Kenny Chesney Has Out Of Body Experiences When Performing Music

Superstar Kenny Chesney was a special guest on today's Oprah show which was completely dedicated to Country Superstars.  Oprah pointed out Kenny is famous for his legendary concerts.

Behind The Scenes Of Next Concert Tour

Kenny allowed Oprah's film crew to follow him as he masterminded his next concert tour.  An edited version of the film was shown on Oprah's show.  Kenny, wearing a T Shirt and a baseball cap, instead of his signature cowboy hat, provided a narrative as the cameras followed him through his day.

(Image of Kenny Chesney - The 42nd Academy of Country Music Awards Press Room - 05-15-07 - DailyCeleb.com - All Rights Reserved).

Kenny was initially filmed walking into the practice studio in Nashville, Tennessee.  He said it was the first day with the horn section.  He said "I've never had a cup of coffee in my whole life but that is sugar free Red Bull (he held up his cup to show the camera) I'm addicted."

Getting Ready To Go On The Road Again

The superstar is getting ready to hit the road for his next Summer tour.  The film took Oprah's audience through the prep for the tour starting with practice.

Oprah, in a voice over on the clip, explained that Kenny from "song order to lighting approves every detail."  Kenny said "I'm really hands on, putting this thing together every year is like, kinda the equivalent to building your dream house, but you do it every year, and it's exhausting."

Into The Vibe Room

The musician also took the camera crews into the office which he said was the "central nervous system of what we do."  The film showed the sets being built.  Kenny said "every place we go play we tear the stuff down and we set it back up."  Before he goes on stage every night he goes into a special room that is called "The Vibe Room."  Kenny provided a tour of the room.

Kenny showed off a female pirate mannequin he said he had found in a "pirate store".   The mannequin had a very large, partially exposed, chest but was completely dressed as a pirate.  It was interesting to see.  Kenny said about the female pirate "it wasn't for sale, but I bought it.  So it was one of those things where I had to have it."

Bruce Springstein In Kenny's Collage

Kenny also showed off a collage of "people that come to our shows or friends, and family and stuff."  He continued "it kinda creates a really cool environment."  He pointed out a photo of Bruce Springsteen and said "we've got to show off The Boss."

The Superstar told Oprah if fans are wondering what "Kenny's doing right before he comes out on stage, I'm back here playing ping pong."  Kenny also has a king sized video wall which is taken to all the concerts.

Out Of Body Experience When Performing

He said about the video wall "it's so colorful, it's so good. You add this element with thousands of people, having the time of their life,  it's a lot of fun to be up there on the stage.  It's almost like an out of body experience, really.  To be that person, and to see how your life's turned out and to see that you're playing the places and doing the things that your heroes did.  Over the years I've tried to find ways to enhance the experience, making it something memorable."

After the tape ended Oprah said to Kenny, that looks like "so much fun."  Kenny said "it is".  Oprah pointed out that today was Kenny's birthday and Kenny said "who get's to do Oprah on their birthday?  That's so awesome, thanks for having me."  Oprah congratulated Kenny "on everything."

Playing Longer Than Scheduled

Oprah asked about Kenny's concerts.  She wanted to know "are there times that when you are onstage and you've got the order, I see the order onstage, and that some order isn't working and you change it?

Kenny said "some. Yeah, it depends on the crowd.  There's some nights, we play all summer long, so we have a set list that we do, but we feel a different energy from a crowd sometimes and you may want to play a little longer.  So there were several nights last year where we took our set from two and a half hours, I mean two hours and fifteen minutes to almost three hours.  And we just played a lot of my buddy's songs.  We played whatever."

Oprah said "because you could feel the vibe of the audience."  Kenny said "I didn't want to stop, there were some nights...any entertainer will tell you, there's something magical that happens sometimes on the stage where it's almost an out of body experience and the connection that you have with the crowd.  You don't ever want that connection to stop."  Oprah said "you're vibing with the crowd."

Kenny said "yeah, I think it's so great about playing live it because its a shared moment for a couple of hours with a group of people that will never be that group of people ever again.  You may play that city again next year, but if that energy is great, it's a shared moment that you won't ever get that back."

Oprah asked Kenny about the rumor that he goes out to the parking lot and has a drink with the fans.  Kenny said "sometimes, yeah, its a lot of fun."

Kenny Pouring Drinks With His Fans

A clip was shown of Kenny pouring margarita drinks from a blender and passing cups.  Kenny said "I believe it creates an unbelievable environment for our show. To be honest with you Oprah, there are only so many hours of the day you can set backstage or sit on your bus. I'm a big Al Smith fan.  If when I was going to Al Smith concerts, when I was in college, if Steven Tyler came out to the parking lot and gave me a drink, I don't think I would ever forget it. You know what I mean?  So it just creates an unbelievable environment."

Oprah asked "did you learn that in school though where a coach said to you the game isn't won in the field its all about the hours you put in before.  And also being able to go the extra mile with people?"

Treating Music Like Sports - Doing Nothing Halfway

Kenny said "no, you learn a lot from playing sports, I really try to apply what I do like an athlete, I treat it like that a lot, and so I learned a lot from playing sports.   I love sports, because you do, you have to work hard.   I think I got that from family and the way were brought up and we never had anything given to us and I think a lot of that comes into play in what I do.  I can't do anything halfway."

Inspiration From The Boss

Oprah asked if Kenny had an "AHA light bulb moment with Bruce Springsteen."  Kenny said "I did, a couple of years ago Bruce came to our show in New Jersey and it was towards the end of the tour and he could tell, he'd seen a familiar face in me, I was pretty tired and he had been there before and I was just asking him about a lot of different things about life and touring and trying to find some sort of balance between the two and I got the best advice I ever got from him.

Kenny said Bruce said 'Kenny it took me until I was 41 to figure out that you can start a song on a piece of paper and you can put that piece of paper and that song in a drawer and and you can open that drawer two years from now and that song on that piece of paper will still be there.  But he said you life ain't like that.  Everything you're experiencing on the road is really really great but it's a little bit of an illusion as far as what real life it.  Your life is different.'  Kenny mused about his story about Bruce.

Oprah asked Kenny what the advice from Bruce did for him.  He laughed heartily and said "I'm still working on that."  Oprah asked Kenny if Bruce's advice make him think maybe I should slow down?  Kenny hesitated.  Oprah continued with her questions.  She asked "do you ever think you'll slow down and have a family?"

Kenny said "so, yeah, I don't think the next twenty years of my life is going to revolve around sound checks, tour buses and a catering truck.  I hope not. I hope there's a part in my life."

Room In Kenny's Life For A Woman Now

Oprah asked "right now is there room for a women in your life?"  Kenny said "sure, yeah" and the women in the audience went crazy.  Kenny laughed at all the women swooning in the audience.

Oprah asked "would she have to live on the tour bus?"  Kenny "she would.  Yeah, because its, my life really doesn't...I don't run it real well right now. It kinda runs me better than I run it. But I'm having fun.  Oh my god. How can you not. I love what I do, he pointed to the film of his concert tours.

Just A Kid Wanting A Song On The Radio

He has been the Entertainer of The Year eight times.  Oprah asked him what that meant to him.

He said "Oprah when I first started this, I never, I was just a kid wanting a song on the radio.  I didn't dream. You know we all have dreams, we all want to achieve things but, when I was in college in East Tennessee State College playing on a stool like this with a tip jar in front of me (an image was shown on the screen) I didn't know I would be doing Oprah on my birthday.  Who thinks of that you know?"

Oprah ended the segment with Kenny which was fantastic.  I learned so much about him I had never known before.  What a great musican.

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