The No. 1-selling country artist in the nation is scheduled to perform Saturday at Rick’s Caf. Kenny Chesney, the multi-platinum, multi-award winning country singer from Knoxville, Tenn., will bring his “Keg in the Closet” Tour through Starkville to benefit the tsunami victims in Southeast Asia.
Chesney announced publicly today that he will play at Rick’s. The reigning Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year said he likes not announcing when he will play a town because of the spontaneity and excitement it brings to the fans.
Chesney’s appearance will be one of five performances at college bars leading up to his March arena tour.
“Part of the fun is no one knowing we’re coming until we’re right on top of them,” Chesney said. “We only announce these shows 24 to 48 hours in advance, so it’s like the kids who are plugged into this music, into their college life are the ones who get to come on down and party with us.”
To handle a concert of this size, Rick Welch, the owner of Rick’s Caf, said he will hold a ticket lottery at the MSU Horse Park at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Anyone at least 18 years old can get a free raffle ticket at the Horse Park Wednesday night. They will announce 400 winners, who can purchase two tickets each at $10 per ticket.
The lottery, Welch said, is the fairest way possible to accommodate the people who will want tickets to the show. “We learned a lot from last year’s concert. Selling tickets on a first come, first serve basis didn’t go as smoothly as we had hoped; it was chaos,” Welch said. “We decided that, by doing a ticket lottery, everyone would have the same chance to buy tickets. I also didn’t want people missing classes, camping outside overnight in the cold, waiting for tickets to go on sale.”
Chesney performed last year at Welch’s Tuscaloosa bar, The Jupiter. “It was the best night of my professional career,” Welch said. Chesney said the feedback he got then almost forced him to do it again.
“I can tell you from last year, it’s a lot of fun, a lot of music, a lot of getting back to the grassroots where all of us players kind of caught the fever, because there’s just something about getting back to the bars where you can really see and hear and touch those people that plug you straight into the adrenaline on a more personal level,” Chesney said.
Chesney also said the concept of the “Keg in the Closet” tour is what makes it special for him. Being able to get up-close and personal with his fans in college bars, where he started his career, gives him perspective on his life at that age.
“It’s gotten so crazy that the only way we can do this sort of concert is to sneak up on them,” Chesney said. “But it’s so much fun; it’s worth the hoops I put my team through to make it happen. When you see the look of these college students seeing you on their turf, it is just a completely different thing. You become part of their college experience, which is kind of the point of ‘I Go Back,’ which we had out last year. I mean, there are all kinds of ways to do these shows that make more sense, but I can’t think of anything that’s more fun or more connected to the reason people get hooked on music to begin with.”
Welch said he wants the lottery in itself to be an event. Local country artist Chase McGinnis is set to perform Wednesday night, and concession stands will be open serving food and drinks while Thurlow from radio station K94 will be giving away prizes. Chesney is also giving Welch two tickets to give away to his upcoming concert in Tupelo on March 17.
“I know that the people that don’t win the chance to buy tickets will be disappointed, but I think everyone needs to look at the big picture here: Kenny Chesney is coming to Starkville, to MSU, to do a show absolutely free, to help the tsunami victims,” Welch said. “We should all be honored and proud to be a part of this.”
For complete information about how the ticket lottery will work, go to www.rickscafe.net/html/kc.htm.