Kenny Chesney‘s Sun Goes Down Tour is almost here, and no one is more excited than the headliner. The country music hitmaker is so excited to get in front of his thousands of fans, night after night, playing stadiums for the first time since his Chesney’s 2022 Here and Now Tour.

“It’s wonderful to walk out there and see those people truly care about the experience of it all, go through a lot be able to be in the audience today,” Chesney tells Audacy’s Rob + Holly. “To be able to come to anybody’s show, you have to go through a lot to get there. And the fact that they care that much, makes us very happy. We’re getting ready to start that again … We’re going to go throughout the country and get to see their faces again. That’s always a great thing.”

Few people can sell out stadiums as quickly as Chesney can, a testament to his talent, work ethic and longevity in country music. But he also admits he is a different person when he is performing, one he refuses to be when he is with his band, crew and tour openers.

“I’ve got ego up on stage,” the “Take Her Home” singer says. “I think you have to have a little bit to be great up there in the way we do things. But I work really hard at leaving that person up there. I don’t take that person with me backstage in my everyday life. I’m reminded of him, and I’m really glad to see him again when I get up there. But I think that’s part of it. It’s really hard when you go out on the road with people, and they’re treated with respect, and the fun factor is wonderful, it just makes for a much better summer. To be able to share that with people has always been a part of what we do.”

It was his fans who Chesney had in mind when creating BORN, his new record that he poured three years of himself into, making it as perfect as he could for his No Shoes Nation.

“When you’ve been doing this for a minute, the trick is to make a record that pushes your audience, but doesn’t alienate them to a point where it’s disingenuous.” he explained. “One thing I learned about being up there on stage and being in this intimate place with them over the years is… they know pretty quickly if it’s disingenuous from me. We have to keep that in mind, but we also have to push the envelope a bit.”

The Tennessee native created BORN while dreaming of being on the road playing those songs, along with his numerous other hits, in front of his fans.

“I’ve been working on the BORN record for three years and so a lot of my time off was spent finishing that record and putting it out,” Chesney tells his record label. “And the last couple of months have been spent putting all the pieces together to go back out on the road again. We’re ready to go. I’ve been cooped up a little bit, so it’s like a caged animal. We’re ready to get out and see people and ready to get out there and feel the energy.”

Zac Brown Band, Megan Moroney and Uncle Kracker will serve as Chesney’s opening acts on his Sun Goes Down Tour, which begins on April 20 in Tampa, Florida. The tour will conclude with three shows at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on August 23, 24 and 25. Find all of Chesney’s music and tour dates at KennyChesney.com.

Read ‘Kenny Chesney: 11 Things to Know About the Superstar’ here.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of EB Media / Allister Ann