Kenny Chesney and band have been busy rehearsing for their upcoming Sun City Carnival Tour, but even country superstars need a break once in a while. Fortunately for music fans, Chesney’s idea of a break is playing unannounced, no-holds-barred gigs at clubs throughout the Southeast. With another year of stadiums and arenas in his immediate future (his tour officially kicks off April 17 in Connecticut), the freewheeling “Keg In The Closet Tour” is a stripped-down, music-driven affair done the old-fashioned way; three sets of music in a hot, sweaty club full of fans. This year’s impromptu run began in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at the Jupiter Bar + Grille. For the fifth year, the band rocked the house all night, performing three sets for the rowdy University of Alabama crowd. Last night (3/9), Chesney opened the “keg” at Nashville’s Exit In, also playing to a packed house. His four-hour performance included guest appearances by Brad Paisley, Mark Collie, David Lee Murphy and Brett James.
Chesney takes over the Exit In. (back row, l-r) Tom Baldrica, VP Marketing, Sony Music Nashville; Bryan Frasher, VP Promotions, BNA Records; Front Row (l-r) Songwriter David Lee Murphy, Sony Music Nashville Executive VP, Butch Waugh; VP, Digital Business, Heather McBee; Chesney and Sony Music Chairman Joe Galante.