Kenny Chesney‘s I Go Back Tour kicks off on Thursday, March 23. The tour, which begins in Charlottesville, Virginia, is Chesney’s follow-up to his massive Here and Now Tour, which took place in 2022.
“It always feels good when we have our road family back together,” Chesney says. “A lot happens over the winter, so we’re catching up. But we’re also figuring out how to put all the pieces together, trying to make it something that’s really special. Obviously last year’s tour rocked harder than anything we’ve done, which is crazy to me, but I wanted to bring that passion and energy to all these special cities where we don’t get to go very often.”
Chesney will be joined on the I Go Back Tour by Kelsea Ballerini, who he says will make an appearance during his time on stage. The tour’s moniker is a nod to his 2004 hit, with the Tennessee native teasing that fans will get to experience plenty of his hits over the past 30 years.
“There are going to be some real surprises in the set list,” Chesney reveals. “A couple songs we’ve not played in a long time… the opportunity to sing our Vocal Event ‘“half of my hometown”’ with Kelsea makes me happy. And a few songs are being left behind. I spent the months off thinking about how we can change things up. I think we’ve got a lot of the songs people want to hear, but we’re adding a couple that nobody sees coming. I can’t wait to see the response.”
Chesney is also eager to return to arenas and amphitheaters with his I Go Back Tour, after selling out stadiums on his Here and Now Tour.
“Getting inside those arenas that we never forgot, playing in some of those cities that were just wild when this started, bringing all the energy we had last year, I can’t imagine how alive it’s gonna be, but I fully intend to find out,” says the singer. “The thing about No Shoes Nation I know: they bring us every bit of their heart – so we try to give even more than they do, which is saying something.”
When Chesney announced his I Go Back Tour last fall, he hinted that fans would hear songs they haven’t heard from him, at least on stage, in a long, long time.
“When a year is as hot and alive as 2022 was, you don’t want to try to recapture that magic,” Chesney said. “Or maybe it’s me. I still have the sounds of diesel engines and No Shoes Nation in my head – and that made me ask, ‘What else could I do? What would be something that would put me every bit as much in the music and give No Shoes Nation another reason to believe? How can we reach those people who might not come to stadium shows, who live a little off the obvious path, but who love this music every bit as much.’
“And that’s when it hit me: ‘I Go Back,’” he continued. “That song is about holding all those things that shaped you very close, recognizing how special they are – and keeping them alive any way you can. So, I decided that rather than just go repeat what we did, I wanted to take this band and these songs to a lot of the cities we played on our way up! Let’s call the tour I Go Back – and do just that.”
See a list of cities and dates below. Find more information at KennyChesney.com.
I Go Back Tour Dates:
March 23 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena
March 25 University Park, PA Bryce Jordan Center
March 30 Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena
April 1 Oklahoma City, OK Paycom Center
April 6 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
April 8 Wilkes-Barre Township, PA Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
April 12 Birmingham, AL Legacy Arena at the BJCC
April 14 Jacksonville, FL Daily’s Place Amphitheater
April 16 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Tortuga Music Festival*
April 22 North Little Rock, AR Simmons Bank Arena
April 25 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena
April 27 Greenville, SC Bon Secours Wellness Arena
April 29 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
May 4 Moline, IL Vibrant Arena at The Mark
May 6 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
May 9 Grand Forks, ND Alerus Center
May 11 Sioux Falls, SD Denny Sanford Premier Center
May 13 Lincoln, NE Pinnacle Bank Arena
May 18 Fort Wayne, IN Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
May 20 Evansville, IN Ford Center
May 25 Charleston, SC Credit One Stadium
May 27 Orange Beach, AL The Wharf
June 23 Endicott, NY En-Joie Golf Course*
July 22 Des Moines, IA Hy-Vee Indy Race*
Photo Credit: EB Media / Jill Trunnell