What defines a good concert; packed seats, party-like atmosphere, catchy songs to sing along to, free shirts and alcohol? Well, if any combination of those criteria are what make a concert good, then Rupp Arena might have had one of their best concerts…. well, ever.

Country music and Kentucky go together like peanut butter and jelly, like chips and salsa, or even University of Kentucky Basketball and winning. They just work together, and when they do, it is a spectacular sight. Saturday night was one of those spectacular nights at Rupp Arena with Kenny Chesney in town along with special guests Uncle Kracker and Billy Currington.

I have been to very few country concerts, so I wasn’t totally sure on what to expect during it. I knew I would have a good time, and would enjoy the show, just was a little curious how to night would unfold. My overall experience was wonderful; I had a great time. Even during such a good time though, there was one thing that just didn’t seem right, but I will get to that in a bit.

Uncle Kracker was the first artist to take to the stage. As a rule for an opening act, Uncle Kracker was tasked with pumping the crowd up for Kenny Chesney. With a combination of some of his own songs and songs from other famous acts, Uncle Kracker got the crowd up from their seats, singing and dancing. During his short set he had done what he was put out on stage to do and then some.

This brings me to my first complaint though about the show. Now, I understand when an opening act doesn’t have all the big hits of the main attraction they play songs from bigger groups/artists. Normally, that really doesn’t bother me; or even when a big group does a cover of someone else’s song. The problem with Uncle Kracker was… he played more than just one or two songs from other artists, even though Uncle Kracker has established his own name. He had been in the music industry for a long time, so I assumed he had a bigger selection of songs to play. I might have stuck my foot in my mouth, but I want to say now though, that this wasn’t a totally bad thing. Uncle Kracker picked songs that everyone knew and would get people pumped up.

With the conclusion of Uncle Kracker, the stagehands came out and quickly turned the stage from Uncle Kracker to Billy Currington. Before this concert, I didn’t know any Billy Currington songs, so everything he was singing was completely new for me. I wasn’t able to sing along or get into the songs really at all. Even though I was disjointed from the songs, I still had a great time. In a combination of country and rock, Billy Currington seemed like he could be a headliner for his own tour.

In order to prep for Kenny Chesney, a large curtain was dropped over the stage as everything was assembled for his arrival. The curtain had a huge image on it of an island to set the mood for the rest of the concert as one of relaxation and partying. All along the curtain, Corona had their famous crown and blue words plastered as another cue to the mood of relaxing and partying. It didn’t hurt that since the concert was sponsored by Corona, that there was free Corona that was passed around in the pit.

As the lights dimmed, the crowd grew louder. Inside the curtain, lights began to shine and you could see silhouettes of the band artists and cameramen. Then it happened, you saw a guy standing in the middle of the curtain wearing a cowboy hat and within half a second, everyone knew who that was. The curtain raised and the show started with a bang.

From the first song to the final encore performance Kenny Chesney was pure brilliant on stage. He worked the crowd to perfection, made those iconic poses, and sang his heart out. Those lucky people who were in-attendance at the concert saw a show that only a true master of their craft can give. There was no weak section at all in the show. Kenny Chesney’s concert was basically the definition of perfection.

OH! I almost forgot possibly the biggest news of the night; a very special guest joined Kenny Chesney on stage for two songs. In a complete surprise to not only the fans, but to Kenny himself, the country legend George Jones came on to the stage. George Jones sang two songs, one on his own and one as a duet with Kenny Chesney. If it was possible to make this concert any better, it happened. When I was young my parents constantly listened to George Jones, so being able to see the actual person that has been in the industry for such a long time on stage doing what he loves, is something that I will never forget.

Not being a big fan of country music, coming into this concert I had mixed emotions. I really did not know what to expect, even though I had some insights from friends about Kenny Chesney in concert. After the concert was over and looking back at it now while writing this review, I had a blast. The entire three and a half hour show was brilliant and fun, exciting and thrilling. I won’t be missing the next Kenny Chesney concert when it comes to Rupp Arena again.

Click Here to See More Photos from the Show

Blogged by: Kyle Jessee
Photos by: Paul Hooper