For Immediate Release
18 July 2004
For More Information
Holly Gleason for Joe's Garage
Wes Vause for BNA Nashville

He's #3 --Guitars. Tiki Bars Follows Prince and Britney Spears
in Pollstar's Midyear Ticket Count

Los Angeles, CA: In most places being 3rd is a bronze medal, but when the
dust's settled on Pollstar's annual halfway tally of ticketsellers, being 3rd
means fast company. For Kenny Chesney -- who saw himself behind rock icon
Bruce Springsteen and progressive jammers the Dave Matthews Band in 2003 -- this
year, he's locked up with seminal soul/funk force Prince and pop teen queen
Britney Spears.

   "It's one of those things, you know, you don't think of yourself in that
kind of crowd," says Chesney with an almost embarrassed laugh. "I mean, I'm a
guy from East Tennessee who grew up listening to Conway and Alabama, Randy
Travis and Keith Whitley. THAT'S the music from where I come from -- and sure we
loved Bruce and Van Halen, but that's not necessarily the kind of company you
think you're gonna be keeping when you grow up, let alone share a list like
this."

   At a time when the media is ruing the sad state of the touring industry,
Chesney's doing big business -- setting attendance records and faster
sell-outs than just about anybody out there. Maybe it's the fact that When The Sun
Goes Down, his second straight all-genre Billboard Top 200 debut, has already
produced two multiple week #1s with the 8 week chart-topper "There Goes My Life"
and the 6 week #1 title track, featuring Guitars, Tiki Bars & A Whole Lot of
Love tourmate Unkle Kracker. Or perhaps it's the three act, fan-friendly price
of the Cruzan Rum-presented tour, where tickets not only average well under
$50, but are some of the lowest on the entire Pollstar list.

   "I'd like to think it's 'cause the fans know when they come to see us,
they know they're gonna have a good time," Chesney offers by way of explanation.
"When we were playing clubs, people would come see us, then come back and
bring their friends… And it's always kinda been like that. Every night, I tell
the crowd, 'Whatever's bugging you… when you come in here, leave it out there…
for the next 90 minutes, just forget about all of it…' And I mean it.

   "To me, a show should make you forget everything. Just have a great time.
Have fun. Blow it up -- and throw it as hard at the crowd as they can take
it. And our fans are pretty serious about having a good time! So, it's as much
about them and what they bring to it. They bring it all -- and they seem to
come back and bring their friends every year."

   After doing the first half of Guitars, Tiki Bars & A Whole Lot of Love
with keith urban and Dierks Bentley, Chesney took a more pop turn for the summer
portion of his tour -- enlisting CMA and ACM Vocal Group of the Year Rascal
Flatts and Unkle Kracker. It follows in a tradition of mixing it up with
support acts who bring a strong sense of self and a will to entertain, including
Montgomery Gentry, Sara Evans, Phil Vassar, Deana Carter and Carolyn Dawn Johnson.

   "My fans like music… and we work real hard to give them as much music as
possible - and keep it affordable. That we're behind Prince and Madonna tells
you everything you need to know about our audience, and thank heavens!"

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