Kenny Chesney was recently ranked as the number-one country artist — and number nine overall — on Billboard magazine’s list of the top 25 live performance artists since 1990. It’s quite an accomplishment, placing Kenny in some esteemed company, but Kenny says that the most important thing is that the music he’s made has made a difference in the lives of the people who’ve come to see him play. (AUDIO INFO BELOW)

• Based on Billboard Boxscore reporting, the ranking of the top 25 live performance artists since 1990 is online here, on Billboard.com. Also included on the list are such touring icons as the list’s top three: The Rolling Stones, U2, and Bruce Springsteen.
• Be listening soon for Kenny’s new single, “American Kids,” due to arrive at radio on June 20th!

  Kenny Chesney reflects on being on Billboard’s list of the top 25 live performance artists since 1990. (:44)
“You know, when I think about being on that list of, you know, one of the top 10 live acts of the last 25 years, a lot of things ran through my head when I saw that. It was…first of all, a lot of my heroes are on that list. Second of all, I thought of all the people that did it with me. And when I say that, I think of my band, and I think of all the truck drivers, and I think of my crew, and I think of all my buddies that I grew up with dreaming this dream with. We all been down a lot of roads together. But, more importantly, I think of all the faces that I’ve seen, and it’s a lot of people that have come to the show because they cared, and they loved the music, and the music that we made somehow made a difference, and it touched them, and that’s the most important thing: that’s the thing I’m most proud of.”

  Kenny Chesney says that if the list could measure fun, he just might be at the top. (1:21)
“Yeah, the stats are great, and trust me, being in the top 10 with a lot of those people in the last 25 years, I’m very proud of that. But the music that we made and the people that we touched along the way, that’s the thing I’m most proud of — and that’s the thing that lasts. The fact that we went into the studio with certain songs and recorded them and took ‘em out on the road and threw it at the people as hard as we could, and the fact that they responded and cared and kept coming back, that’s why we’re in the top 10. And I’m glad that we paid attention to that detail. But, you know, I tell ya, I think we were number nine on that list, but if they could measure that in the amount of fun that we had, I think we’d be pretty close to the top, because we have taken advantage of everything that God has given us. I’m telling ya now, we’ve had an absolute blast doin’ this, and that’s the thing I’m the most proud of. I’ve said that a couple of times, but the thing I’m most proud of is the fact that we really do enjoy what we do, and we really do enjoy getting out there and playin’ music and the fact that we have music in our lives and that we get to share it with so many people and make so many people smile and happy. That’s the thing that I’m the most proud of. And my gosh, we have had a absolute blast doin’ it. So if they could measure that, I think we’d be pretty close to the top up there.”