When country superstar Jason Aldean called this week to chat about his special show with Kenny Chesney on Saturday at AT&T Stadium, first I had to back-track to last month's ACM Awards performance. I wanted to know if Aldean had been a little scared when he slid down that steep ramp on foot from a platform to the stage floor.
"Yeah, it was scary," the 38-year-old Georgia singer said. "Originally it was just a piece of plexiglass. I ended up having them put some grip tape on it just to give me something to hold onto to catch my feet.
"We went over it a couple of times in rehearsals, but it's one thing to go down it in tennis shoes - it's another thing to go down it in a pair of cowboy boots."
I was a little surprised to see Aldean take that much of a physical risk on stage, as he's never really needed more than his voice and hits like "She's Country" and "Night Train" to thrill a crowd. But like any musician who has graduated to playing arenas and stadiums, Aldean wants to keep performances exciting.
"Ultimately what you're trying to do is be entertaining and engage the crowd," he said. "We always do try our best to set it on fire by the time we're done."
And if you think Aldean intends to hold back in the slightest on Saturday because Chesney is following him, think again.
"When I come off stage, he knows what just happened, so he knows he'd better be on his game," he said. "It's not being competitive to a fault, but being competitive to the point you want people to be talking about your show the next day."
Aldean says he and Chesney — who will each offer their full tour setlists at AT&T Stadium — have a long friendship and a respect for each other that made the summer stadium run a no-brainer.
"Kenny is a guy that we've all kind of strived to pattern our careers after," he said. "I've got a lot of respect for him, and obviously pairing our tour up with his it was something that was pretty intriguing to me."
In fact, Chesney was one of the artists whose concerts gave Aldean early inspiration to chase his own musical dreams. The singer also recalls life-changing experiences seeing Garth Brooks and Alabama.
"For Alabama, I was a kid and probably 8 or 9 years old, maybe even younger, but I was a huge fan, so my parents took me to see them," he said. "People were going crazy for these guys. Every time Randy Owen would say something, no matter what it was, people were screaming and yelling.
"Then later on as a teenager I got into these guys like Garth Brooks and, for me, I just kind of became infatuated with it and was trying to go to every show I could and learn."
Although he's now a veteran himself with six albums and many a tour under his belt, Aldean still has a pinch-me moment every time he plays before a crowd the size of the one that will join him at the home of the Cowboys.
"When you're first getting started in this business, that seems like a such a pipe dream," he said. "And to be standing there in the middle of that and to be accomplishing it, that's a pretty special moment."
He also hopes that Dallas' notoriously late-arriving crowds will show up a little early to catch his and Chesney's opening acts.
"When I first met Cole Swindell, he was selling t-shirts out on the road for Luke Bryan when Luke was on tour with us," Aldean said. "Then he ended up starting to play music and doing well for himself. I'm proud of him.
"Brantley Gilbert is also a Georgia guy. I like what he does. He's written a couple songs for us — 'Dirt Road Anthem' and 'My Kinda Party' — that were big hits. I think what he brings to the table is a little different, a little more edgy."
But back to the two men at the center of all the fan love come Saturday — will Aldean and Chesney do anything together on stage?
"Yeah, we sort of put a stamp on it at the end," Aldean said. "It's a cool little deal. I'm looking forward to it."
