When your concerts involve performing for tens of thousands of fans, it’s a challenge for an artist to really connect and engage an audience that size…but it’s a challenge that Kenny Chesney takes very seriously. He’s done everything from extending his stage way out into the audience to walking to the furthest seat before a concert…just to see the stage the way his fans would see it…and to think about how to deliver the best show for the folks in the “nosebleeds.” And with Kenny, it’s not just about being a great entertainer, it’s also a reflection of the fact that even though he’s the man on stage, he’s still just a regular guy. Kenny says, “I could sit down with a lot of my fans out there in the parking lot, and have a drink with ’em, and thank ’em for comin’ — and we do that every now and then.” But playing for stadium-sized crowds — like a recent Boston show for 57,000-plus fans — makes the idea a little daunting, as Kenny laughs, “We try to do it a lot, but it’s gotten a little out of hand, you know?” (AUDIO INFO BELOW)

• Watch for Kenny on the road with upcoming shows in New Orleans on August 14 and Houston on August 16. For complete dates, check out kennychesney.com.
• Kenny has the most popular new song on country radio right now with his new single, “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven,” already in the Top 30 in its first week!
• “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven” is the first single from Kenny’s upcoming album, Lucky Old Sun…and the song will be available for sale as a digital single at online retailers beginning Tuesday, August 12!

  Kenny Chesney takes a special pride in his relationship with the fans who come to see him perform. (:39)
“I’ve always took pride in the fact that when me and the band hit the stage, there is never a wall between me and the audience. It’s as if we walk up there on stage, open up our arms, and say, ‘Come on in.’ I could sit down with a lot of my fans out there in the parking lot, and have a drink with ’em, and thank ’em for comin’ — and we do that every now and then. We try to do it a lot, but it’s gotten a little out of hand (laughs), you know? So, yeah, I am that guy that could set there and have a beer with a lot of people, and talk, and yeah, just be one of them, but that has gotten a little tough to do (laughs), even though I want to do it and can do it, it’s gotten a little tough to do.”