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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Inside Renée Zellweger's Bridget Jones curse: How unlucky-in-love star annulled her first marriage after just four months before a string of failed A-lister romances - as it's revealed she's 'living apart' from British toyboy
It's fair to say that Renée Zellweger has struggled to find her Mr Darcy - with her first marriage to Kenny Chesney annulled after just four months. But loyal fans of the 56-year-old Oscar winner had hoped she had finally broken her so-called Bridget Jones 'curse' after falling in love with British TV host Ant Anstead, who is ten years her junior. However, reported today that the Wheeler Dealers host and the A-lister have been living apart for the past year, after he was spotted staying overnight at the Laguna Beach home of divorcee and spin instructor Julia French, 36, while Renee filmed in New York. Anstead, who is facing bankruptcy for his car company and has seemingly been selling off his assets, has since pushed back against the speculation. 'Mr. Anstead is working mostly in the UK, and he has spent some of his limited time back in [Orange County] at his friend's home,' the TV presenter's representative told Page Six on Thursday. 'His friend Jules has a separate, detached guest house, and the suggestion that their relationship is anything other than platonic is unacceptable and untrue,' they added, before confirming that 'Mr. Anstead and Ms. Zellweger are still together.' The couple, who began dating in 2021 and are notoriously private about their relationship, have not been seen together in public since early March when they were snapped supporting Anstead's young son at a football game. If Renée's relationship is turning sour, it wouldn't be the first time that she's been unlucky in love, with the American actress mirroring her famous British character when it comes to both having frequent romantic struggles. Read below to explore the star's relationship history - from Bradley Cooper to Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey (1999-2000) Sparks flew between the actress and her co-star Jim Carrey on the set of their 1999 movie Me, Myself and Irene. After wrapping filming on the comedy, the pair began dating and attended the 2000 Golden Globes together. Despite the brief length of their relationship, he described her as the 'great love of' his life in his 2020 semi-fictional book, Memoirs and Misinformation. Two decades after calling it quits on their whirlwind romance, he also referred to his ex as someone 'very special' to him. 'I think she's lovely,' he said on The Howard Stern Show. While their film's director, Bobby Farrelly said that Carrey 'flipped for her immediately', she was hesitant to mix business and pleasure. At the time, she told CNN: 'I liked him, a lot, but you're not going (to the set) for the love connection... When the picture wrapped, we'd spoken a couple of times on the phone and then all those rumours came out that I was dating him. I was so mad.' After denying the rumours, she joked about getting home and thinking: 'God, I do miss him.' Ahead of their breakup, Renée proudly called their relationship 'a very unexpected, wonderful thing.' In the same interview with Entertainment Weekly, he gushed: 'She's a very connected person. She thinks having a good time is renting a U-Haul and taking furniture to Texas. She's real in that way and I absolutely love it.' Speaking about their relationship, Renée told The Guardian: 'We have business associates in common and a couple of mutual friends, so I'd known about him and said hello and things for a long time, and then met him a couple of years ago at a dinner party. So I'd known him for a while.' Despite speculation they were engaged during their one-year romance, she denied the claims to Cosmopolitan in 2003. 'I'd only been dating him for three months. As if I would consider marriage after only three months!' she mused. Jim was married to Melissa Womer from 1987 to 1995, and Lauren Holly for a year in 1996, and also dated Jenny McCarthy for five years until 2010. Jack White (2003-2004) Three years later, the native Texan found love on set again, this time while shooting the 2003 civil war epic Cold Mountain, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her fateful meeting with rocker Jack White, who is six years her junior, led to them dating for a year and a half. Jack had been commissioned to write music for the movie, and had a small role playing her husband. Although the couple rarely spoke about their relationship, they made a public appearance together at the 2004 Oscars. During their relationship, he infamously got into a physical altercation with his bandmate, Jason Stollsteimer, which he pled guilty to, according to Rolling Stone. He was fined $500 and sentenced to court-appointed anger management classes for his assault and battery charge. Upon announcing their breakup, the actress' spokesman said in a statement: 'They remain good friends. There's no scandal and no new relationships.' Kenny Chesney (2005) Renée and country music singer Kenny Chesney experienced a meet-cute worthy of a rom-com, after both attending NBC's Concert of Hope tsunami aid telethon in January 2005. After reportedly hoping to meet him at the event, and pass him a flirty note, a source told People that once the 'broadcast wrapped' he approached Renée and said: 'I hear you are trying to pass me a note - don't let the principal find out.' Two years prior, he listed her as one of the three sexiest people on earth in 2002 during a chat with The Tennesseean, alongside, Charlize Theron and Janet Jackson. 'Here's a country girl who's still down to earth,' the singer said. 'That makes her really, really sexy. Plus she seems like the kind of girl who could fit in and be at home anywhere.' Months after discovering their mutual crush on each other, Renée confirmed they were a couple by bringing him a margarita and sharing a kiss with him on stage at one of his concerts. After three months of dating, they wed on the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. But to the world's shock, just four months later, in September 2005, she filed to annul their marriage, citing 'fraud' as the reason. Neither has provided any further information on their split, but she said that it made her 'said' to see widespread speculation that their marriage failed because Kenny was 'gay'. 'It made me sad that somehow people were using that as a way to be cruel and calling someone gay as a pejorative, which has fateful consequences,' she told The Advocate in 2016. As for why she remained silent as the allegations swirled, the performer responded that she wasn't in the habit of pouring her heart out to the tabloids. 'I'd said all I needed to say on that subject. I'm an old-fashioned gal who doesn't feel it's appropriate to hang out your laundry on the lawn,' she told the publication. 'I feel you devalue yourself as a human being when you share very personal things with a bajillion strangers who are making fun of you. I just don't see that there's any dignity in that.' She did go on to acknowledge, though, that 'sometimes it is difficult to just let something be what it is, especially when it's unnecessary ugliness.' In 2007, Kenny shut down the rumours and said they were simply 'not true.' 'I didn't have to prove to anybody that I wasn't. I didn't feel like I really did,' he said in a 60 Minutes interview Bradley Cooper (2009-2011) Like several of her high-profile relationships, the Judy star fell hard for another handsome co-star after meeting Bradley Cooper on set of their film Case 39 in 2009. While they both stayed tight-lipped about their time together, Bradley couldn't help but sing her praises in one interview. 'I just love her. I [loved] coming to work. I love acting with her. I can learn so much from her,' he told ET in 2010. She told the outlet that he is 'a great, great actor' and admitted to being 'so excited' to get to 'work with him.' They went on to move in together that same year, but parted ways in 2011. Following the death of his father, Charles Cooper, she skipped the Golden Globes to be with him, according to People, who reported she was 'close to Cooper's mom, Gloria.' Both were coming off of brief marriages at the time of their relationship since Cooper was married to actress Jennifer Esposito in 2007 for a four-month frame. An insider told US Weekly in 2011 that the Hollywood relationship crumbled under the weight of Cooper's burgeoning career. 'If I had to pick any possible mistress it would be Brad's career. He worked really hard to get into leading man status' while 'Renee had to take a backseat' and even 'traveled with him to make it work.' The source noted that Renée, at the time, had 'accomplished a lot of her professional goals' and 'took some time out to be a great girlfriend and see if this is what it took to make a relationship work.' Eventually, the source said that Renée 'stopped fighting' to keep it working. 'It was just not working out,' the source added. However, the pair were reunited in 2020 at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, where they were pictured enjoying a brief chat with one another. Doyle Bramhall II (2012- 2019) Renee and Doyle Bramhall, 55, who is now in a relationship with supermodel Elle Macpherson, dated for seven years before it was revealed in 2019 they had parted ways. The former couple met when they were just students at the University of Texas in the early nineties. In 2012, two years after Doyle ended his marriage, they decided to give dating a try. Though they never considered a romantic relationship during their college days, the two made up for lost time as they stuck by each other's sides from 2012 to 2019. Upon speaking about their romance in 2015, she gushed: 'Isn't he cute? He's a very sweet man. I'm very, very happy right now,' the star told People. According to documents, obtained by E! News, he lived for free with her and she paid his credit card bills in the midst of his separation from his former spouse, Susannah Melvoin. The site reports that Renee had been subbing the credit card fees which varied between $4,000 to $5,000 a month, with the court documents detailing that this was a loan and a repayment was expected. Renee was also said to have paid for Doyle's expenses in 2015 that added up to nearly $60,000. During a hearing in Doyle's divorce from ex Susannah Melvoin, the judge ruled that Renee's income should not have any bearing on what the musician pays in spousal and child support to his estranged wife. Doyle, who also dated Sheryl Crow, was married to Susannah from 1997 to 2010 and they have two daughters together. According to Radar Online, his jealousy contributed to the end of their longtime relationship. 'She and Doyle built a happy home life together and they even discussed adopting a baby together,' a source told the outlet in 2016. Ultimately, they 'drifted apart emotionally when they were separated for weeks at a time' and weren't 'able to rekindle the spark.' The insider added: 'Renee hit her breaking point over the jealousy issues.' But in May 2024, the pair appeared to be the friendliest of exes as the Bridget Jones star showed her support at his Royal Albert Hall gig in the British capital. Renee was pictured catching up with her old flame as they proved they are still on great terms following their split. The duo appeared delighted to see each other as they sweetly embraced inside the London venue. Ant Anstead (2021-present) Ant and Renée initially met while filming an episode of his series Celebrity IOU Joyride in April of 2021. But the couple have not been seen together in public since early March when they were snapped supporting Anstead's young son at a football game. reported that the pair have been living apart for the past year amid Ant's financial trouble. In recent years, he owned a multi-million-dollar house in the exclusive town of Laguna Beach, California, and was pictured in 2022 moving in with Renée in her $30,000-per-month clifftop home across the street. But for the past year he had downgraded to a modest, 832sqft, two-bed rental listed at $4,250 per month. Ant's spokeswoman told the small house he left over a month ago 'was rented solely by Mr. Anstead'. His landlord confirmed Renée was not on the lease. The Bridget Jones's Diary star, meanwhile, is currently in New York City filming a new season of popular Hulu show, Only Murders in the Building, while Ant was believed to be spending time in his home country, the UK, in recent weeks before returning to Laguna. His rep told he 'continues to remain private about his cherished personal relationship.' Renee's rep declined to comment. Meanwhile, a source close to the Bridget Jones star told they are still dating, despite living apart. But last week, Ant was spotted staying overnight at the home of wealthy 36-year-old Laguna woman Julia French, who goes by 'Jules'. Jules, who has worked as a certified spin instructor at Rhythm Ride Laguna Beach according to her Facebook page, is currently divorcing her hedge fund founder husband, James Hanna III, the father of her two young children. A keen-eyed observer told that in recent months Ant was even spotted meeting Jules on the beach for a sunset rendezvous, a romantic setting in the sought-after Southern California coastal town. However, the pair have never been seen engaging in any non-platonic behaviour. A source close to Ant claimed he had been staying in the apartment on the property since he moved out of his modest rented house around April. 'One of her kids goes to the same school as Hudson. When Ant's working late or needs childcare, Hudson goes back with Jules' kids. Then in the evening Ant picks Hudson up,' the source said. The French family are well-known in Laguna and own several properties around the elite seaside town. Her beachfront, five-bed home is worth an estimated $8million according to real estate site Redfin, and has a separate two-bed unit. A friend of French who helps manage her properties told last week that Ant had not been living at French's home. But the TV presenter was spotted returning to the clifftop mansion after watching his son Hudson's football game last Tuesday, the evening of May 20, his car was in the driveway at 7am the following morning, and he was later spotted emerging from the property for a coffee run with a male friend, suggesting he had slept over at the property that night. A source close to Renée said the actress is wary of having him move in with her, even after four years of dating. 'Renée currently has a rental in Laguna. When Ant lost his rental, the obvious thing would have been for him to move into the rental with Renée. But she doesn't want them cohabiting, so he has to find his own place to stay,' the source said. 'That's kind of how the relationship works.' Rumours have been swirling of the couple's potentially rocky relationship status as his financial woes mount. This month, Ant's supercar company Radford Motors filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Delaware court, which usually results in the liquidation of a firm. Ant even posted a video on Instagram saying he was selling his prized Land Rover Defender – though he revealed in the post that he had a 'new car incoming'. Responding further to story today, Anstead's rep responded that 'Mr. Anstead and Miss Zelwegger (sic) are still together.' The rep added: 'Mr. Anstead is working mostly in the UK, and he has spent some of his limited time back in OC at his friend's home. 'His friend Jules has a separate, detached guest house and the suggestion that their relationship is anything other than platonic is unacceptable.'
USA Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Kenny Chesney delivers vibrant, visually arresting feast at Las Vegas Sphere
Kenny Chesney delivers vibrant, visually arresting feast at Las Vegas Sphere Show Caption Hide Caption Kenny Chesney, June Carter Cash among Country Hall of Fame inductees Kenny Chesney, Tony Brown and June Carter Cash's family speak after they are named the 2025 Country Music Hall of Fame inductees. LAS VEGAS – About a third through the second night of Kenny Chesney's groundbreaking residency at the Sphere, the gregarious country superstar dipped into his 2004 hit 'I Go Back.' It's a song steeped in nostalgia, with lyrics that reminisce about wistful moments. High school gyms. Hearing John Mellencamp on the radio. A friend gone too soon. The accompanying video – well, better classified as all-encompassing graphics that sucked you into the visual vortex – of football fields and basketball courts pulled at the hearts of 17,000 people as Chesney sang of days gone by with his typical earnestness. But for all its nodding to the past, the song represented a milestone in Chesney's awards-laden, 30-plus-year career as he performed it May 24. As he looked around in awe of the crowd and the enveloping video, there was as much a sense of 'How did we get here?' as 'Let's look back.' Chesney, 57, is the first country singer – and the first solo artist, despite an ace six-piece band – to play the game-changing venue. His two-hour show, a technicolor wonder, continues for sporadic dates through June 21 and are his only live performances of the year. It's as much a concert as a sonic and visual roller-coaster ride pairing one of the most acclaimed stars of country with the evolving technological wizardry of the Sphere. From the opening deep-sea dive that morphed into a fleet of pirate ships bobbing on the ocean while Chesney bopped through 'Beer in Mexico' – his skinny jeans tight, his sleeveless shirt baring biceps – a carefree vibe permeated the show. Las Vegas Sphere concerts: All the bands that are playing and how to get tickets For years, Chesney has been a reliable stadium filler, a guy who feeds off his fans' adrenaline as he clocks tens of thousands of steps scampering around the stage. While he was slightly limited to roam given the Sphere's structure, Chesney found ways to maintain a lifeline to the front row of fans on the floor as he bent down during 'Keg in the Closet' to smack a palm or accept a Nevada license plate emblazoned 'Sphere.' 'Not only do we see you all, we feel you tonight,' Chesney said in one of his frequent humble acknowledgements of the crowd. Typically, Chesney's concerts offer few embellishments. So to see a Ferris wheel looming over him (' 'Til It's Gone'), a live shot of No Shoes Nation devotees blasted onto the 240-foot-tall backdrop ('No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems') and Chesney on a towering cell phone surrounded by vibrantly colored fish (the prescient 'Welcome to the Fishbowl') elevated the fun quotient. At his opening show May 22, Chesney brought Kelsea Ballerini to the stage. But on this night, Grace Potter, who croons with Chesney on 'You & Tequila,' was the guest of honor to sing that Grammy-nominated hit from 2011. It was a breezy stroll for the pair, but when Potter, whom he introduced as 'one of my best friends in the world,' broke out her signature Flying V guitar, Chesney knew things were about to get rock-y. 'We were in Vegas that last time this happened,' he said, before the familiar sawing guitar notes of Rod Stewart's 'Hot Legs' filled the room (Chesney and Potter covered the song during his 2013 shows at the now-defunct Hard Rock Hotel). It was a playful, if milquetoast version of the song sans Stewart's raspy vocal leering, but also an indication that Chesney plans to shake up the setlist each show and maybe debut more deep cuts. The melancholic 'Seven Days,' from 2010's 'Hemingway's Whiskey' album, made its first live appearance at Chesney's opening Sphere show and he revisited it again for night two, complemented by a foggy lighthouse scene. During 'Big Star,' fans will relish the vintage photos of Chesney posing with music icons including Reba McEntire, Loretta Lynn and Taylor Swift while sinking into the sensation of being dropped into a pinball machine. It was also another reminder of Chesney's longevity in an unforgiving industry. As he cranked out the country rock of 'Living in Fast Forward,' which plopped the crowd into the driver's seat on a NASCAR track, Chesney punctuated the lyric, 'I still got some miles to go.' It was an ideal capper to a song that summarizes the focused Chesney. Even three decades into his career, he's hardly slowing down.
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
Kenny Chesney kicks off Las Vegas Sphere residency with surprise guests
Kenny Chesney made country music history Thursday night, becoming the first country artist to headline the Las Vegas Sphere. "Nothing can prepare you for your first night at Sphere in Vegas," Chesney wrote on Instagram after the show, posting a carousel of photos that captured the spectacle and emotion of opening night. "It was so magical and even more emotional for me and my road family," he said. "Thanks to the whole Sphere team and a very special thanks to my friend from Knoxville, TN @KelseaBallerini for such a great surprise on our first night." The 17,600-seat venue, famed for its wraparound LED screen and 4-D immersive effects, delivered a sensory feast as Chesney opened with "Beer in Mexico" beneath animations of sugar skulls and dancing beer bottles. According to an official press release, the performance fused "sonics, visuals, musicians and heart." Surprise guest Kelsea Ballerini appeared during the show, joining Chesney for their duet "Half of My Hometown," a performance of "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy," and stepping in on vocals for "You & Tequila," originally recorded with Grace Potter. In a statement released after the show, Chesney described the experience as "overwhelming," noting that "beyond the visuals, which build and move, the fans are so close, even in the 400 section, that you're consumed by all of it when you look up." The setlist featured a mix of fan favorites and songs never performed live before, including "One Lonely Island" and "Seven Days," the press release stated. The production was over a year in development, the press release revealed, incorporating new visual content and animation created in partnership with Sphere Studios to complement Chesney's music. The residency continues through mid-June, with limited tickets still available.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Memorial Day 2025: We must always share our heroes' stories
From belting out "Time is On My Side" by the Rolling Stones in my dad's old Bronco, to writing my first song at 14, about trouble with girls, music has always been in my life. That first song wasn't great, but it made me feel better and taught me to use music to heal and tell difficult stories. As a first-generation American, I was raised to love this country and understand how lucky I was to live here. When the world changed on Sept. 11, 2001, I did too. I joined the United States Marine Corps two years later, just after my 18th birthday. Music came with me to Iraq. I made up songs to make my buddies laugh and would play guitar at night around the smoke pit. I wasn't thinking about morale or mental health; I just liked how it made me feel to play music for my friends. Then, on Oct. 31, 2004, an IED (improvised explosive device) struck my vehicle for the seventh time, shattering my leg. I woke up a week later in Maryland, with my life forever changed. The doctors didn't know if I'd survive and, if I did, whether I'd ever walk again. Through it all, music was there. More: How these veterans are using music to win the fight against PTSD Studies show that music-based interventions can reduce pain and ease emotional distress. I learned this for myself when doctors ultimately had to amputate my leg. I was too weak to play guitar but found comfort just having it near me. Something about listening to the beachy rhythm of "Old Blue Chair" by Kenny Chesney helped me manage unbearable phantom limb pain. When I moved to Nashville a year later to chase my dream of making music, I was both thrilled and deeply depressed. I smiled through it, drank a lot, and wrote songs about everything but Iraq. I thought writing about my brothers who didn't come home would cheapen their memory. I didn't yet understand that it is the responsibility of the living to tell our heroes' stories. When a Vietnam War veteran shook my hand one day, looked me in the eye, and said, 'Thanks for your service. Welcome home. You're a hero,' it hit me like a punch to the gut. Opinion: On Memorial Day, celebrate the memory of those we lost who let Americans live It meant a lot coming from someone who had been to war and was then treated so poorly when he returned home. But I couldn't help but think, How could he call me a hero? The soldier who don't come home, who don't get second chances. They're the real heroes. And I knew it was time for me to write about them. I went home that day and put my response in a song titled "Heroes." A Wounded Warrior Project® poll shows a declining rate of Americans who understand the issues impacting those who have served our country. It's up to all of us to tell the stories of the heroes who didn't make it home and of the veterans living with the guilt of surviving. I've seen what a grateful nation looks like right here in Middle Tennessee. When I performed Heroes at the Grand Ole Opry last Memorial Day weekend, I heard it. This Memorial Day, I hope other veterans will see, hear, and feel that support, too. Sal Gonzalez is a Nashville musician and songwriter, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and Wounded Warrior Project spokesperson. This op-ed is written in loving memory of Sal's heroes: Matt Lynch, Sean Langley, Andrew Halverson, and the 12 other Marines of 2nd Battalion 5th killed in action during our tour of duty. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Memorial Day 2025: We must always share our heroes' stories | Opinion
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
7 Best Moments as Kenny Chesney Becomes First Country Artist to Play Las Vegas' Sphere
Las Vegas may be landlocked, but Kenny Chesney took fans to the beach Thursday night (May 22) in the opening night of his 15-date Sphere run. More from Billboard Morgan Wallen Reclaims ARIA Albums Chart With 'I'm the Problem' Alex Warren Teams Up With Jelly Roll for Stomping Country Single 'Bloodline' Dolly Parton Hasn't Ruled Out Joining Beyoncé on Her Cowboy Carter Tour: 'You Never Know' The four-time Country Music Association Awards entertainer of the year, the first country artist to play the immersive venue, is one of the most celebrated live performers in any genre and he showed once again why during the two-hour and 15-minute concert. During the fun and breezy 27-song set, many songs celebrated the island lifestyle that embodies the spirit of Chesney's No Shoes Nation. According to Billboard Boxscore, Chesney is the only country artist to reach $1 billion in concert grosses reported to Billboard. His passionate No Shoes Nation fanbase has followed him into stadiums, which he has filled for 20 years, so to see him in the 18,000-seat Sphere is a chance to view him relatively close up (despite the crazy steep pitch of the four levels). Throughout the show, Chesney exhibited a welcome spirit of gratitude for his fans, excitement over his first Las Vegas residency (no starting small for him), and elation at being back on stage, noting this was his first show of 2025. As anyone who's seen one of his stadium shows knows, Chesney thrives on contact with prosceniums that extend far out into audience. The Sphere doesn't allow that, so he had to make do with occasionally palm slapping with fans standing in the front section, dubbed The Sandbar, but he still managed to fully connect with the crowd. Chesney, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in March, has logged 33 No. 1 hits on Billboard's Country Airplay chart, which is more than any other artist since the chart launched in 1990. He landed his first No. 1 in 1997 with 'She's Got It All,' and most recently topped the chart last year with 'Take Her Home.' In between have been such hits as 'The Good Stuff,' 'Living in Fast Forward,' 'Don't Blink,' 'American Kids,' 'Better as a Memory' and 'No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem.' So, it's no surprise that the show relied heavily on hits (heck, he could have played nothing but his No. 1s and still had the show go longer than two hours), but he also trotted out deeper cuts and lesser performed tunes to create a one-of-a-kind show. Chesney's residency lasts through June 21 and tallies 15 dates. Billboard was at Sphere for opening night, and we've rounded up the best moments of the evening. It feels like each act who plays Sphere builds on the amazing special effects and visuals from the acts who came before them and betters them, but Chesney's opening sequence was truly spectacular and honestly felt like a theme-park dark ride attraction. The 270-degree wraparound screen (which covers 160,000 square feet) took us deep-sea diving through a shipwreck and further into the abyss, surrounded by sharks and schools of fish before coming to the surface where pirate ships with No Shoes Nation flags flying. At the same time the haptic seats are vibrating and moving as the sea turns into the Sphere and it literally feels like the venue does a 360-degree turn in a move that's breathtaking (and a little nauseating if you're prone to motion sickness) and utterly astounding. So, in other words, make sure you're in your seat when the show starts because you really don't want to miss this thrill ride. Without pandering, Chesney played tribute to Las Vegas in ways both big and small. During 'Living in Fast Forward,' one of Chesney's most enjoyable, upbeat songs 20 years after its release, he incorporated footage of a NASCAR race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Then in a much more obvious way, for his last number before the encore, 'Out Last Night,' the scenery switched to the Las Vegas Strip with Sphere with his No Shoes Nation logo and the surrounded hotels including the Venetian and a neon Las Vegas sign (Chesney, embracing the 'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas' motto, figured the audience would continue the party after they left the venue, noting, 'It's really possible you're going to wake up tomorrow next to someone you know or someone you don't know.' Not to be outdone, Chesney's bass player, Harmoni Kelley rocked a white, sequined jumpsuit in an homage to Elvis's Vegas era. In a show full of dazzling visuals, 'Big Star,' his 2002 song about a woman who ends up a superstar despite all those who doubted her, was a standout. 'Big Star' became a pinball machine drawing the audience in as if part of the game as balls careened around the Sphere and lights flashed. Other than the opening sequence, it was the most immersive, impressive spectacle of the night. But the nicest part was he used the song to pay tribute to some of the women who came before and after him, showing photos of him with Loretta Lynn and Reba McEntire and then Kelsea Ballerini and Megan Moroney, both of whom he has mentored and taken on tour. A little more than half-way through, Chesney huddled with band and crew. They poured a few drinks (made with Blue Chair Rum, no doubt), some of which Chesney and band handed out to audience members. Chesney then said they were deciding what to do next (a nice (that's a nice twist to do every show and add in songs not on the setlist) before launching into 1999's 'She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy.' Shortly into the song, Kelsea Ballerini, in a sparkly silver dress, appeared on stage. Chesney seemed genuinely surprised and mightily delighted to be reunited with his fellow Knoxville native and former touring partner, grabbing her in a sweet bear hug, and expressed his surprise again after they finished the song. They then launched into 'Half of My Hometown,' their 2021 duet that went straight to No. 1, with Ballerini telling him, 'I love you,' at the end, and his answering, 'I love you, too.' They then finished with 'You & Tequila,' his bittersweet 2011 duet with Grace Potter (as the song's video played in the background). Their friendship and affection for each other was sweetly palpable. He noted that she wasn't the only friend in attendance, namechecking Van Halen's Michael Anthony and football great Peyton Manning. If there's one song that sums up Chesney's ethos, it's 2018's 'Get Along,' which Chesney introduced by adding, 'It's what we're about.' It's the only song of the night where the lyrics appeared on the screen, leading to a sing along. And in a world divided, words like 'Always give love the upper hand' and 'Make a friend, can't we all get along?' feel like so much more than just platitudes; they feel like Chesney's Commandments and necessary. Throughout the evening, Chesney's good vibes prevailed, turning Sphere into a big love-in. Fans don't usually look to Chesney for statement songs or tunes that address social issues, but 'Welcome to the Fishbowl,' the title track to his 2012 album, was downright prophetic, looking at the way social media and technology were going to change our world—in many ways for the worse. 'I wrote this song 15 years ago. Little did I know it wasn't a glimpse into the future,' Chesney said. The visuals were especially strong, with Chesney appearing from inside a mobile phone. Coincidentally, sitting inside Sphere definitely feels like sitting inside a fishbowl. Prior to starting his residency, Chesney said he would be digging deep into the catalog, as well as bringing the hits, and did he ever. Right after 'Fishbowl,' he launched into 'One Lonely Island,' from his most recent album, Born. It was the first time he'd done the ballad about two lost souls drifting toward each other for a little comfort or 'a night of healin',' as Chesney sings. He followed that a few songs later with 'Seven Days,' from 2010's Hemingway's Whiskey, another tune that he had never performed live before. 'Thanks for letting us do that,' Chesney said afterwards, but the pleasure was all ours. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
