Kenny Chesney Set to Kick Off Sphere Residency in May

Kenny Chesney will become the first country artist to have a residency at Sphere when he brings his show to the Las Vegas venue starting May 22 for a 12-date run. Chesney announced the news on Today this morning.

“I’m always looking for ways to deepen the way No Shoes Nation experiences this music,” said Chesney in a statement. “Over the years, they have shown me through their own response to these songs how passionate they are about what they mean, how these songs are part of their lives. When people give you that much heart, I want to give them even more.

The 17,600-seat Sphere’s one-of-a-kind immersive experience played into Chesney’s decision. “When we started talking about all of the possibilities playing Sphere offered, I was all in. Just the idea of 4D technology and the impossibly dialed in sound raises the experience for No Shoes Nation, literally immersing them in music, visuals, sound and being together. To me, this is going to be a whole new way of rocking the fans, and I can’t wait.”

Kenny Chesney Live At The Sphere
Kenny Chesney Live At The Sphere

Chesney, whose Sphere run will be promoted by his long-time promoter The Messina Group, is the only country artist to hit $1 billion in grosses reported to Boxscore. His 2022 Here and Now Tour, which brought in $135 million, landed at No. 9 on Billboard’s all-genre 2022 Year-End Top 40 tours chart, making Chesney the first country artist to reach the Top 10. Last year, his tour grossed $159.5 million, according to Billboard’s 2024 year-end chart. He’s come quite a long way since his first-ever Billboard Boxscore report entry, for a Sept. 23, 1995 concert at Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, which brought in $135,000.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday (Jan. 31) starting at 10 a.m. PT via KennyChesney.com. The run is presented by Chesney’s Blue Chair Bay Rum.

Since opening in September 2023 with a 40-show run by U2, Sphere has hosted a number of acts, including Phish, Dead & Co. and Anyma. The Eagles are currently in a residency that started in September.

Chesney will appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon tonight.

Melinda Newman

Billboard