Monday, June 16, 2003 | 8:14 a.m.
Fresh off his win for Male Vocalist of the Year, Kenny Chesney had the chance Saturday to prove just why he won.
Chesney was given one of the Academy of Country Music's top honors last month on the same stage at Mandalay Bay Events Center. A tearful Chesney was so overcome with emotion back then, he could only mutter, "Thank you."
But any sign of that shy, humble, "aw shucks" persona was gone Saturday as Chesney rose up through the Events Center stage, delivering his feel-good brand of country music.
The mostly young crowd of about 8,500 seemed more diverse than a typical country concert, attracting both the core boot- and big belt buckle-wearing gang as well as people who would never be caught dead in a cowboy hat.
But their love for Chesney unified them. Many times fans swayed and sang loudly together, especially to the hit, "Young," with lyrics like, "Yeah, wishin' we were older / Now I wish it wasn't over," which was easy for anyone over 30 to identify with.
Chesney sang several other songs like "Never Gonna Feel Like That Again" and "Back Where I Come From," that took the crowd back in time to a simpler era. Images of his childhood in east Tennessee flashed on the big screen, from Chesney's days as a football player to the Baptist church he attended.
Reminiscing struck a chord with his fans. But they wanted to have fun, too. Chesney did not disappoint, saying to the crowd, "It's no secret that I love the beach and I love the islands. So, even though it is hot in Vegas, we're gonna take you somewhere way, way south of here," he said, as beautiful aerial pictures of white beaches and clear blue water flanked the singer.
Chesney has become known as the Jimmy Buffet of country music, prompting the name of the tour, Margaritas and Senoritas. His song, "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem," and a cover of Buffett's "Cheeseburger in Paradise," were big hits with the beach ball-tossing crowd. (Security personnel, obviously not in a festive mood, chased down the ball and removed it.)
To see all the layers of Chesney's musical appeal, one has only to look at what he wore Saturday: The signature black cowboy hat, blue jeans and boots, showing his country roots; a white coral shell necklace and dark tan, showing his love for the beach (see above); and an orange tank top emblazoned with the Beatles' faces: a rock-n-roll influence.
Chesney's rock-infused tunes, such as "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy," were as good as his poignant ballads, such as "The Good Stuff." Also a stand-out performance was his rousing encore of John Mellencamp's "Jack and Diane" with the help of his two opening acts, Deana Carter and Keith Urban.
Chesney's performance was very strong overall, though the notoriously bad sound at the Events Center caused occasional reverb and sometimes came off too loud and tinny. Also, he didn't take the stage until almost 10 p.m., following Carter and Urban, playing for only one-and-a-half hours.
Urban's up-and-coming status in the country music world showed he had the power to energize the crowd in his own right. The audience, especially the women, rose to their feet for the Australian native's biggest hit, "Somebody Like You." Another highlight was Urban's acoustic rendition of a song he wrote about his dad in honor of Father's Day, called "Song for Dad."
Though he's no Garth Brooks, Chesney is a great entertainer, personable and accessible, autographing everything and singing duets with women in the front row. His peers may have dubbed him the Vocalist of the Year, but his fans showed him it was deserved.
archive
