Kenny Chesney hawks rum, shoes and boat wash at soulless N.J. concert: review

It’s only gotten worse.

At country superstar Kenny Chesney’s last gargantuan New Jersey bash, at MetLife Stadium in 2018, an otherwise thrilling performance was marred by greed — an onslaught of advertisements hawking the “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” singer’s brand of Blue Chair Bay rum, furthering his descent into Jimmy Buffett beach-bum portfolio diversification.

Seventy-five-foot-tall BCB banners flanked the stage, bottles of BCB Mango Cream were plastered on the big screens and a troupe of women tossed BCB tees into the crowd. But the final straw was during Chesney’s set itself, where videos played behind the band of the perfectly sun-kissed artist on a boat somewhere, holding his BCB bottle, label facing out.

All of this was and is beyond the at least $3 million these monstrous MetLife shows earn at the box office per night (he’s played the venue seven times in the last 11 years), plus Chesney’s established No Shoes Nation brand, which has been deeply ingrained in his fans’ culture for well over a decade, with countless skull-and-crossbones tees, caps and flags peppering the stadium.

Cut to Saturday night in East Rutherford and not only did literally all of the above again take place in a shameless display, but this time there were additional products, for his No Shoes Reefs brand apparel — more shirts, hats, boat wash and flip-flops. Yes, the leader of No Shoes Nation is now peddling shoes at his concerts, available online starting at $65.

While 30% of sales goes to Chesney’s effort to help preserve coral reefs off the Florida Keys, an admirable mission, the barrage of commercials directed at 55,000 boozed-up fans who’ve already paid to stand there in their blinking light-up cowboy hats remains loathsome. Of the hundreds of high-profile artists I’ve seen perform, all of whom admittedly are selling themselves on stage, none come close to the insatiable corporate hunger of a Chesney show.

Two nights earlier, when Lady Gaga headlined MetLife, the mega-star could’ve easily blasted ads for her popular Haus Labs cosmetics company. I saw no mention of the products anywhere. The night’s premier mission was instead music, per the tacit agreement made with fans upon their ticket purchase.

Meanwhile, Chesney has chosen the path of “pirate retiree” lifestyle huckster. And of all the aesthetics to promote, is there anything more vapid than this sunburnt and stumbling façade, which exists solely to flaunt the ability to afford a boat, dock it in some turquoise waters and stock it with every flavor of Blue Chair Bay premium rum, now available in banana, pineapple, key lime — ah, he almost got me again!

Listen, I understand we live in a capitalist system, and from the moment fans enter the stadium they are being petitioned to buy beer, burgers and heavenly little cups of cookie dough Dippin’ Dots ice cream, which certain journalists cannot possibly resist. But being forced to stare at an artist’s brand integration strategy for two hours is a betrayal of whatever’s happening on stage.

Speaking of, Chesney’s performance was a perfectly serviceable, maximalist country extravaganza, par for his course. The twice-pandemic-delayed tour is labeled “Here and Now,” after his eponymous 2020 album (his 19th LP), from which two new jams were rolled out Saturday: the rock-steady title track hinging on a Rick Springfield-ish riff, and the more anthemic “We Do,” with its mindless call-and-response hook: “who gets to live like we do? (We do!)”

The sweat-soaked 54-year-old singer galloped along his T-shaped stage, emboldening the crowd as the six-piece band jammed away. Sonically, it was a tight and exciting set, overflowing with 20 years of country radio hits. The crowd, who packed the parking lots in the afternoon for a hearty tailgate, sang along dutifully to anthems “Get Along” and “All the Pretty Girls.” To be clear, I pass no judgment on anyone who enjoys Chesney’s music — it’s a breezy good time, no better or worse than Tim McGraw or Luke Bryan.

Bassist Harmoni Kelly nailed the lead vocal to “Setting the World on Fire,” overtaken as Chesney bounced around the stage, further urging the leagues of supporters. Earlier, the show was paused so Chesney could wish a happy birthday to his video director, who was presented on stage with a cake and margarita in a wine glass roughly the size of a silverback gorilla’s head.

As the show concluded with “Tractor,” weary fans sauntered back to the parking lots, avoiding the empty Bud Light cans, exhausted but clearly pleased with the day’s country marathon that included opening sets from Dan and Shay, Old Dominion and Carly Pearce.

It was a shrewd distraction: Keep ‘em drinking, singing and dancing and perhaps no one will notice the scam unfolding before their glassy eyes.

Early in the show, Chesney shouted “All we gotta do for the next couple hours is lean on each other.”

That might be a good line for his next investor’s meeting, perhaps plotting a chain of theme restaurants as the empire expands.

Kenny Chesney’s setlist

Aug. 13, 2022 — MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.

• “Beer in Mexico”
• “Reality”
• “Til It’s Gone”
• “Here and Now”
• “Summertime”
• “We Do”
• “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems”
• “Somewhere With You”
• “I Go Back”
• “Get Along”
• “Anything but Mine”
• “Save It for a Rainy Day”
• “When the Sun Goes Down”
• ”There Goes My Life”
• “All the Pretty Girls”
• “Living in Fast Forward”
• “Young”
• “Noise”
• “American Kids”
• “Setting the World on Fire”
• “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” (David Lee Murphy cover)
• “How Forever Feels”
• “The Boys of Fall”

Encore:

• “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy”

Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier and Facebook.