also performed ‘Party Crowd’ before David Lee Murphy retreated backstage for the rest of the show, while Kenny would close his night with ‘Don’t Happen Twice,’ with an appearance from Cole Swindell, and the always popular ‘Boys of Fall.’ During the latter, Kenny would give a signed helmet to a young lady in a ‘Free Brady’ t-shirt, to the delight of the crowd, and that was only followed up by Robert and Jonathan Kraft joining Chesney on stage with the team’s four Lombardi trophies. With all of the drama involving the team over the past 7 months, and the new season just around the corner, the crowd was loud and proud.
After leaving the stage for a few minutes, Kenny would return in shorts and no shoes- well, this is No Shoes Nation afterall, for an encore that would feature ‘She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy’ and an appearance from Jason Aldean! On Saturday night, the crowd went even crazier as he had on a ‘Free Brady’ shirt. The encore would continue with a cover of John Mellencamp’s ‘Hurt So Good,’ ‘The Only Way I Know,’ and ‘Summer of ’69.’
And with that, Kenny Chesney would say his final goodbyes to his fans and No Shoes Nation in 2015. He was not just saying goodbye to the thousands of New Englanders who made the trek to Gillette Stadium for two consecutive shows, but instead to the millions of members of No Shoes Nation who came to his return in 2015. Fans flocked to Gillette Stadium for one last 2015 performance from Kenny Chesney. From Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina, and all throughout New England, this was it. And for members of No Shoes Nation, there was only one place to be. The Big Revival wasn’t big, it was enormous. It was iconic and monumental. It was something we won’t soon forget.
To see more photos from The Big Revival at Gillette Stadium, check out our photo album here.
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