Just weeks after wrapping up his 2015 Big Revival Tour, Kenny Chesney announced some of his plans for 2016. While we may not know all of the dates and cities, we do know who we can expect to see on the road with Kenny next summer for his annual tour that includes stadiums, arenas, and amphitheaters across the country. Missed the news? Read it here.
With the huge news that Miranda Lambert, Sam Hunt, and Old Dominion would be hitting the road with Chesney on his 2016 Spread The Love tour, we got to thinking, “what are we most excited about for the 2016 tour.” Let’s break it down.
6.) A fifth act announced: As we saw throughout his 2015 tour, Chesney had four supporting acts for his stadium shows. And we expect a similar format in 2016. Miranda should take the role that Jason Aldean and Eric Church had this summer as a co-headliner while Sam Hunt should roll into the middle slot (which Brantley Gilbert held at Gillette Stadium) and Old Dominion as the second act leaving an opening slot for an up-and-coming act- the slot that Old Dominion has in 2015. We could be wrong, and we wouldn’t mind if we were, as it may allow for some extra music from Old Dominion and Sam Hunt. But it’s something to keep an eye on!
5.) Sam Hunt: He’s been the biggest phenom in the country music scene that we have seen in years. Three consecutive No. 1 hits off his debut ‘Montevallo‘ album, and he could grab a fourth with ‘Break Up In A Small Town.’ The Georgia native kicked off his career in Boston in 2013 with a benefit show for Pete Frates’ ALS Foundation and hasn’t looked back since. He sold out the Paradise Rock Club earlier this year within minutes, before it had to be moved to the House of Blues to satisfy more fans. He drew arguably the biggest crowd of any non-headlining act at the Tortuga Music Festival and was definitely a contributing factor for countless sell-outs on Lady A’s 2015 tour. We’re excited to see the talented singer-songwriter in the stadium environment after seeing his set in small clubs and amphitheaters.
4.) Old Dominion with a longer set: In 2015, Old Dominion only had enough time to play songs from their 2014 EP but these guys have such a huge catalog of songs to choose from including several No. 1 songs that they wrote for other artists. If you haven’t seen their version of ‘A Guy Walks Into A Bar’ (recorded by Tyler Farr), you’re missing out! Oh, and they also wrote ‘Ex To See.’ You know, recorded by Sam Hunt, who will also be on the tour with them! But let’s not forget that the band just released their debut full length album, titled ‘Meat and Candy,’ and we love what we have heard off the album and other fans have expressed similar feelings as well.
3.) Miranda Lambert: She’s been such a dominant force in country music over the past few years, constantly winning countless awards as the top female vocalist in the genre, including her 6th consecutive CMA Award for Female Vocalist of the Year just last week. Miranda has shown great tour success in the past with two-legs of her Platinum Tour but playing in stadiums is a bit different than playing in amphitheaters and arenas. It’s a totally different atmosphere. Yes, we know she played Chicago’s Soldier Field with Kenny this summer and we saw her at Fenway Park a couple years ago with Jason Aldean, but we can’t wait to see her in a stadium environment with 60,000+ fans per night. Miranda should get nearly a two-hour set (give or take), similar to how Aldean did this past summer.
2.) Collaborations: At Gillette Stadium, we saw Kenny bring up Old Dominion’s Matthew Ramsey and Brad Tursi to help him sing ‘Save It For a Rainy Day,’ a song that they had co-written. We wouldn’t be surprised to see him do that again as the fans showed a great reaction to the trio on stage. But also, Sam Hunt wrote ‘Come Over,’ so can we expect Sam to join Kenny on stage to perform the 2012 No. 1 hit? If so, the crowd will go crazy! And count us in as fans going crazy!
1.) Kenny, Kenny, Kenny: He’s the main act and at the end of the day, Kenny will be the reason why the majority of fans are in attendance at the show. There’s something about the relationship between Boston/Foxborough and Kenny Chesney and it’s something you won’t see in other cities. Year-after-year, night-after-night, he brings unmatched energy with long sets full of No. 1 hits. He is one of the best entertainers, not only in country, but in all of music.
Just recently it was announced that this tour would hit our beloved Gillette Stadium on August 26th and 27th. Both nights WILL sell-out, and presales have already showed great demand, so when tickets go on sale on November 20th, make sure you get them as you’ll end up paying much more on the secondary market.
Stay tuned with New England Country Music- New England’s premier non-radio country music organization for more updates regarding this show and other New England area shows and more!