Concerts slowly returned from the COVID shutdown over the summer and fall of 2021 and hit the ground running earlier in 2022. But with the wrap of Kenny Chesney’s Here and Now tour, we’re officially back in business. The country superstar has launched summer tours in 18 of the century’s 23 years so far, and his presence on the arena and stadium circuit continues to represent the steadiest of hands.
The Here and Now tour, originally labeled as the Chilaxification Tour in its scheduled 2020 routing, closed after 41 shows, grossing $135 million and selling 1.3 million tickets, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. That makes it the highest-grossing tour of Chesney’s career and just barely slides into second based on ticket sales.
Much like 2018’s Trip Around the Sun Tour, 2016’s Spread the Love Tour and many other Chesney specials throughout the 21st century, his latest oscillated between domestic stadiums and arenas from April to August. He began with a bang, playing Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium to the tune of $8.6 million and 58,000 tickets, the highest-grossing show of the tour…until the very last minute.
As is tradition for Chesney, the Here and Now tour closed at Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium, the Boston-area venue that has served as the final stop on all of his tours dating back to 2011. The Aug. 26-27 double-header grossed $13 million and sold 122,000 tickets; both figures are all-time highs across Chesney’s three-decade career.
Chesney played his first of 19 shows at Gillette on 2005’s Somewhere in the Sun Tour. Accounting for reports from his latest stop, his total take at the venue has now crossed the $100 million mark ($100.7 million) and the 1 million ticket threshold (1.1 million).
The Here and Now tour’s attendance of 1.299 million makes it Chesney’s 13th tour to cross the seven-figure benchmark, dating back to 2003’s Margaritas ‘n Senoritas Tour. Those numbers range between 1.034 million (Sun City Carnival Tour; 2009) and 1.335 million (The Big Revival tour; 2015). No other artist in Boxscore history has a double-digit tally of million-ticket tours.
Here and Now is also Chesney’s third $100-million tour, passing previous highs reached on the Trip Around the Sun Tour ($114.3 million) and 2015’s The Big Revival tour ($114.1 million). Across more than 20 years of touring, his annual gross has grown steadily, only dipping twice — once in 2009 and again with 2016’s markedly shorter run. Kenny Chesney On Tour (2000-01) earned $8.6 million across 82 shows, beginning his slow climb to this year’s $135 million haul.
The Here and Now tour was promoted by Messina Touring Group/AEG Presents. Opening acts included Dan + Shay, Old Dominion and Carly Pearce.
All told, Chesney has grossed $1.2 billion and sold 17.9 million tickets across his career, dating back to early reports in 1995.
