Kenny Chesney made history as the first-ever country artist to perform at the state-of-the-art Sphere in Las Vegas this weekend, kicking off his Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere 15-date residency which continues through June 21. He now joins an elite group of performers who have graced the 17,600-seat venue, including U2, Dead & Company, Eagles, Phish, and Afterlife Presents Anyma.
The crowd spanned all ages, from young children to older adults, proving that Chesney’s music is timeless and resonates across generations. Most of the crowd was decked out in Kenny Chesney merchandise in some capacity, from homemade merch to No Shoes Radio hats, Sphere merch and shirts from previous Chesney tours.
Chesney’s set launched at 8:30 PM as a virtual curtain made of tour flags lifted toward the ceiling, revealing a three-minute cinematic 4D video that drew fans into an eye-catching underwater world filled with sunken pirate ships, ripped black flags, schools of fish and Chesney’s signature skull-and-crossbones. The video then transitioned above the water, pulling fans into a town built for No Shoes Nation, complete with a massive glass sphere that welcomed Chesney to the stage.
“Hello and welcome everybody. It feels so great,” Chesney said, greeting fans. “Not only can we see all the way to the top. Everybody, we hear you tonight. We feel you. We love you for coming. We’re going to take you by the hand and take you on a little journey with us. This is our first weekend playing music in front of human beings since last August, we thrilled to be here.”
The country music icon and eight-time Entertainer of the Year delivered a memorable 2+ hour set full of energy, hit songs, deep cuts, songs that Chesney hasn’t played live before and more. His 28-song set list included anthems such as “Beer In Mexico,” “Reality,” “I Go Back,” “Summertime,” “Get Along,” “When The Sun Goes Down,” “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems” and more.
From the moment he exploded onto the stage to “Beer In Mexico” to the final lyrics of “Don’t Happen Twice,” Chesney kept the sold-out crowd in the palm of his hand during the entire show with his captivating stage presence and high-energy.
Despite the massive venue, which features 167,000 precision-tuned speakers and 171 million pixels on a 160,000-square-foot wraparound screen, Chesney was sure to connect with his fans by slapping hands, grabbing license plates gifted to him, pointing people out that were singing along, and he stuck around at the end of the show to sign autographs.
“Night number two, let’s go! It’s a Saturday night in Las Vegas… we all can come together and connect with songs and music and love and energy and passion for the music. I really appreciate them inviting us to play here. I really appreciate being here, and we got a lot of love towards you guys too,” Chesney added.
The show was more than just a concert. It was truly a visually stunning experience that felt like a rollercoaster ride through Kenny Chesney’s iconic country music career, complete with hits, visuals from throughout his life and career, as well as nods to No Shoes Nation, his hometown in East Tennessee, and his home away from home: the US Virgin Islands.
Throughout Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere, Kenny Chesney transported fans to the island of St. John for “One Lonely Island,” even offering a glimpse inside his personal bar complete with dozens of fan-gifted license plates covering the ceiling and bottles of Blue Chair Bay Rum lining the bar top during what he called a “band meeting.” He then took them inside a fishbowl for “Welcome to the Fishbowl” (marking his first live performance of this song since 2013), before he brought concertgoers inside his exhilarating stadium shows at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough and Nissan Stadium in Nashville for “Here and Now.”
He also revisited the auditorium of his alma mater, Gibbs High School, his hometown, and Neyland Stadium during a Tennessee Volunteers game for “I Go Back” and he later reminisced on his life through filmstrips during “Young.”
Kenny Chesney even paid tribute to Taylor Swift, Kelsea Ballerini, Megan Moroney, Reba McEntire, Loretta Lynn, and more during his performance of “Big Star,” then put the sold-out audience on the fast track of a NASCAR race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for “Living in Fast Forward” and carried them to the Las Vegas Strip under the glow of a neon Vegas sign during “Out Last Night.”
Kenny Chesney surprised fans during the groundbreaking Vegas residency by bringing out his longtime friend and frequent collaborator, Grace Potter. Together, the two hitmakers performed their chart-topping collaboration, “You & Tequila,” as well as an epic cover of “Hot Legs” by Rod Stewart.
“It’s not every day that I get to stand on stage with her, but every now and then the universe brings us together… This girl flew to Nashville, and we recorded this song on my birthday. We sat in the car after it was over, and we knew that we were going to be life friends,” Chesney said before welcoming Potter to the stage. “So please make welcome to the stage. My good friend from Burlington, Vermont. The wonderful, the beautiful, the talented Ms. Grace Potter.”
The 57-year-old East Tennessee native also added “The Boys of Fall” to his set list in honor of Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings head coach), Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs head coach), Boston Red Sox legend Kevin Millar, and Sean Payton (Denver Broncos head coach), who were all in attendance. Barstool Sports personality and founder Dave Portnoy was also there.
“No two days are ever the same… You never know who’s going to show up at your shows or whose going to be backstage and what friends of yours might show up. This was not on the set list tonight, but it is now, because I walked off the bus and I saw my friend Andy Reid… I saw my friend Sean Payton… and the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings Kevin O’Connell is here tonight,” Chesney told the capacity crowd before performing the Hemingway’s Whiskey track. “That’s why we’re doing this song tonight for those guys. I love ya whenever you are in the room tonight.”
He concluded the impressive, larger-than-life show with a three-song encore that included “American Kids,” “Anything But Mine” and “Don’t Happen Twice.”
Not only was the show a true celebration of Kenny Chesney and his storied career, but the entire venue, and even parts of the Las Vegas Strip, transformed into a No Shoes Nation tailgate. From the Minus5º Blue Chair Bay Rum-themed Ice Bar at The Venetian Resort to the immersive “Guitars, Tiki Bars and a Whole Lotta Love” experience developed by Chesney and Vibee. Chesney even personally curated the music playing in the venue’s lobby.
The Minus5º Blue Chair Bay Rum-themed Ice Bar is a “a frozen tropical escape, complete with Adirondack chairs, frozen palm trees, ice-carved rolling waves and a hidden speakeasy.” The Ice Bar launched in celebration of Chesney’s Sphere residency, and with its debut, Minus5º ICEBAR is also rolling out a new lineup of specialty cocktails featuring Chesney’s Blue Chair Bay Rum.
The “Guitars, Tiki Bars and a Whole Lotta Love” experience is open daily during show weeks from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Located in a two-story space at The Venetian Resort, the only resort connected to the Sphere, it’s designed as a fan hub where No Shoes Nation can connect, explore Chesney memorabilia, and relive moments from his legendary career. The space features photo galleries, live performance footage, music videos, a massive exclusive merch store with Sphere-only items, and even a replica of Ivan’s Stress Free Bar from St. John.
Chesney’s Sphere residency in Las Vegas kicked off on Thursday, May 22 and will continue through June 21.
Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere Las Vegas Remaining Shows
May 28, 30, 31
June 4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 14, 18, 20, 21
For more information on Kenny Chesney’s Las Vegas Residency at the Sphere, visit his official website.
Kenny Chesney Set List (Night Two At The Sphere)
1. Beer In Mexico
2. Keg In The Closet
3. Til It’s Gone
4. Here And Now
5. No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems
6. Welcome To The Fishbowl
7. One Lonely Island
8. Reality
9. I Go Back
10. Seven Days
11. Summertime
12. Somewhere With You
13. Living In Fast Forward
14. Big Star
15. Setting The World On Fire (with bass player Harmoni Kelley)
16. Young
17. Noise
18. Get Along
19. Guitars, Tiki Bars and A Whole Lotta Love
20. You & Tequila (with Grace Potter)
21. Hot Legs (Rod Stewart Cover with Grace Potter)
22. The Boys Of Fall
23. When The Sun Goes Down (sans Uncle Kracker)
24. All The Pretty Girls
25. Out Last Night
Encore
26. American Kids
27. Anything But Mine
28. Don’t Happen Twice
