Kenny Chesney has become one of country's biggest stars by erasing country's affinity for pain and replacing it with a mind-numbing cocktail of escapism, nostalgia and cheery optimism.
"Blues?" "What blues? I forgot them!" he sang with a million-watt smile Saturday night before an almost-full AT&T Stadium -- a venue he's headlined three times in the last four years. For the next two hours, he repeated that message over and over until it became a one-note mantra and Chesney effectively became a one-trick pony.
But no one seemed to mind because he did it with so much joie de vivre and enough sheer energy to keep fans peppy after hours of partying in the parking lots and a series of opening sets by Jason Aldean and others.
Kenny Chesney photos
Drenched in sweat by the third song, Chesney was a non-stop dynamo -- two parts Mick Jagger, one part Bruce Springsteen, one part Billy Graham as he tossed out quasi-philosophic Kenny-isms between songs.
"I believe music -- music and sports -- are the most powerful things we have in our lives," he said, standing near the end zone of Jerry Jones' temple of sports, music and commerce.
He bounced across the stage like a kangaroo, shimmied on his knees and whooped it up with two adorable blonde pre-school girls who came onstage dressed in official Chesney football jerseys. Most impressively, he did it all without ever missing a note. Like his flawless tan, Chesney's lung power was almost supernatural.
Nobody's ever going to mistake his music for innovative. But he served up a stadium-perfect mix of country, pop and hard rock boogie.
He seamlessly worked a few new tunes from The Big Revival into a hits-heavy set full of boozy favorites like "Keg in the Closet" and "Beer in Mexico."
Lead guitarist Kenny Greenberg -- decked out in a Ramones T-shirt -- emerged as the most valuable player with sharp, metallic solos that gave the show the feel of a Motley Crue concert.
Chesney eventually did slow the pace to sing "You and Tequila," a ballad about a woman, booze and addiction that was the closest he got to a sad song all night. But the tune fell prey to the infamous acoustics of the Echodome in Arlington. As Chesney strummed an acoustic guitar and sang, his voice reverberated around the cavernous stadium like Lou Gehrig's farewell speech at Yankee Stadium.
He recovered the very next song with a wild version of AC/DC's semi-obscure raveup "Whole Lotta Rosie" featuring bassist Harmoni Kelley McCarty wailing on lead vocals. As far as covers go, it was a bold choice that paid off: You could see fans grinning and thinking "What is this song?"
But it was also in anomaly in show where the only other surprise was its clunky opening. Seated on a chair suspended by wires, Chesney floated over the main-floor crowd to the stage at a glacier's pace, like he was riding an electric stair lift for the elderly.
A dynamic showman like Chesney demands a grander entrance. Next year, may we suggest opening the stadium's roof and having him parachute directly onto the stage?
Special Contributor Thor Christensen is a Dallas writer and critic.
Jason Aldean opened. Photos here:
