Kenny Chesney’s Music Warms Up This Frozen Peach
Jennifer AKA “Frozen Peach” has had a love affair with Kenny’s music since the beginning!
I vaguely remember 90’s Kenny, his songs were on the radio, his videos on CMT (the teachers left it on in my high school) and the hilarious afternoon DJs from my favorite station played him often, and they gave me my first KC CD (Everywhere We Go). It had the Sexy Tractor song on it but I never really listened until on a family road trip to Cape Cod in 2002, I guess between that & “I lost it” which was written by Jimmy Olander of my favorite band Diamond Rio was where it really all began.
I was born & raised in a small, north GA town. There were mountains & hills basically everywhere. As I learned more about Kenny and that his home area wasn’t that far off (I got to visit it before moving north), plus the many shared names in both our families (myself & his sister: Jennifer, my step-mom & his mom: Karen [not the same woman], we both have aunts named Sharon & Missy), our shared hatred of cold weather and more made me basically fall head over heels.
Fast forward to 2004, I was trying to work at a truck stop restaurant, still trying to find my way after graduating in 2001 (yes, that year with 9/11). One day I walked into work and saw the cardboard cut-out of Kenny, I instantly flipped out and went right to the manager to ask if I could have it! It was a promo piece for his WTSGD album so I had to wait a bit until most of the albums were sold. Finally on a cold & snowy day the manager told me that he was all mine! I unfortunately had to work my shift first so he hung out in the manager’s office, we got quite the laugh that day.
In 2006 I managed to get tickets to his show at the 40 Watt in Athens, GA on eBay. I was at work the day it was announced & sold out. I took that cardboard cut out and made him laugh, and he took my lei and wore it! I left with a guitar pick and his signature sideways on the hat. Oh and Uncle Kracker was there! I sent the photo I took of him in my lei, mailed it in and it came back signed “Jennifer, Love ya! Kenny” ah I almost died!
Another fast forward to 2007, I knew we would be moving north from the only home area I knew & loved, but we had tickets to his final show in Atlanta, GA that September. So we attended the Longhorn pre-party before the afternoon parking lot tailgate for the shed show. At the pre-party we got tour cups & glasses, they had prizes and called my Mom’s name for the acoustic takamine autographed by Kenny & Kracker (which is still under my bed to this day), they gave me a 2nd cardboard Kenny! And they made me kiss it in public, oh well I did it haha!
After the concert we returned to our then home for the last 2-3 nights & rested up before packing the U-haul for the 2 day drive. I died a little on the inside when we passed through Nashville, TN (where I freaking wanted to live). We attended more shows in Fargo & the Twin Cities area. I got my first sandbar ticket & experience in 2012 at the MN Twins baseball park, though it was a hot day for MN standards. I was doing ok sipping on water right up until the end of McGraw, being surrounded by 100 degree people out in that heat was getting to me. I fought hard & stayed on my feet, pulling the ice pack out of my soft cooler that was allowed in.
In 2018 I won the Blue Chair Bay rum Christmas guitar! And an empty bottle from the first special holiday version even though I bought one with rum in it.
In 2019 we lucked out as we discovered KC would be playing in Sioux Falls, SD which was a 3 hr drive. Mom’s night vision isn’t what it used to be so we got a room no more than 1 minute away from the venue, super quick & easy. The next morning we awoke, grabbed Burger King breakfast, made a quick shopping stop at the Wal-mart and slowly made our way home, but first a stop in Walnut Grove, MN aka the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder as we loved the books & tv show. It proved to be a great little side trip! I had to move apartments the very next weekend, so I got through on my after concert energy.
Now the calendar flipped to 2020. I had tickets to his concerts in Atlanta, GA and Minneapolis, MN. I was looking forward to getting back home after 2.5 yrs, thawing out after a harsh winter, seeing family & friends, ending my trip with the Kenny concert & flying back first thing the next morning. Except, covid-19 put a stop to all of it. When things return to a more normalized life I’m hoping I can try again next tour. My 1 day older cousin was so excited about it as I was, we talked through Facebook as tickets were on pre-sale. These would have been my 20th and 21st Kenny concerts, the energy is more infectious than any virus.
And now I have to find someone willing to drive from western MN so I can enjoy the show in Minneapolis. I have upper level seats, I couldn’t afford any better this time. I spent part of my stimulus on an amazing new camera so that should help. What I’d give to winter in the islands, hang out on the boat & drink rum while he strums that guitar. It’d sure help my bad thyroid, seasonal affective disorder and maybe even my mild autism. I’ve never met Kenny but I’ve met Taylor Swift & other famous performers, it always goes so fast backstage.
Every year I’m usually the main one sharing the helpful pre-sale ticket info in the fan club boards, now that the style has changed it takes a LOT of reposting to keep it visible. So I think I should meet Kenny for that reason haha!
