Kenny Chesney recently made the heartbreaking decision to cancel his long-awaited Chillaxification Tour, which means his bank account took a big, big hit. But just because Kenny isn’t making the money he thought he would make, he is still paying all 120 of his employees, even if it comes at a personal sacrifice to him.
“It’s a lot of money,” Kenny admitted to the Los Angeles Times. “A lot of money. The initial shock of it, I looked at the numbers and went, ‘Oh my God, this is overwhelming.’ And, look, it’s affecting my life — I’m not gonna say it’s not. But I had to make a decision if I was gonna keep my lifestyle the way it was or if I’m gonna take care of my people.”
Kenny is grateful that, for now, he can keep paying everyone, although he acknowledges he can’t go on paying them indefinitely if he isn’t on the road.
“Thank God I don’t have to let anybody go this year. Now, if we don’t play the next two or three years, it’s really gonna change the dynamic of my life,” he admitted. “And I’m not gonna lie — it’s expensive.”
While Kenny was rightfully heartbroken by his decision to postpone his Chillaxification Tour until 2021, if there’s any consolation, it’s that he’s not alone in his sadness.
“I’m such a creature of habit, I’ve worn the same clothes since college,” Kenny said. “But, you know, I’m not the only one with a crew and band that’s feeling this emotion. What it’s done to the whole touring landscape is just unprecedented.”
Kenny had a sinking feeling as he was getting deep into rehearsals for his tour that things were about to change.
“We just saw it sliding south,” Kenny recalled. “As we got into March and festivals started canceling — I saw the Stones move their stadium dates — I got really nervous, as anybody would be that employs as many people as I do.”
The Tennessee native already revealed he feels the most alive on stage, which makes his unexpected time off the road that much more painful.
“To feel that every night, to get that serotonin release, it’s not normal,” Kenny said. “I’m not depressed. But I feel the sense of loss this year.”
Kenny just released his latest album, Here and Now, although he admits he toyed with the idea of holding that back as well.
“I went back and forth in my brain to see if this was an appropriate time,” Kenny conceded. “But whenever I’ve been in a funk personally, I’ve leaned on music to get me out of it. That was the thing I thought about the most. We’re all in a funk, so I thought maybe I can make people smile a little bit with this music.”
Here and Now is available for purchase via Amazon