Chesney scales back on '19 tour

"I wanted to change it up," said Chesney. "Last year was so intense, and amazing. No Shoes Nation took it to a whole other level, and they blew all of us away. It was the kind of energy you don't take for granted. So when we started thinking about next year, they made me wanna come to them. Rather than the massive two-day set-up, make everyone come to a stadium away from their homes, I wanted to go to where the fans live... strip things back a bit, and make it a little more intimate."

"I love reaching to the very top, the very back of a football stadium, but I also love the idea of really being able to see the back of the room."

"Sometimes it's about stripping things back, and creating a different kind of experience," he said. "Making 'Songs for the Saints' really showed me the power of bringing things closer to the heart. For me, I wanted 2019 on the road to get the music to the fans, right where they live, and as always, my team figured out exactly how to help me do that."

Touring off his "Songs for the Saints" release, Chesney hit 19 stadiums and 43 dates earlier this year.

"This is the kind of thing you do for passion," Chesney said. "To rein things in a bit, change up the way we present the music, I know these songs will show us things they don't when we're in those massive stadiums. I never worry about the energy or the passion, but I think the songs are different depending on where you play them. So I'm fired up for 2019."

Cities and venues are:
Champaign, IL State Farm Center
Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
Washington, DC The Anthem
Tallahassee, FL Donald L Tucker Civic Center
Orange Beach, AL The Wharf
Columbia, MO Mizzou Arena
Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena
Wilkes-Barre, PA Mohegan Sun Arena
Atlantic City, NJ Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena
Tuscaloosa, AL Tuscaloosa Amphitheater