CMT News

Kenny Chesney Ponders Future of His College Bar Gigs

Kenny Chesney is considering a halt to his informal Keg in the Closet tour after news of a tentative show near the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa was hacked from an inactive page on the venue's Web site. The information was later posted in the fan comments section of Chesney's official Web site. Chesney has performed at the club, the Jupiter Bar & Grill, for each of the past three years. During the past five years, Chesney has geared up for his tour of arenas, amphitheaters and stadiums with a brief series of impromptu shows at college bars in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Virginia and Louisiana. The shows are announced at the last minute to allow college students to attend. The only cancellation took place when tickets were never made available to the students but were distributed by a club owner. "The idea is to let it be a surprise, give it back to the kids on those campuses," Chesney says. "We pulled a show because someone decided they were gonna hand out the tickets, and if it's gonna turn into something that's not the spirit of what we're trying to do, then it's probably time to stop."