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FRIENDS
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2009 was another big year for Kenny Chesney as he headlined one of the top tours in the country, released a greatest hits album, and took two singles to number one.
Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from 2009:
Sun City Carnival Tour
- Chesney has the 6th biggest tour of the year, selling $71.1 million tickets according to Pollstar
- Over 1 million tickets sold again this year
- 59 concerts held, including several NFL stadiums
- In March, Kenny played several “Keg” shows at small venues in Panana City, Tuscaloosa, Key West, and Nashville to gear up for the main tour
- Several celebrities were in attendance at the Key West show including New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, and NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
- The Frisco, TX concert on May 2nd was canceled mid-show due to severe thunderstorms. Kenny played a makeup show on May 17th and personally picked up the tab
- The CMA Music Festival at LP Field in Nashville closed out with a midnight performance by Kenny on June 14th
- On September 15th, Kenny announced that he would not do a major tour in 2010
Awards & Nominations
- Chesney was nominated for his first ever Grammy, but doesn’t win. His performance of “Better As A Memory” is also his first Grammy performance
- Though nominated several times, Kenny went home empty-handed from the ACM, CMA, and CMT Awards
- In November, Chesney wins Top Tour Package award at the Billboard Touring Awards
Albums, Singles, Charts
- Kenny and Mac McAnally take “Down The Road” to number one in mid-February
- Greatest Hits II was released on May 19th and debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200
- “Out Last Night” hit number one in mid-June. It was Kenny’s 19th number one
- A new song entitled “This Is Our Time” is used during ESPN’s College Gameday
Television
- Kenny starred in a commercial for Corona. Watch the video
- On April 14th, Kenny appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show along with other country stars
- To help promote Greatest Hits II, Kenny appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman on May 19th. Watch the video
- Kenny performed on Good Morning America on August 14th. Watch the video
- Kenny’s “Austin City Limits” episode debuts on October 17th. Watch the episode
- Dave Matthews joined Kenny Chesney at the CMA Awards in November to perform their duet “I’m Alive”. Watch the video
- Kenny’s name gets dropped during the opening skit of Saturday Night Live on November 15th. Watch the video
 Personal
- In a Playboy interview in Februay, Kenny opens up about his personal life
- Kenny received a key to the Playboy Club in Las Vegas in April
- On March 26th Kenny turned 41 years old
- In December, Kenny attended the Hollywood premiere of “Invictus”
Other
So another year is in the books. What do you think was the biggest Kenny Chesney story of 2009? Leave your thoughts
 CMT has compiled a list of the 50 most popular videos of the decade based on Top 20 Countdown airplay and viewer voting (including the show’s years as the Top 12 Countdown), airplay during CMT music video hours and on CMT Pure, viewing of on-demand videos, streams and New Video Voting on CMT.com and views on CMT Mobile.
They’re asking you to vote for your top five. There are only two Kenny Chesney videos you can vote for:
- “You Save Me”
- “Don’t Blink”
Cast your vote now!
CMT will announce the results sometime in January.
CMT recently aired their Top 20 Videos of the Year and Kenny Chesney made it onto the list with “Out Last Night” coming in at #19 (watch the video).
Number one this year was Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me”.
Last year two of Kenny’s videos made the year-end countdown – “Shiftwork” and “Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven”.
For those of you that are on Facebook or Twitter, you’ve probably already seen this picture.
It was posted on Kenny’s Twitter account earlier this evening and on the No Shoes Radio Facebook page with the caption “Kenny and friends enjoying the sunset tonight (12/29/09) somewhere south. Magic.”
 On April 17th, 2010 the International Show of Peace will take place in China. It’s being billed as the largest globally televised concert event in the history of The People’s Republic of China:
The concert, which marks the 30th anniversary of the cultural exchange agreement between the United States and China, is billed in a statement as “a ‘peace is green’ awareness campaign designed to not only promote peace with each other but to promote peace with our planet.” It’s the brainchild of television and music producer Rick Garson, whose Las Vegas-based ZZYX Entertainment company is producing the show. Garson’s co-producers include Live 8 and Live Earth principal Greg Sills and artists manager Trudy Green (Michael and Janet Jackson, Mick Jagger, Aerosmith). Other organizations involved in the concert include the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Joint US-China Collaboration on Clean Energy, the United Nations’ Pathways of Peace and the Captain Planet Foundation.”
A number of artists have been invited to play, including Kenny Chesney, but there is no word yet on whether he will or has accepted the offer.
The event organizers will hold a press conference on January 13th to announce performers and other details.
Get more info at www.showofpeace.com
Head on over to Country Music Is Love to hear Kenny Chesney and several other country artists read “Twas The Night Before Christmas.”
Besides Kenny, you’ll hear Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Jason Michael Carroll, Sara Evans, Brady Paisley, Craig Morgan, Miranda Lambert, Jake Owen, Chris Young, The Lost Trailers, Martina McBride, Chuck Wicks, Kellie Pickler, Kix Brooks, Danny Gokey, Troy Gentry, Eddie Montgomery, and Josh Thompson.
Listen now
 Throughout this year’s college football season ESPN has used a new Kenny Chesney song entitled “This Is Our Time” (previously reported as “This Is Our Moment”).
Chesney was inspired to start writing the song on a cocktail napkin last fall during a dinner in Nashville with play-by-play announcer Brett Musburger, football analyst Kirk Herbstreit and producer Bill Bonnell.
The single is now available for download from iTunes and Amazon MP3 for $1.29.
Also you can listen to the song in its entirety on Kenny’s MySpace.
(hat tip to Bailey)
 Yes it’s another end-of-decade list, this time from Pollstar:
Pollstar has compiled its year-end research from 2000 to 2009 and come up with the highest-grossing touring artists of North America for the decade.
Coming in at No. 1 is touring juggernaut Dave Matthews Band, grossing nearly $530 million.
Although it’s no surprise that three major Live Nation touring artists – The Rolling Stones, U2 and Madonna – are in the Top 10, the numbers favor consistent annual live outings rather than the high-grossing acts who tour every few years.
The top three – Dave Matthews Band, Celine Dion and Kenny Chesney ($455 million) – have performed relentlessly since at least 2003 (when Dion began her residency in Las Vegas), with DMB and Chesney filling arenas and amphitheatres the entire decade. Obvious workhorses Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Buffett made the list as did the Energizer bunny known as Elton John, with or without his Piano Man counterpart. And, once hell thawed out, the Eagles spent much of the last 10 years filling venues.
See the full Pollstar report here.
 The Academy of Country Music has made changes to their awards categories, including increasing the number of Entertainer of the Year nominees from five to eight.
The new female artist and new male artist categories will be combined into one award. Also, Vocal Duo or Group will be split into two categories:
“The Academy has always been responsive to the industry and our board felt these changes reflect what is happening in country music,” said Bob Romeo, Executive Director of the Academy of Country Music. “The proliferation of duos and groups over the past several years is impossible to deny. With these changes, we look forward to bringing even more super star artists and new talent to the forefront in 2010.”
Entertainer of the Year will continue to be voted on by fans (Chesney famously criticized the fan voting in 2008). Also being voted on by fans this year is Top New Solo Vocalis, Top New Vocal Duo, and Top New Vocal Group.
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