As multi-award-winning country music star, Kenny Chesney, says in many of his songs, “You only get a few chances to do things for the first time,” but he was able to do exactly that as he brought his “Here and Now” tour to the Brandon Amphitheater June 29 in Brandon. That was his first appearance in Brandon after all of the cancelled tours due to Covid precautions. The moment and the timing was not lost on Chesney. Although it was a mid-week show, it had the feel of a weekend party.
“How is this a Wednesday night?” Chesney said. “The energy in the crowd feels like a Friday night show, and if you don’t mind, we’re going to turn this into a Friday night show.” Of course, Chesney was greeted with a resounding agreement from the crowd that was ready to rock to his high energy songs that always bring in the fun that only summertime can bring.
The beautiful Brandon Amphitheater is a lovely place to take in a concert with a rocky mountain feel, gorgeous plants, and very kind and accommodating staff. Carley Pearce opened the show for Chesney but had to stop mid-song to take in the beauty of the “Magnolia State” skies. During one of her songs, a beautiful rainbow stretched from one end of the amphitheater to the other and continued to shine as she performed.
“Y’all definitely know how to do shows in Mississippi,” Pearce said. “It’s a beautiful night, a lovely theater, and a gorgeous rainbow. It just doesn’t get any better than that.”
As the skies turned to twilight, Chesney prepared to hit the stage, and the “No Shoes Nation” was in full force. With his iconic and legendary show opener, “Beer in Mexico,” Chesney hit the stage to a roar of appreciation from fans that had not had the opportunity to see him in concert for way too long. With his brilliant smile, it was easy to see that Chesney was glad to return to the stage as well.
Keeping the crowd on their feet all night long and singing along with their favorite songs, the party never stopped as Chesney was full of energy and made his way all around the stage and brought with him some of his greatest hits, such as: “Reality,” “Sweet Summertime,” “Young,” “Can’t We All Get Along,” “American Kids,” “How Forever Feels,” and many more! The holder of 31 number one hit songs kept the energy high and never stopped as it was obvious that he enjoyed bringing his songs once again to Mississippi. After enjoying all his great music, the crowd wasn’t ready for Chesney to leave the stage. Chanting, “Kenny;” Chesney came back for one more song.
With his famous encore and the song that rocketed him to superstardom, “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” Chesney gave the crowd what they wanted and launched into one of his most famous songs as green lights accented the stage, the crowd eagerly sang along.
“How is it that this is our first time to play on this beautiful stage in Brandon?” Chesney asked. ““Well, it definitely won’t be the last.”
