Having played to over 1.3 million fans on his Here And Now 2022 Tour, including breaking his personal best at many of the 21 NFL stadium plays, this summer, Kenny Chesney returned to touring with a major burst of everything good. The only country artist to make Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Past 25 Years for the last 14, Chesney wanted to find a completely different way to honor No Shoes Nation for his 2023 concerts.
“When a year is as hot and alive as 2022 was,” Chesney explains, “you don’t want to try to recapture that magic. Or maybe it’s me. I still have the sounds of diesel engines and No Shoes Nation in my head – and that made me ask, ‘What else could I do? What would be something that would put me every bit as much in the music and give No Shoes Nation another reason to believe? How can we reach those people who might not come to stadium shows, who live a little off the obvious path, but who love this music every bit as much…
“And that’s when it hit me: ‘I Go Back.’ That song is about holding all those things that shaped you very close, recognizing how special they are – and keeping them alive any way you can. So, I decided that rather than just go repeat what we did, I wanted to take this band and these songs to a lot of the cities we played on our way up! Let’s call the tour I Go Back – and do just that.”
Kicking off at State College, PA’s Bryce Jordan Center on March 25, the 8-time Entertainer of the Year is set to rock Penn State’s hometown with a vengeance. The 21-date I Go Back 2023 Tour will criss-cross the country, returning to the places Chesney first caught fire including Lexington, KY, Grand Rapids, MI, Lincoln, NE and Oklahoma City, OK as well as headlining the Hy-Vee Indy Race in Des Moines and Tortuga Music Festival in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
“I remember coming up, the craziness of so many of those dates,” Chesney says of his tour’s inspiration. “Markets where people were using chain-cutters to get onto the lawn because we were so sold out in the Carolinas… and that’s a kind of energy that should never be left behind. For all those fans – based on how good last year felt – I want to bring what was coming off that stage to you, where you are, so we can all have that kind of experience together!”
With a few more shows to announce, I Go Back 2023 is set to focus on the same musical intensity and high energy performances that marked the East Tennessean’s precedent-setting concerts. Having been raised in Knoxville, Chesney knows the power of bringing music to the fans – and wants to recognize the bond that live shows create among friends of all ages.
“These songs time stamp people’s lives,” Chesney says. “They put people in their lives, but they also serve as the touchstone for memories in the making. For people to come out and either live these songs again, or hear them for the first time? Who knows what will happen? But I know whether it’s ‘American Kids,’ ‘Get Along’ or ‘You And Tequila,’ every single person knows exactly what we’re singing about and singing along to together.”
I Go Back 2023 is Presented by Blue Chair Bay Rum. American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets in select markets before the general public beginning Wednesday, November 23 at 10 a.m. local time through Thursday, December 1 at 10 p.m. local time.
Kenny Chesney I Go Back Tour:
March 25 – State College, PA – Bryce Jordan Center
March 30 – Wichita, KS – INTRUST Bank Arena
April 1 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
April 6 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
April 8 – Wilkes-Barre Township, PA – Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
April 12 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at the BJCC
April 14 – Jacksonville, FL – Daily’s Place Amphitheater
April 16 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Tortuga*
April 25 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena
April 27 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
April 29 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
May 4 – Moline, IL – Vibrant Arena at The Mark
May 6 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
May 9 – Grand Forks, ND – The Alerus Center
May 11 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford Premier Center
May 13 – Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena
May 18 – Fort Wayne, IN – Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
May 20 – Evansville, IN – Ford Center
May 25 – Charleston, SC – – One Stadium
May 27 – Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf
July 22 – Des Moines, IA – Hy-Vee Indy Race*
*previously announced
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