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NASHVILLE – It's not one … not two … but five different combinations to bring Kenny Chesney's 2008 Poets & Pirates Tour to 14 NFL Stadiums across America. With a varying cast of musicians - picked for their intensity and ability to connect with a crowd - the Corona Extra sponsored tour is about giving the new breed of country fan a full-tilt day of music that can truly define the summer.
 
“My fans are used to a lot of energy and a lot of fun,” explains the three-in-a-row and current Academy of Country Music and triple and reigning Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year. “So when you're trying to make a big show out of what we're already doing, you have to really pay attention, really make sure you've got the very best of the best… because we're trying to give them as much as they throw back at us.”
 
Chesney's shows - known for the tailgating, cook-outs, touch football and Frisbee playing and general block party vibe long before the gates even open - are the ultimate good time. It has helped the singer/songwriter from Luttrell, Tennessee sell in excess of a million concert tickets for the last 6 summers - with 2007's Flip Flop Summer Tour being the 2nd biggest tour behind the Police's Reunion.
 
Very special guest Keith Urban will be joining Kenny on 10 of the stadium shows. The Grammy Award Winner, 2005 CMA Entertainer of the Year and performer extraordinaire will be appearing with Kenny in Cleveland, OH, Phoenix, AZ, Pittsburgh, PA, Chicago, IL, Nashville, TN, Philadelphia, PA, Foxboro, MA, Detroit, MI, Houston, TX, and Indianapolis, IN.
 
Country fans are in for a special treat when the tour stops at Ford Field on August 2nd.  In addition to Keith Urban, newcomer Luke Bryan, California country icon Gary Allan and Grammy-winning Poets & Pirates tourmate LeAnn Rimes will join Chesney in Detroit.  This line-up adds more sizzle to what is known as the hottest summer party in the city at the best venue to join the celebration.  Chesney’s last two visits to Ford Field in 2006 and 2007 completely sold out.  The 2008 tour will likely do the same.  As one of only two stadiums hosting Chesney for a third consecutive year, Ford Field is expected to sell out of tickets for Poets & Pirates quickly.
 
“We did six NFL stadiums last year and had a blast,” Chesney says. “You get into a whole other kind of rhythm, and it's  just the best vibe… the people are ready to rock, they're there to have fun -  and all the acts talked about how they could really feel it. If you're all about people having a good time, kicking back and being with their friends, this really is the way to do it! And that's as much for all of us behind the stage as it is for everybody out there, hanging with their friends and singing along.”
 
With “Shiftwork,” the tropical homage to clock-punching people working hard for their money, hitting  the Top 10 this week, Chesney - who spent over 25% of 2007 at #1 on the  Billboard Country Singles chart with “Never Wanted Nothin' More,” “Don't Blink” and “Beer In Mexico” - is in the musical zone.  Having produced both Willie Nelson's Moment of Forever and bandmate Tim Hensley's acoustic/bluegrass Long Monday, both dropping on Jan. 29, the Luttrell, Tennessean is ready to take that music making ability of his and get it out on  the road in a big way.
 
“It's gonna be a great summer,” he enthuses. “I have some of my very favorite acts and some people  who are so cool to hang out with - and we're gonna get to make an awful lot of  music. Isn't that what this is supposed to all about? I can't wait…”

Tickets for Kenny Chesney’s Poets & Pirates Tour are $69.50, $89.50 and $99.50 (plus applicable convenience charges) and go on sale Saturday, February 9 at 10:00 a.m.  Tickets will be available through all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com and via Phone charge at 248-645-6666.

Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, is a state of the art sport and entertainment venue.  Since its inception in 2002, it has hosted over 4,000 exciting events and welcomed over 5,000,000 fans.