CMT News

Labelmates Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans and Jennifer Day hung out with the Maytag repairman (actor Gordon Jump of WKRP in Cincinnati) Thursday (Sept. 28) in Nashville to promote the upcoming "Making Music Matter" tour. Sponsored by Maytag Appliances in conjunction with Best Buy and the U.S. Dept. of Energy, the triple-bill will play a series of free concerts to promote energy and water conservation. "I grew up in the country, swimming in lakes and swimming in rivers and enjoying my environment, and I never thought there'd be a day when I might not be able to do that," Chesney said of his involvement. Beginning with Boston's Symphony Hall on Oct. 28, the tour will wind through Phoenix, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C. in early 2001. The trio also will appear in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the swan-shaped Maytag float. Evans joked she has altered songs by the trio to make them appropriate for the tour. "Mine is 'Born to Wash and Dry,' Kenny's is 'I Washed It,' and Jennifer's is 'That's the Fun of the Scrub.'" The tour will play mid-sized theaters, and tickets will be given away on local radio stations and in Best Buy stores. "The real benefit of bringing music into it is really getting the word out to our generation and the next generation how important it is to save energy," Day said. "This is a great first step." More details on the concerts and ticket giveaways will be available Oct. 4 on Chesney's website at www.kchesney.com.