‘Hillbilly rockstar’ Chesney wows capacity Cajundo

[1kennychesney]

‘Hillbilly rockstar’ Chesney wows capacity Cajundome crowd
by Trevis R. Badeaux
The Daily Advertiser, Lafayette, LA 5/21/07

Kenny Chesney hit the Cajundome stage at 9:20 p.m. Sunday like a hillbilly rockstar out of control. And that pretty much sums up the rest of his 1.5-hour set that included a single-song encore.



The Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year for the third year in a row is well on his way to earning the title the fourth time if Sunday’s show is any indication of what crowds can expect this summer as the Flip Flop Tour continues across the United States.



A “Kenny Cam” kept the audience apprised of what was going on backstage as Chesney prepared to take the stage. “You Shook Me All Night Long,” from AC/DC’s landmark “Back In Black” record, blared from the PA system.



Moments later the tanned crooner emerged in a black cowboy hat, blue jeans, black boots and a navy T-shirt with the sleeves cut off. “Humblepie” was screen-printed on the chest, “Let Them Eat Pie” was printed across the shoulder blades.



That was the only thing humble about the performance. Chesney exploded into dance moves as he traipsed through hits like “Beer In Mexico,” “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems” and “When the Sun Goes Down” — the crossover tune he did with Kid Rock DJ Uncle Cracker.



Backing Chesney was a seven-piece band that included a drummer, keyboard player, bassist, steel guitarist and one lead and two rhythm guitarists. The stage had a video screen that stretched across its length, forming a backdrop that kept the audience up-to-date on every aspect of the performance.



About two-thirds into the set, Chesney emerged with an acoustic guitar to play “Old Blue Chair” solo. The Cajundome felt like a bar on Jefferson Street as the singer stood in a single spotlight to perform the intimate tune.



The first set ended at 10:43 p.m. with the hit single “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.” After a one-minute break, Chesney and company emerged for a single-song encore, “There Goes My Life.”



A ballad typically is not the first choice to end a show, especially not as the encore. However, Chesney seemed to make it work, wowing the capacity crowd without pyrotechnics or lazer lights.



The concert was set to begin at 7:30 p.m. However, opener Pat Green strolled out at 7:24 p.m. to a thin crowd slowly filling the sold-out show. Before Green strummed the last few bars of his second song, “Dixie Lullaby,” the ’dome was nearly full.



In a telephone interview last week, Green told The Daily Advertiser he noticed the trend early on in the tour, which began about a month ago. Sunday’s show indicates only one thing: Pat Green is well on his way to becoming a household name like Chesney, George Strait, Alan Jackson and other country greats.



Need more evidence? The crowd seemed disinterested in Green when he emerged to open the show with the title track of his latest effort, “Cannonball.” Within moments, Green had the capacity crowd eating out of his calloused hands, winning them over with one- and two-liners between songs:



“I’m your next-door neighbor from Texas. Tell your friends and family about me because I don’t want to be the opening act forever.”



“Tell your boss you ain’t comin’ in tomorrow. You’re drinkin’ with Pat Green, Kenny and the boys tonight.”



“If I don’t see some better behavior I’m going to give out spankin’s.”



“You get one life. It’s your fault if you don’t dance.”



Green and band injected a bit of U2’s “With or Without You” into the middle of his breakthrough hit, “Wave on Wave,” a trick the crowd not only seemed to enjoy, but showed its love back to the blonde-haired singer by singing along to both word-for-word.



The 30-minute set was followed by a short changeover for Sugarland, which took the stage at 8 p.m. Frontwoman Jennifer Nettles crouched at the side of the stage and sang the chorus to “Betterman” by Pearl Jam as the band played the rhythm to warm up before it jumped right into its hit single “Settlin’.”



Nettles and partner Kristian Bush led the group through a sting of hits, including “Want To,” “Just Might (Make Me Believe),” the Nettles-Bon Jovi hit “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” and “Baby Girl.”



Nettles sang, danced and incited the crowd like a woman created for just that purpose. Her vocals, at times, were too incredible to put into words. More impressive than all of that: Sugarland set the Beyoncé single, “Irriplaceable,” to bluegrass.



OK. On the surface, this sounds horrible. In execution, it’s a hit single waiting to happen.



SET LISTS

Pat Green

 Cannonball

 Way Back Texas

 Dixie Lullaby

 Feels Just Like It Should

 Wave On Wave

Sugarland

 Settlin’

 County Line

 Want To

 Speed of Life

 Irreplacable

 Just Might (Make Me Believe)

 Down In Mississippi

 Who Says You Can’t Go Home

 Everyday America

 Baby Girl

 Something More

Kenny Chesney

 Beer In Mexico

 She’s From Boston

 Summertime

 Live Those Songs

 In A Small Town

 No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems

 The Woman With You

 Livin’ Fast Forward

 Young

 The Good Stuff

 I Go Back

 Anything But Mine

 Don’t Happen Twice

 Old Blue Chair

 Back Where I Come From

 When the Sun Goes Down

 How Forever Feels

 She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy

Encore

 There Goes My Life

[BeachTenant]

1kennychesney said:

‘

A “Kenny Cam” kept the audience apprised of what was going on backstage as Chesney prepared to take the stage. “You Shook Me All Night Long,” from AC/DC’s landmark “Back In Black” record, blared from the PA system.



Moments later the tanned crooner emerged in a black cowboy hat, blue jeans, black boots and a navy T-shirt with the sleeves cut off. “Humblepie” was screen-printed on the chest, “Let Them Eat Pie” was printed across the shoulder blades.

I loved that part of the story! Thanks for posting 1KC

[1kennychesney]

Yeah, I love that part too!! Your welcome!