‘I’m all in’: Sphere books next headliner for a dozen dates
Sphere boasts technology that is out of this world. Now the bulbous wonder is going country.
Saying he is “all-in” for this adventure, recording superstar Kenny Chesney is the first country artist booked for a residency run at Sphere. His dozen shows run May 22-June 14.
The series is dubbed “Kenny Chesney Live at Sphere Las Vegas. Tickets go on sale to the general public on 10 a.m. Pacific time Jan. 31 at KennyChesney.com. For pre-sale options, go to KennyChesney.Vibee.com.
In a statement, Chesney tipped his hat to his legions of fans, who will need to heed the call to populate the world-renowned entertainment venue, set at 17,600 capacity for these shows.
“I’m always looking for ways to deepen the way No Shoes Nation experiences this music,” Chesney says. “Over the years, they have shown me through their own response to these songs how passionate they are about what they mean, how these songs are part of their lives. When people give you that much heart, I want to give them even more.”
This is not Chesney’s first dance as a Las Vegas performer. He headlined 18 shows between 2010-2015 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel (today’s Theater at Virgin Hotel). He also performed at Railhead at Boulder Station early in his career.
His residency forecast in this space in October, Chesney is the only country artist to reach Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Last 25 Years for the last 15 years. He joins the select global superstars U2, Dead & Company, Eagles, Phish and Afterlife Presents Anyma to headline Sphere.
“When we started talking about all of the possibilities playing Sphere offered, I was all in,” Chesney said. “Just the idea of 4D technology and the impossibly dialed in sound raises the experience for No Shoes Nation, literally immersing them in music, visuals, sound and being together. To me, this is going to be a whole new way of rocking the fans, and I can’t wait.”
The 56-year-old headliner has yet to see a live concert at Sphere. He’s playing it anyway.
“When we started talking, I flew to Vegas with my key tour team. We stood on the floor as they ran the film of U2’s show and we were completely consumed,” Chesney said. “We could see the band, but it was so much more than that. It almost took what they were doing and multiplied it by another dimension.
“Knowing how much intensity our shows generate, my mind started thinking about all the things we could do. Once you see how the show wraps all the way around you, the dreaming begins.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.