Dammit,
someone lied to me and told me I was going to a country concert!
Wednesday
night, me and nearly 15,000 music fans piled into CMAC
to dig on country superstar Kenny Chesney’s “No Shoes Nation” tour. The
smattering of cowboy hats throughout the crowd looked as if a giant can of
Pringles had been dumped over the people and furthered the country ruse.
Now, I’m not
waxing purist here. Yes, I’m a fan of traditional twang-and-heartache country
and its godfathers, like Hank and Lefty and Willie and Johnny (Paycheck, Cash,
and Horton). But I’m also a rock fan. And this was a rock concert. Chesney’s
Tennessee twang, hat, and boots, and songs that salute a rural state of mind
like “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” only added to the country charade, and the
crowd eagerly lapped it up.
But just as Chesney
sings in a beautiful Dixie-drawled baritone, he’s also singing songs like last
night’s opener “Feel Like Rockstar”
over a loud band that was essentially a rock band looking for any opportunity
to put the hammer down. The jumbo-tronic set was
classic big-arena rock, too.
For close to
two hours, Chesney bounded across the stage, working the crowd and bro-ing down with the guys in his band. Everyone was singing
along and there was an ever-present rush of starry-eyed, starstruck
cell-phone camera photogs crushing against the
barricade.
Chesney’s
songs adhere to simple pop/rock hooks and immediate accessibility. But as far
as I’m concerned, it was more rock ‘n’ roll than country — and that ain’t a bad thing…unless you wanted to hear some country.
This article appears in Aug 21-27, 2013.
That wasn’t a very good review Frank 🙁
So let me see if I get this…. supposed music expert and self professed rock fan goes to a Kenny Chesney concert expecting to hear something sounding like Hank Williams and leaves disapointed when he hears something that sounds like rock? Sorry Mr. Deblase, that was a country concert you attended. That is what country sounds like today. No it doesn’t sound like the country music of 40 years ago (recently adobpted as “hip” by those who once routinely mocked it) but then rock music today does not sound like The Beatles and the Beach Boys anymore either. Any popular music form must continually bring in new, younger fans or suffer the fate of once very popular forms such as doo wop and big band. Even though the cranky old guys will swear it is no longer what it is, just because it doesn’t sound the way they want it to sound forever and always (is there a more fervantly personal art form than music?)
Lucky for us all, it is not cranky old guys who get to determine which forms of music become and remain popular.
Sorry Stone, Mr. Deblase is absolutely right. If you think the Kenny Chesney concert you saw was legit Country, God Bless Ya! Good for you. I’m glad you had fun and I’m glad you like music. To each his own. But Kenny Chesney is basically Britney Spears with a cowboy hat on. I’m glad you had a good time holding your girlfriend or boyfriends hand during the show. Like I said. To each his own. ROCK ON FRANK!!!
I must say that I am disappointed in last nights concert. Chase Rice and Jake Owen nailed it but Kenny was a big disappointment. I have seen him more times than I can count and this was by far a complete let down. While I admit that he was full of energy and seemingly happy to be back on stage there were quite a few times when he forgot the lyrics to his own songs. He also seemed to favor the right hand of the stage and I sitting (in a great seat) on the left hand barely got to see much of him. While I also understand the that the croud loves the stage lighting but all that I could see was a huge spotlight for most of the concert. I just don’t feel that he interacted with the whole croud. In addition his stage set up was pathetic with a huge screen and nothing more. Jake Owen on the other hand had a themed set up going with the music that he played. At the end of a long night and much anticipation in was stunned and feeling very let down. I don’t know if I am willing to spend big bucks on a ticket only to walk away feeling very disappointment.
Dear Frank n Friends Again this is MODERN day country . Brad, Kenny, Dierks, Zac, Toby, Keith, watch out cuz Frank n his friends are talking about you for their own publicity (just my opinion)
If you came to see Kenny Chesney as he is today, then you saw a great show !!! Figure out what type of music you like to see live ….BEFORE you pay any amount of money for the ticket. Your not the only person that has seen him many times.
He is human as you are, so are you saying you give your absolute best-110 percent- to your boss everyday because you paid ? But just because you paid 200-250 a ticket by your choice…. n didn’t get what you thought you deserved ? Your OBVIOUSLY not the majority !!!!!
If u saw him around the departing Zellweger days…again he is human , and she is WACK JOB.
He gave 15 thousand people sorry 14,997 it sounds like …a great sow at C-Mac Wed. night .
One more note,…. and why the HELL wouldn’t he give 110 percent……. since he is singing to not only his fans… but his neighbors that also live on Canandaigua Lake as he does !!!!!!!!!!!