Music's supposed to come from the heart. I felt like that if it ever got mechanical, I was going to back away from it.
When I'm offstage, I never feel famous. I will never let anybody call a restaurant and say, "We're with Kenny Chesney. Can you get us in?" That's so pretentious. I'm pretty simple except for the fact that I have a really great boat and a little bit of money. When I'm offstage I don't feel like the person everybody sees.
I didn't have any clue as to what true marriage meant. I was so used to committing to one thing - music - and then I had to totally commit to a second thing, marriage. I didn't know how to commit to both of them. It was a scary moment for me.
You'd think I'd have been happiest in my life playing music in front of 50,000 people at Gillette Stadium. But let me tell you, it's an odd feeling to feel alone in the spotlight.
People who can't kiss had everything given to them.
I need to recharge creatively, and get off the clock of having to be somewhere just because, and having to keep juggling all these things.
I love being able to say a quick thanks to the man above for the music and the fact that we're even in this spot. If you'd told me this in college when I was sitting on a stool and playing for enchiladas and tips, I'd have bet everything against it.
Certain nights, when everything's perfect and we have thousands of people partying their asses off, I break my rule and have a drink onstage. I've never done a show drunk. Well, I take that back. In the early days I did.
I can't believe that I get to stand on the stages I stand on every summer, and get to sing the songs that I sing.
I live on a boat two months out of the year, and if I did not have that then I don't know how I'd be able to handle all this.... I am a very intense person on stage. I have to remember why I am there, what I am doing. You can spend all day backstage preparing for the show and lose sight of why you are doing this. Off stage, I am a very simple kind of guy. I live my life in flip-flops.
The beauty is that it's all a part of this wonderful dream I had in college. It's beautiful to see what it's turned into. It's the journey that I'm most proud of.
I feel that energy up there on stage. The band, the crew and our road family - the look in their eyes - they're so happy to be back doing what we love to do.
The title [of the album 'The Big Revival']alone fit what I was feeling. It defined what I was going through. That year off was a time to revive, to reset, to reclaim, to revitalize and to re-focus. It was a revival of how I made music, how I presented it and my connection with the fans.
It's funny to see my friends going through that middle-age thing about losing their hair. I went through it in college. They all say, "Oh my God, I'm getting old. I'm never getting laid again." Shut up. Yes, you are.
My mind is constantly going. For me to completely relax, I gotta get rid of my cell phone.
It's very hard for me to relax.
I want to spend more time with my family.
Don't blink. You just might miss your babies growing like mine did. Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your 'better half' Of fifty years is there in bed. And you're praying God takes you instead. Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think So don't blink.
One thing that I learned that helped me deal with human behavior is confrontation, and I'm not that great with confrontation at all. But once I started to be O.K. with that, the better everybody's life got.
When I'm onstage I feel changed.
Social topics may hit too close to home for people, but then again, if you pull a heartstring, then that's what country music is. It's not just songs about getting drunk and leaving your girl.
We leaned on family, church, school, friends and sports. That's basically all we had. All those things really shaped my life and shaped me musically. It's why I write the way I do.
The thing that I love, especially after sound check, is when I'm in that stadium alone. It's complete silence. I love that.
I'm glad I took that time to work really hard on the music. I feel the effects of that now in a positive way with my connection with the audience.
I drink a few beers, and I've smoked a little pot. But I'm too health conscious to do it regularly. I run a lot. I don't smoke cigarettes. Pot is the hardest thing I've tried, really.
