In an interview with Rolling Stone, Kenny Chesney discusses next year’s tour and the addition of the Zac Brown Band to the bill:

“Every year we try and bring the biggest and best lineup for the fans,” Chesney tells Rolling Stone exclusively. “I think Zac’s album is true to him and the fan base that he has built. His fans and mine will go hand in hand.”

Expect onstage collaborations between the two singers, who both had number one albums this year. “Every year, all the acts on the tour get the opportunity to come out on stage with us and I think that creates an incredible environment,” says Chesney. “I’m sure next year will be no different.”

The shows will be all-day events, with openers Billy Currington and Uncle Kracker.

Chesney took 2010 off to record Hemingway’s Whiskey. “I think we all needed [time off], he says. “But I believe that time off has strengthened my relationship with the fans I feel it in my gut. We’re gonna perform a lot of songs from Hemingway’s Whiskey and that will bring a new energy to the show. The band and I will hit the stage with a focused purpose and that’s to give the fans a night they will never forget.”

Pollstar recently interviewed Chesney too:

“I’ve always been a big believer that the music has to come first. And you’re going to laugh when I say this but I’ve never believed in huge productions. But I’ve contradicted myself for the last six, seven years because we’ve had a huge production. Especially in the stadium shows. But, on top of the music being there, I wanted to give these people a night of entertainment. I want it to look great, and I want everything that’s wrapped around the music to enhance it. So, yeah, I think if you’re going on the road for 60 dates and going out there and doing it like we are, we set a bar that I feel we’re used to, and what I want to give the fans out there. That’s how I want to present the show.”

“So, yeah, the 60 dates next year, it’s going to be a big production. It may not be as big as some years. It’s going to be a cleaner production. It’s going to be, I think, a more efficient production. But, you know, we already know what it is right now. We have a 3-D rendering of it on computers and we’re looking at sightlines, and we’re looking at lighting trusses, and we’re looking at you name it. It’s almost dialed in.”