View more photos here.

Watch a clip below from last night’s show.Skip to 4:45 for Kenny:

Kenny Chesney brought every ounce of on-stage energy and charisma fans are accustomed to seeing at the nearly perennial summer concert at Heinz Field Saturday night.

The man from Tennessee brought his Goin’ Coastal 2011 tour to the Steelers stadium for his fifth Heinz Field appearance in six years, this time with Zac Brown Band, Uncle Kracker and Billy Currington tagging along.

It had been two years since Chesney fans in Pittsburgh had the opportunity to see him perform in the Steel City. Mr. Chesney opted out of touring in 2010 to focus on his new album, “Hemingway’s Whiskey,” and recharge his batteries, he said.

He seemed to have mustered up all the alkaline he needed and then some Saturday night, when he flew into Heinz Field on a hovering chair over the 50-yard line, donning his notorious cowboy hat and cut-off T-shirt bearing the keystone symbol.

(hat tip Phyllis)

For over two hours, Chesney shrunk a huge stage in the south end zone with a tireless performance where he stayed in constant motion, with fans getting a large dose of his 21 No. 1 hits, as well as a handful of cover songs.

Keeping with Packers tradition, during the afternoon the parking lot was filled with tailgaters who warmed up by lounging in lawn chairs, grilling and playing touch football games. Despite the overcast skies, there were shirtless fans in shorts rather than parkas.

During the song, “Boys of Fall,” Chesney was joined onstage with Coach McCarthy and the Lombardi Trophy.

View photos from the show here.

Think of Kenny Chesney as the anti-Bono.

Times are tough. People are suffering. The world has many problems. “But we don’t gotta solve a single one of ’em tonight,” Chesney declared Saturday night at FedEx Field, on his triumphant return to the touring circuit.

The country superstar does his requisite share of offstage charity work, but onstage he’s about providing one thing: escape.

No, that wasn’t a guilty conscience you were feeling — that was a beach ball hitting the side of your head.

When the lights went down and Chesney’s band began chugging, the man himself was nowhere to be found. “Where is he?” went thousands of circling heads. (Hint: Look for chiseled biceps and a sleeveless shirt.)

After a few bars of “Live a Little” (sample lyric: “Take some time / waste it on number one”), Chesney sprang up from the tangle of audiovisual equipment in the round, suspended in a kind of ski-lift chair.

Read the full review here.

See photos and watch video clips below:

(hat tip to Lisa for the photo and video)

Although potential storms were predicted for later in the night, there wasn’t a cloud up above the waving inflatables, the lines of early eager fans and Hooters girls perched out front.

Even the Federal Emergency Management Agency workers handing out information on givetuscaloosa.com, dedicated to storm relief, were smiling and moving to the music.

They might have been influenced by the star’s generous donation of all artists’ fees for himself, his band and management and booking representatives to Tuscaloosa for its ongoing recovery.

Chesney gave a short heartfelt speech to lead into the emotional highlight of the evening.

“The whole world knows this town is hurting,” he said. “And the fact you came to see us play means a whole lot of money is going to help Tuscaloosa.

“We couldn’t be prouder to be playing here; we only do this song when we play here,” he said, launching into “My Home’s in Alabama,” with the help of several thousand voices. The concert was sold out, at about 7,470 seats.

About halfway through the show, he brought out Muscle Shoals singer-songwriter Mac McAnally, a regular with Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, to play and co-sing the McAnally song “Down the Road,” which Chesney took to No. 1 in 1990.

It had been four years since country concert king Kenny Chesney had performed in the Twin Cities. In the music business, four years is a long time. You can launch a superstar career (Taylor Swift). Suffer in purgatory (Dixie Chicks). Or fade away (hello Faith, Shania and Garth).

Maybe four is a lucky number for Chesney. Friday night at the soldout Xcel Energy Center was the fourth concert on the Goin’ Coastal Tour by the Country Music Association’s four-time entertainer of the year. And he started in fourth gear the moment he hit the stage.

Chesney was all revved up. He was full throttle for — you guessed it — the first four songs, boot scootin’ bouncing all over his cross-shaped runway like a hyperkinetic kid on the playground after being pent up in school all day. When he finally paused for a breath, the 15,927 fans greeted him with a thunderous ovation.

“From the sound of things, it sounds like it was four years too long,” declared Chesney, already sweating like he was in mid-workout.

First appearing harnessed high above the 50-yard line, Chesney slowly zip-lined to the stage and tore off a few cookers, including Reality and Live Those Songs. The Tennessee star’s vocals were perilously low in the mix at first, a messy muddle for sure, but by the time Summertime and Beer in Mexico cha-cha’d around, the Sleeveless Wonder was coming in clear.

After working through the show with a similar set list to Thursday night’s show in West Palm Beach (except for “Me and You” replacing “There Goes My Life”), Chesney brought out the Zac Brown Band to rail off a few tunes.

Check out a photo gallery from the show at Tampa Bay Online.

(photo Chris Coyner)

The set list was filled with favorites, though Kenny surprised the crowd towards the end when he brought out Jason Aldean to do The Joker, Three Little Birds, and Gimme Three Steps with him.

It’s the second show since Kenny’s new single “The Boys of Fall” was released, but he still hasn’t played it live.

View the full set list here. (thanks to Elizabeth)

Check out more photos from the show here.

“We’ve been on the road since 1983 and I’m quite certain we’ve never played here … What a crowd. We needed you,” the 42-year-old Chesney told the audience.

“Several hours ago on that highway out there, we pulled up on the bus and I have never seen so many campers in my life. I told my buddies, ‘If that was us, I know what we’d be doing.’ ”

What he was doing was putting on a dynamic and high-energy performance that proved he’s earned his reputation as one of country music’s top live acts. Taking the stage in his trademark jeans, sleeveless T-shirt and white cowboy hat, Chesney got the blood flowing with “Beer In Mexico,” “Keg In The Closet,” “Big Star” and “Summertime.”

Chesney’s music is about more than just the lyrics and tune — it’s a philosophy of life. “Don’t Blink” is a perfect example of how Chesney views life: “This song is about doing exactly what we’re doing here tonight, living life to the fullest and taking nothing for granted.”

He also understands the nuances of day-to-day life, from having fun and enjoying life to finding the love of your life. So his set list included fun tunes like “Living In Fast Forward,” “Young” and “When The Sun Goes Down,” and emotional songs like “Anything But Mine,” “Never Wanted Anything More” and “How Forever Feels.”

It would have been easy for Chesney to sit on his laurels — his 17 No. 1 hits make for an impressive resume — but he worked the crowd like a newbie trying to develop a following. A big show needs a big band and Chesney came armed with a big band — 12 musicians, including a four-piece horn section. Chesney was constantly in motion, working both sides of the stage and zipping out onto the catwalk at every available opportunity.

View the set list for the show here.