Kenny Chesney Couldn't Get Out Of His Head

Kenny has done so much in his career and, believe it or not, he still needs to get out of his own way sometimes.  He shares in depth details on his new album and what his hang ups were in getting, "Born" all set for fans to hear.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
I gotta tell you, last timewe caught up with this guy, it
was just about a song. Itwas about getting excited for things. Now
the things you were excited about arewhy we're back, Kenny Chesney Harvey,
Brother, I'm doing good man.Thanks for having me. Dude, Well,
I'm here with you. Thank youfor thanks for being here. I
got to ask you last time wetalked. I don't want to say it

(00:20):
was frustration, but as an artist, when when you you're ready to run,
right, but because there's a process, you have to crawl first,
right, I don't want to sayit was frustration, but it was kind
of like, yeah, I gotthis song, but I felt like you
wanted you wanted to shout more.This is probably what you were holding back,
right, Oh, no doubt aboutit. But I but even when

(00:42):
we talked, I wouldn't completely surewhat was going to be on the record
or now. Okay, you know, and that's a frustrating part for me.
It's just like Bob Seeger said,want to leave in, want to
leave out, you know, andthat and that song. You know this.
But I I wake up every dayin the creative process and I have
my record. Okay, this iswhat it's going to be, and the

(01:03):
next day, three or four songswill change, the sequence will change.
And then before I got to turnit in, before we got a master,
I am two songs around. Twosongs are out. You know.
We cut a lot of songs,so it took a minute to get the
Born album where I wanted it.Sometimes I edit it to a fault,
but you know, that's the wayI've always been. It's because I care

(01:26):
so much, you know, andI want I want to be able to
give my audience new music. Iwant to be able to push the envelope
without annelyiating them. For sure,it makes sense, yeah, no,
absolutely, because you want people toexperience new but also they know what.
Yeah, when they're coming to aKenny Chesney album or a show, they

(01:49):
know what they're going to get.But you also want to be like,
yeah, they want to be takendown a different road, a similar road,
but different. You know when yousaid that it was frustrating to put
the album together because what's in what'sout? Right? At this point in
your career, do you ever justgo I've done this, I'm obviously seeing
some success. I know what I'mdoing. Let's just roll with it,
like, do you ever have theconfidence in yourself when it comes to that

(02:10):
part. Well, I've got confidencein myself, but it's you know,
when it comes to making the record. But you know, I just think
that when it comes to releasing musicand when it comes to giving music to
my audience, and I constantly thinkabout being out there with them in the

(02:30):
audience, right and what's going toturn me on? I think about that,
yeah, constantly. And so withthis record, the majority of it
was recorded and sequenced with that philosophyin mind. There are a few songs
on there that I know I'll neverdo in the live element. I just
did them for my soul, andI think that's important, you know,

(02:53):
and not every song can be justthe just the live element. And I
think there or a few places onthis record that I was able to do
that, you know, And becausehonestly, I think that at the end
of the day, No, Ithink all of us are suckers for the
truth, you know. So there'sa little bit of truth on this record

(03:15):
too when it comes to a projectlike this. And you should get credit
for really starting the fan army movementin country music, right with No Sho's
nation. I feel like you werethe first artist to really be like,
you're not just fans, You're afamily, and here's them or here's the
name of this family. Do youever when you're going through obviously you've mentioned,

(03:36):
you think about them, and youthink about performing how they're going to
react. When it comes to puttingan album together, you every you're like,
I'm not sure about this song,but I know I have a feeling
they'll love it, so I'm gonnaput my feelings aside. I can't say
that there's been one. I mean, there have been a few a long
time ago that made the record endedup being singles. You know that I

(03:58):
didn't necessarily think that should have been, but I was proven wrong on But
for the most part, especially thesongs that I decide for that I think
would be good in the live element, I'm usually I've been up there so
much, and I have I havespent so much time with this love affair
with the audience and reading them andlearning about them and just cultivating this relationship

(04:27):
that I'm When I go into thestudio with a bunch of songs, I'm
pretty pretty sure what to leave inand what to leave out. Sometimes I'm
wrong, but you know it's it'sI think we got a feel on this
record that there's a song on therecord called long Gone and it's specifically for
the audience, and it's about myrelationship with the band and the crew and

(04:49):
the audience and about this journey we'veall been on, and that's all it's
for. It was very intentional,and I think those are great songs to
have when it comes to that liveshow. And we just I forget who
we just talked to, but theywere talking about how you open the door

(05:10):
for these massive stadium shows to bea normal thing normally. Like at one
point it was like, oh,here's the one off. Here's a one
off. Now if it's a KennyChesney show, good luck to seeing him
in a venue less than fifty thousandpeople. Well, I mean it's we
work really hard for it to looknormal, but I promise, I promise

(05:30):
you there's nothing normal about it.You know, it's it's a very special
thing to have your audience in thatplace and in that space. We're in
that process right now. I mean, you know, of course, you
know we're releasing new music, butit's we're really close to being in that
space again, you know, andthe tour starting and the harder we work

(05:54):
right now, the more normal itseems when we get up there. But
it's a lot of mental and it'sa lot of mental and physical emotional work
for us, you know, Andwe don't take any of that for granted.
I can tell in the few interactionswe've had that every as much as
you have a family, a fanfamily, each one of them means something

(06:16):
to you, right And I cantell that whether you've met them, or
you know them, or you seesocial media, whatever it is. So
when it comes to building the show, I'd imagine it's heavy on your heart
that the person that you can seeleaning against the guardrail and the person that
you see leaning you know, atthe back fence, at the outfield at
whatever baseball park wherever you're playing,they have the same amount of fun.

(06:39):
How do you make sure that thathappens? Well years ago when we first
started, when my life got toa place where we were playing football stadiums,
it took a minute for me toget used to that. As far
as the space covered right on stage. A couple of years in I got

(07:01):
used to that, but I stillwanted to mentally and physically, emotion more
important, emotionally, gauge how farI had to go. So we get
there on a Friday night, wedo a soundcheck early on Friday night,
and then we're kind of off andand we're done until we go on stage

(07:23):
on a Saturday night. Every studiummarkets like that, and I just take
a moment to go up to thetop and just sit and just by myself,
and I gauge mentally, visually andemotionally what it's like to be up
there, because trust me, thepeople sitting up their care just as much
as the ones down the front.And I always do that. I've always

(07:46):
done that, but because I wantedto visually and emotionally and mentally see how
far I had to go, becauseI know what it looks like from down
there to look up, but Igot to sit with it for a minute
and see how far I've got togo from up there to down there,
And every place is different. Youknow, when's the first time you did
that in this whole run of stadiumshows you've done. And second part to

(08:11):
that question, have you ever satup there and outside of like seeing their
view and kind of sitting in theirseat and feeling what they'll feel. Have
you ever taken a moment to go, Holy hell, like I'm doing this.
I mean we as a team,right yea, but also like I'm
doing this. Yeah. Look,the first year we did football stadiums,
I believe was two thousand and five. I mean, think about that,

(08:33):
It's been a minute, you know. And so I didn't go to the
top those shows. The next year, I made it a ritual, if
you will. And the first timethat I did that was the first time
I think I played the New YorkGiants was back then, No, it
wasn't. It was a new onethe first time we did it. So

(08:54):
but we played the stadium in EastRutherford, New Jersey, and I just
sat there for a minute, youknow, and thought about my journey and
then thought about everything we've been throughas a band and as a touring family.
And you know, me carrying myown sound system when I was in
college to set up at a Mexicanrestaurant to play for tips. And there

(09:16):
I was alone, setting up ontop of the New York Giants and the
Jets football stadium for the first time, getting ready to play my music for
these people. And I think whenwe played this year, and I think
it'll be our twelfth or thirteenth play, you know, So it's been a
minute, and so it's that wasthe first time that I went, oh,
wow, I mean this is youknow, this is going to a

(09:39):
different place. It was tough tolisten to your answer after you said Mexican
restaurant because now I'm thinking, Keeso, I think it maybe some street tacos.
When it comes to getting back onthe road and this Born album,
uh, hearing you talk about itand talk about the songs and reconnecting with
fans again feels like for you there'ssomething extra special about this album that maybe

(10:03):
you didn't get from the last album. Am I wrong? Well, it's
just it's exciting for me just forthe timing of it. I mean,
we are the albums out and we'regetting ready to start to play. But
more than just I don't know,if it's if I like this album more
than the last one. I don'tknow. I haven't thought about it that
way. It's just the next one. It's just the next phase. And
I think for the live element,I can sit here and think of five

(10:26):
songs when they get somewhat familiar thatwe'll probably do live, and I think
that's important for you know, foras as we've been doing this live,
you know, this live element fora while, and you know, people
come to shows and they want to, you know, hear the songs they
want to hear, and if theydon't hear it, they go da.
I can't say that if they youknow, and if they don't hear it,

(10:50):
you know, why didn't you playthat song? You know? I
came to hear that in one song, you didn't play it, you know.
But I think it's important to mixit up, and we're gonna be
able to do that this year withthis record. And we don't play too
many you know, as a rule, I don't play too many unfamiliar songs,
okay, because you know, whenI go see my heroes play,

(11:11):
I want to hear the songs.I want to hear the songs I came
to hear. You know, ifthey play on an album cut or something
that's just a vanity song, theywant to play, right, Yeah,
when people start checking their phones andI don't like to let them off the
hook that much, you know.So, but there will be songs off
this Born record that we will beplaying a lot of knowing how you are

(11:33):
such a good storyteller the stories onthis new album, Are there any that
you're like, Man, I reallyhope y'all like this one, man,
I really, because obviously you wantthem to like the project. Start,
start to finish, listen to it, enjoy it, pick your favorites.
I think if there's a song onthe there's a couple of songs on the
record that I feel like we willdo live eventually, and you know,
Born the title track is something thatis just so right in our wheelhouse.

(11:58):
I think that there's a song calledjust to Say We Did that is so
much about getting off the couch inyour life and about just doing random things
in your life, whether it's goingto a concert or if it's like in
the characters in the song, ifit's going to Vegas on a whim,
just because and just for the experienceof it, you know, with friends

(12:20):
or with someone till later in yourlife so you had a memory and just
not set around in this mundane existence. And I think there's a lot of
people that come to our shows thatshare that same philosophy. They want to
get out an experience life and theeuphoria of it, and that's what that
song is about. And I cansee us doing just to say, we

(12:41):
did a lot this summer and inthe future. Take Her Home is such
a good song and we've been ableto embrace it at country radio, knowing
that you worked closely with the writers, specifically Hardy. Hardy is a part
of that song. What does itmean for you to see now that we're
catching up, you know a couplemonths later, that that this album is,

(13:01):
this song is caught on and it'sand it seems success. Yeah,
I mean it's it means that itvalidates, you know, our philosophy.
Going into this record, I feltlike, like I said before, that
it was time for me to havea song. Like I said a few
minutes ago that I felt like takeHer Home was really in my wheelhouse.
I haven't had one of these ina while, and I felt like it

(13:24):
was really time to I'm not sayget back to what I used to do,
but this is this is a songthat's that it reminds me of,
you know, a lot of thethings we used to put out, and
I needed that, you know,a as a as an artist. I
felt like my audience and it seemsso that they were ready for it.

(13:46):
And I know by the time weget up there on stage and we do
Take Her Home, it's going tovalidate a lot of those decisions that we
made to put it out and haveit be a part of the record.
What's your when it comes to live? So obviously people are gonna react to
take Her Home. Have you beenable to play take Her Home live?
Yet? We haven't played it yet, And the first time we play it
isn't is It's coming up. Youknow. We we open in Tampa,

(14:11):
Florida at the Buccaneers Football Stadium andthat'll be the first time we ever do
it, so we'll see it's gonnaBut I know I already know what we're
gonna do it in the show,and it's gonna be placed perfectly. And
it's just you know that song,It's It's, It's it is as much
as it is a ballad, itjust moves, and I know in a

(14:31):
live element that it won't let theenergy wise, it won't let the energy
down. And I look that thosesongs are hard to find. And it's
interesting to say that because you sayit's a ballad, I don't listen to
it as a ballad, but Iguess technically it is, but but the
energy of it and the way itlays, it's gonna lay in the show.
It's it's gonna be it's gonna benot seen that way, and I

(14:54):
can't wait to look. You canrelease music and you can hope, hope,
wish it up the charts, right, but until you get up there
and play it in front of people, you really don't know. It's like
like with us as a band.You know, we're in rehearsal, we're
thinking about what we're gonna do,and we can we can think that you

(15:18):
know what the set list is goingto be right, and we think we
know what's gonna work, and youcan rehearse it all you want, but
until you get up there and rehearsewhat you changed and what you put in
and what you put out, youdon't know the flow of the show until
you do it. You know,you didn't get to tour that much last
day? It was the shoulder,right? You had shoulder surgery? Was

(15:39):
it? I had elbow surgery afterKelsey and I went out and did three
months together, and then after thatI had elbow surgery. And it's I
feel great now you're ready to rock. I'm ready. You said that you
know where Take Her Home is goingto land in the set? Yeah?
So does that mean you know whatthe first song when you get back on
stage is going to be for thisbig tour. We don't know what that
is yet, but it's not gonnabe Take Her Own. That so funny

(16:03):
the crowd, the lights, andthen you're like, people, do it
listen, It's gonna be awesome nomatter what it is. Uh, what
are some things getting back on theroad and doing all the days you're doing
in the stadiums. What's something youlook forward to to get back to that.
Well, it's just all of it. I mean, honestly, my

(16:29):
road family and my crew out there, and the band. It's just it's
just that I get asked that questiona lot, and and and I swear
it's not cliche. It's we allreally feel this way is the first moment,
the first note of every night.It's just they've been anticipating it.

(16:51):
Like I said, we're gonna openin Tampa, Okay, and they know
we're coming. They've been they've knownwe were coming for months or six months.
We've known. That's and then allanticipating that moment where we all get
to where everything in life is wonderful, you know, where like I said,
we we don't They're not going tobe told how to vote, They're

(17:12):
not going to be told what tothink. They're not it's a safe place,
and they're anticipating that moment. Usas a band and a road family
have been anticipating that moment every night'like that. But it's the first that
that that just that synergy and youknow, all the walking around backstage during
the day and uh, and youknow that you're anticipating this beautiful audience that's

(17:34):
there to hear to hear your music. That's the best. That is that
that makes all the hard work worthit. It makes it validates your dream.
It's it's all of us, allof It's just we're looking forward to
it. You know. The lastthing that I wanted to ask was,
Uh, the title of the albumis born, And that feels very beginning

(17:56):
ish. But anyone that has followedeven five minutes of your career and knows
that Kenny Chesney's put out some fantasticmusic for a while, why did Bourne
make sense for right now? Well? I feel like that it's just the
the that we're all on the sameride, right and me, you,
the audience, all of us,and there's a euphoria within that, you

(18:18):
know. And I think that Ispeak for myself, but I as I
think that I truly make it harderthan it has to be sometimes, And
it's because I'm a workaholic and I'mattention to detail kind of guy, especially
when we're going you know, it'slike going out on the road is like

(18:41):
you you you build your dream houseevery year, there's a new blue but
it's a new blueprint, and withinthat, I have over the years made
my other life, my personal life, harder than it has to be,
because if you give so much tothis, there is some connection lost over

(19:02):
here. And that's that's kind ofthe whole idea of this. This record
is not forgetting that and and learningto not make it as hard as it
has to be. Listen, youtook a page out of my book with
that whole harder than it has tobe? Yeah, And I looked over
at you because we're both like doingthe same thing of like trying to prioritize

(19:23):
work and like when can you unplugand when can this live here? But
you get to live here, sothat's no. But looks like I've given
my whole life to a persona so, and he's really important, but the
person's important too, and so thatis Yeah. I think that that this

(19:45):
record is the whole record is aboutjust just getting off the couch of your
life, like I said, andtrying to find real connection. And I'm
trying to find that in all aspects. That's awesome. Thanks for the time,
man, I appreciate it so much. Thank you God was that last
answer. But let me tell you, it's like you were in my head
because we're like there's like some likelife balance things going on right now.

(20:08):
Yeah, you asked me what balancewas what. Let me just say my
therapist said the same thing you justdid. Well, I am two fifty
an hour. That's it. Isn'tthat cheaper than you? I'm talking.
I say that as I'm looking atmyself, the other guy right there. I want