Review: Chesney, McGraw

Photos by Joe Ledford/The Star. To see a photo gallery, go here.

For the performers, the benefit of a stadium concert is all in the numbers. In one show you can play to a crowd larger enough to fill three arenas, or more. It means fewer performances, less time on the road. The challenge, though, is how to bring the show to the fans sitting farthest away, in the last rows of the upper-decks. 

Kenny Chesney has figured all that out. This month, for the ninth year in a row, he launched another summer stadium tour. Sunday, it stopped at Arrowhead Stadium and for the second year in a row, it drew about 50,000 fans. (He also played Arrowhead in July 2011.) And thanks to an enormous and spectacular audio and video presentation –- about 80 tractor-trailers worth of equipment, reportedly -- and his usual high-energy performance, he gave even the fans in the less-expensive seats a worthwhile experience. 

The show was a double-bill: Chesney’s co-headliner was Tim McGraw, still one of country music’s biggest live draws. He followed opening sets by Jake Owen and Grace Potter & the Nocturnals.

Most fans were still filing in during Owen’s set, which included “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You” and “Eight Second Ride” and a bit of Alabama’s “Mountain Music.”

Potter is a dynamic live performer from Burlington, Vt., but hers is primarily rock music with not the slightest of country accents. Despite her booming voice, her short leather skirt and her stage antics –- dancing around barefoot, pounding the kick drum with a mallet -– the crowd for the most part ignored her set. It didn’t help that her voice got lost in the mix several times; plus she was doing new material from an album to be released this week. The highlight of her set: the cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Happy.”

The place was about as full as it would get when McGraw hit the stage, bronzed and buffed, dressed in white except for the black cowboy hat. For about 100 minutes, he walked the stage, pounding his chest, pointing to the faraway fans, shaking hands with those up front and singing most of his big hits. He strapped on a guitar a few times, too, but mostly for effect.

Last year, McGraw overhauled his band the Dancehall Doctors, firing some, adding new members and dropping the name, apparently. They appeared younger, at least in fashion. One guy looked poached from a Warped Tour band, and the piano player had a little Ben Folds thing going. And McGraw apparently gave them wide berth to hot-dog it around stage. They did plenty of that.

He played a couple new songs, including his closer, the gritty country-rocker “Truck Yeah,” which seems per-destined for commercial. And he played the favorites, which started some stadium-wide sing-alongs. The loudest of those came during the anthem “Live Like You Were Dying.”

As his set started, Chesney popped up, guitar in hand, and took his post on a small stage atop the sound tent in the middle of the field, singing “Beer in Mexico,” one of several country-pop tunes about the beach life. From there, he rode a chair lift to the stage and filled the next two hours with hits and a few new songs, including the ballad “Come Over.” And lots of energy.

He has learned to play to the folks in the back of a football stadium, with the help of some dazzling videos and lighting. The stage was flanked by enormous video screens that broadcast scenes from the stage and the crowd around it. Behind the band, an enormous bank of screens broadcast other images and videos choreographed to the music. 

 

The crowd got his standards, such as “Summertime,” “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem,” “When the Sun Goes Down,” “Back Where I Come From.” He delivered a surprise: a solo/acoustic version of “Old Blue Chair.” Potter joined him for “You and Tequila,” another quiet number. 

And not too long after he closed his own set with “Boys of Fall,” he and McGraw re-emerged and finished the night performing a four-song encore, including “Rockstar,” their collaboration from the upcoming Chesney album, plus another of Chesney’s giant hits, “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.”

They closed with a cover of Jackson Browne’s “Runnin’ on Empty,” a song about the hard life on the road as a touring band. That’s not quite what this weekend-only tour is like, but by the time show was over, more than six hours after it started, most everyone in the place, fans and performers, looked satisfied and out of gas.

Setlists

Tim McGraw: Felt Good On My Lips; For A Little While; Down On The Farm; Real Good Man; Last Dollar (Fly Away); Unbroken; Everywhere; Where The Green Grass Grows; Mexicoma; All I Want Is A Life; Just To See You Smile; Better Than I Used To Be; Let It Go; How Bad Do You Want It; Sing Me Home; Something Like That (A Heart Don’t Forget); Southern Voice; Live Like You Were Dying. Encore: Cowboy In Me; I Like It, I Love It; Truck Yeah.

Kenny Chesney: Beer In Mexico; Keg In The Closet; Summertime; Reality; Live Those Songs; No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem; What I Need To Do; I Go Back; Come Over; Anything But Mine; You and Tequila; Back Where I Come From; Living In Fast Forward; Young; Somewhere With You; Never Wanted Nothing More; Old Blue Chair; Out Last Night; When The Sun Goes Down; Don’t Happen Twice; The Boys Of Fall.

Chesney/McGraw: Rockstar; She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy; Indian Outlaw; Runnin’ On Empty.

| Timothy Finn, The Star

 

Comments

[pellboy]

I don't really have an opinion on Chesney or McGraw, but I do know that every single time I hear that Live Like You Were Dying song (seemingly everyday on a co-worker's radio station), I pretty much hope that my dying would come before the song ends.

SKYDIVING........!!!!!!!!! Fuck me.

[Kurt]

I read that the 80-85 semi trucks includes 3 complete stages. It's not likely that much equipment is present at each show. It's the typical band in a box type of setup also for their stadium show.

Acts such as, U2, Genesis, Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd tend to break the typical mold of stadium stages that look like a big box.

[Cletus]

I dont know about you all, but I thinks there aint nuthin better that a purty girl, in a short leather skirt, dancing around barefoot, pounding the kick drum with a mallet.... and by kick drum and mallet I mean...

[onthemark]

Be nice to see a photo of Grace Potter in her short leather skirt!

[Mick]

That would make me "Happy" too!

[Tim Finn]

Yeah, the trucks are for the entire tour -- two stages. They were in Dallas on Saturday night; had a lot of Arrowhead up and ready Friday night.

[Kurt]

I wonder how much money Kenny Chesney is making with these stadium tours. I'm thinking about getting a ticket for Carrie Underwood. I've looked and it seems that they aren't selling in the upper level for that show. Carrie is certainly able to fill up the Sprint Center.

[NEW]

Potter is from Waitsfield, not Burlington, FYI.

It's a shame she's gone all Hollywood on us but it was bound to happen.

[Tim Finn]

interesting. chesney introduced her from burlington. (my family is from st. albans)

[Steve J]

FYI Grace Potter at the Uptown 10/25

The only question I wanted to see Tim was what was better, last years show or this one.

[Tim Finn]

chesney's show this year probably a little better. the rest was a tie. (zac brown, billy currington, uncle cracker)

[913KCKKID]

I'd rather listen to Yoko Ono and Gilbert Gottfried sing duets then listen to Tim and Kenny.

[ron]

Good, go do it.

[Gilbert]

Gilbert Gottfried rules,
http://twitter.com/#!/realgilbert

e.g.
Gilbert Gottfried ‏@RealGilbert

"Ray Bradbury said "Touch a scientist and you touch a child" ...Yes, but touching a scientist won't get you arrested"

[mary]

i was at the show last night i have never seen kenny or tim but i have always heard how great kenny was in concert. well i think tim was much better and kenny was a lil disapointing. dont get me wrong i thought it was all great(wasnt a fan of gp) but i thought kenny would be a lil more exciting and crazier just my opinion....

[Lynn]

Too bad more people weren't inside for Jake's portion of the show! He is ALWAYS entertaining, and is a great talent!

[Troy]

I worked backstage for Mcgraw last year and trust me, his holier than all attitude followed by a mailed in clearly bored to be there performance was all I needed. Stick to acting.

[Kyle Rohde]

Though it was a great concert overall, I was highly disappointed they brought out Jake Owen first, as he's clearly as bigger country star than Grace Potter but, evidently, Kenny Chesney's affection for her outweighed that part. So I missed his show, as did most of the crowd.

The very odd thing was that McGraw and Chesney didn't really acknowledge each other at all, until the ending four songs that was missed by a lot of the crowd that was done after almost 7 hours of show.

It's very clear who the real star of this tour was though - McGraw performed his show with little effects, then Chesney came out with his own backdrop, rising through the floorboards, flying around Arrowhead. The guy's good, but I am always perplexed why he's a bigger draw than other country stars.

[Jimmie]

I am perplexed as to how anyone can listen to any of this country twangy crap for longer than 5 seconds.

[mary]

tim came upthrough the floorboard as well and then walked through the crowd to get to the big stage which i liked better than seeing kenny riding at a whole 2 mph above the crowd.lol

[Robbie]

David Lee Roth was doing this "moving through the crowd", "getting close to the crowd" (riding a surfboard above the crowd) 20 years ago.

Everything these stupid copycat country fks are doing is patterened off of what rock and roll artist invented long ago.

It is the same look but the sounds coming from the stage are unbearable.

[40wnks]

It is too bad that Grace has moved away from what, I think, she does best. Namely, sitting behind her Hammond B3 and wailing. I miss that.

[Professor]

Millionaires waxing poetic on the virtues of country living. C'mon. Sure, everybody's escape is a personal choice and shouldn't necessarily square w/ reality, but this Flag Waving God Bless America Beer Drinking Cul de Sac Country Crap has run its course. Take a trip to rural America where meth use, obesity, & ambivalence to education collide w/ religious fundamentalism & rich "farmer" fat cats living on gov't subsidies. These 2 robinhoods have taken a rural narrative long gone and sold it to a demographic of listeners who probably will never break a clod of dirt in their life. Welcome to the club gents, can I get you some chardonnay to go with your fish eggs?

[joe]

Professor. Well said... I'd even lay some money that Mr. Professor may be James McMurtry in disguise. Choctaw Bingo baby....

[Professor]

...don't forget the vodka & cherry cola, Joe.

[Dave]

So it was basically two Chippendales dancers singing truck commercial songs for seven hours? Funny that won't be the most embarassing thing at Arrowhead this year. Glad Grace Potter is coming back through town.

[Cabot Lab]

I would like to point how courteous BTR is/was allowing a full day (for "fans" of this garbage noise to post) before unleashing the full brunt of how we really feel.

Well done people, well done.

[Kurt]

I've only beent to 1 stadium show and it was Genesis. It was in Ames, IA in June 1992 at Cyclone Stadium. It was a great show and was on the floor on stage right in front of the sound tower. I wished I was in the middle farther back to get the best sound possible. They had their sound towers separated by 150 feet for better sound quality.

They had a large single LED video screen that would split into three separate screens and they put a lot of dramatic images on it.

The only drawback was that the show started at 8:45 and it got dark at 9:15. The show was 2.5 hours with no openers. I read in Musician magazine that they had 1 stage that was made for easy set up and take down and it was 39-42 semi trucks.

I remember the tickets were $25.50 plus a $2.50 fee so, it was when, shows were cheaper. MTV was the sponser of the North America tour and Volkswagon was the sponser of the Europe tour.

At the time it was said to be the most technical show ever staged and I walked towards the back of the stadium during Domino and the sound was so clear.

[NEW]

I've often noticed that sound at stadium shows varies tremendously which makes sense. Open bowl stadiums with gradual inclines like the Rose Bowl or the old JFK in Phila were pretty good so I would think Livestrong would be pretty good as well. Tiered stadiums such as Meadowlands, JFK, etc. have terrible sound, especially if you are toward the back or up under one of the tiers. Given Arrowhead resembles the later structure, I would think sound there would be terrible as well no matter how good the sound system is. Is that not the case?

[Geordan]

As for Grace Potter, saw her on Conan last night and it was OK, nothing special. I like some of her stuff, but the new song doesn't grab me in any way. Speaking of Grace and her band, whatever happened to Catherine Popper, the tall gorgeous bassist she had with her on the last album and tour?

[onthemark]

Professor is aptly named...

[Kurt]

New, Cyclone Stadium in Ames,IA had a slope on the ends with no seating. The sound had nothing to bounce off of and went out of the stadium. That probably helped with it sounding so great.

[mary]

yes i would have to say the sound sunday at arrowhead wasnt the best especially during grace potters set and i also was wondering why jake owen went first....

[KC Jones]

While @ Arrowhead for Pink Floyd in '94, I went from seats on the Floor to going up to briefly sit with some friends @ the top, 3 rows from the back. The sound was stellar in both instances.

The same year for Paul McCartney, the sound was excellent (on the floor).

[chaussures air max]

While @ Arrowhead for Pink Floyd in '94, I went from seats on the Floor to going up to briefly sit with some friends @ the top, 3 rows from the back. The sound was stellar in both instances.