Chesney looks to entertainer award number five

"It's funny," he said "but the more you do this, the more those nominations mean. You realize what it takes to receive an honor like this - especially from your peers who make it happen and know the work and commitment it takes. You've got to be humbled knowing what you do is recognized. For me, the last 8 years has been about how do we make it mean more, give people all the things I wanted from the artists I loved growing up...so that when they look back, this music, these nights are something they're gonna be proud to remember their youth by."

Chesney also has been heavy touring this summer once again. "Beyond the rain-out at the stadium in Dallas and how long we played in that downpour - not to mention going back and really making it something," Chesney said, "we got to do some really memorable things: Canada for the first time, headlining some major festivals, aligning with the Hard Rock and being one of their Amabassadors of Rock and the stuff we've done with them,getting to do 'Austin City Limits' stripped down, plus the launch of No Shoes Radio which brings the culture to the fans wherever they are: from the parking lot to the boat, backstage to kicking back with my friends, not to mention having Mac out on some stadium dates to sing 'Down the Road' and putting 'I'm Alive' out - which Buddy and I originally cut with Willie Nelson for Moment of Forever - with my buddy Dave (Matthews).

"You get moving so fast, all this stuff happens and you have to keep going, Moments like this force you to slow down and think about everything that goes into a nomination like this... all the pieces, the team who helps you pull stuff like this off and, especially, the faces of the fans when you're on a gator in the parking lot or flying over them on that swing we used for entrances this year.

"Obviously, I want to win Entertainer. But looking at all of this, thinking about everything we've been, everything we've seen and done, in some ways I've already won because look at the memories we made. To me, that's the best thing we can do: give the fans music and memories worth remembering."