KENNY CHESNEY CELEBRATES/WRAPS SPHERE

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – In the end, it was Kenny Chesney, a single drumstick and a high hat, bashing away alongside matchless drummer Nick Buda on the extended ending of “Don’t Happen Twice.” After 15 nights as the first country artist to headline Sphere Vegas, the man just named Billboard’s No. 1 Country Artist of the 21st Century clearly wasn’t ready to leave the stage, the fun, the wicked jams and the overwhelming No Shoes Nation vocal parts behind.

As the show was winding up, Chesney – who’d been in a revelatory story mode all night – told the crowd, “A couple days ago, they asked us to come back next year.” When “Out Last Night,” the robust midtempo about all the things said to get the job done, was delivered with the Vegas strip and signs surrounding the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar, the Sphere was showered with the No Shoes Nation pirate markings and a slice of globe that read #IGoBack26 and #Summertime26.

“I got a little carried away,” Chesney admitted after the show, “but after all the guests, all the songs we hadn’t planned on, all the people who came from all over, I just didn’t want to keep it a secret. I knew we were coming back, and if No Shoes Nation had half as much fun as we did, I wanted them to know we’d see them right here next summer. What could be better?”

-Kenny Chesney

All the surprises included two nights of iconic songwriter, sometime Coral Reefer and dear friend Mac McAnally. Rather than sing the expected “Back Where I Come From,” the duo delivered their No. 1 duet “Down The Road,” originally recorded on McAnally’s Simple Life. After sharing he only learned the dry-witted Mississippian had written Shenandoah’s chart-topping “Two Dozen Roses” at a concert at the Ryman this winter, the pair dove into unexpected treasure.

After talking about performing with James Taylor to sing their friend Jimmy Buffett into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – and citing the presence of Buffett’s sister Lucy on Saturday night – the pair reprised “Come Monday” to a crowd that lost their minds for the acoustic classic.

That intimate vibe was also in the house for an unscheduled “Old Blue Chair,” which was dedicated to several island friends who were in house. As the video captured the cerulean ocean and contemplative moments of the high impact performer’s unseen moments, the capacity crowd was lost in the beauty and introspection.

“For all the intensity of the production,” Chesney marveled, “these shows have been unbelievably fluid, capable of change-ups and crazy requests. Yes, it really is another dimension when it comes to how you experience the music, but it’s ultimately the songs that stand out.

“Mac McAnally proved that,” Chesney continued. “He is such a soul/heart singer, and all the warmth of what he does only grew greater on that stage. Whether it was mostly the two of us and our guitars or something like ‘Two Dozen Roses,’ the audience got to experience the root of what makes him so great. That voice of his, which feels like an old friend, took on an even more comfortable presence. It was amazing.”

While details for next year’s shows won’t be revealed for several weeks, Chesney’s experience lit such a fire under him he couldn’t wait to share the news. “When we said we were taking No Shoes Nation into another dimension, no one truly knew what that meant. Now that we do, we can’t wait to come back and do it all over again.”