Exclusive Kenny Chesney No Shoes Nation Radio Concert

Kenny Chesney, From Robert Witkowski

While thousands of music fans flooded New Orleans for the annual French Quarter Festival on Saturday, April 18, a few hundred Gulf and Western music fans stormed a rambling roadhouse straddling the Florida-Alabama state line for a one-of-a-kind, intimate Kenny Chesney No Shoes Nation Radio Concert.

SiriusXM treated their select subscribers, essay contest winners and randomly selected members of the Flora-Bama Lounge & Package venue to an exclusive afternoon performance by the international superstar to mark the tenth anniversary of his No Shoes Radio (NSR) station.

Chesney introduced the now-famous “Flora-Bama” song at the multi-stage landmark to 40,000 fans attending the Flora-Bama Jama beach concert (now also the name of a Blue Chair Bay Rum cocktail in the bar) in 2014, celebrating the Flora-Bama’s 50th Year — later released on his “The Big Revival” album that same year. As it was the only performance Chesney did that year, this 388-person affair made the Flora-Bama’s two-level dome stage an inspired choice to celebrate No Shoes Radio’s tenth birthday.

“It’s a very specific song about a very specific place, but it’s also a song for anyone who has somewhere they go to let their mind unwind,” Chesney said. “Places like the Flora-Bama are what life is all about.”

From Robert Witkowski

Standin’ Right Here at the Flora-Bama

Although SiriusXM and the Flora-Bama randomly selected only 200 fans through their respective memberships to attend the exclusive concert, more of No Shoes Nation snaked across the Florida-Alabama border, excited to possibly catch a glimpse of the man who made their favorite dive bar iconic. Eager to be part of the experience, the first began queueing up before daybreak in the hopes of being among the crowd admitted into the ‘Bama to see his show live-streamed at other stages in the complex.

The Flora-Bama opened up their outdoor Tent stage and their original Main Room stage, both featuring theatre-size movie screens for the 500 general admission fans in line so they could feel part of the celebration, only a room away.

“We had around 1,000 fans [total] watching the show on our live feeds,” said Flora-Bama General Manager Chris Sherman. More than that, there were “around 130 people across all teams supporting the event.”

Those with entry into the Dome stage area waited under Kenny Chesney lyrics, including “Flora-Bama” and “Wasted” in a mosaic of—as promised in his song—”license plates from every state nailed up to the wall” until the sound check concluded inside.

Unlike so many concerts, there was no mad dash or crush of people when doors opened. The fans’ southern gentility was on full display as people courteously allowed others to enter before them while holding doors open, one gentleman over 6-feet tall gallantly offering his spot to a diminutive woman behind him. She graciously thanked him but refused to take his spot.

Sherman noted, “Overall, it was a very positive environment with people just excited to be part of something special. Our staff genuinely enjoyed the entire experience.”

But the joyful civility extended beyond NSR’s live stream start, which guaranteed the show began precisely at 3 p.m. When a deafening cheer sounded as he took the stage, two women on the rail left of the stage not only made room for people to come forward and take selfies by the stage with Chesney in the background throughout the show, but they also offered to take the picture for them.

In turn, those getting the coveted image respectfully voiced their gratitude and returned to their spot. Crowds parted without complaint for those heading to bathrooms or needing more room to dance. No Shoes Nation was among their own.

From Robert Witkowski

No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems

“What really stood out was the fan experience across the entire property. The energy was incredible and consistent everywhere you went,” Sherman said. “In both the main room and the tent, guests were fully engaged with the performance through the video walls—singing along, filming and really treating it like they were right there in the Dome.”

Chesney opened with “Get Along” followed by the anthemic “Flora-Bama,” which became an impromptu sing-along for the audience—including the crowd in the overflow stages whose enthusiasm was as if the singer was on stage in front of them, as well.

Beyond his set list, Chesney welcomed requests, laughing that “You can request it, but doesn’t mean I’ll sing it.” Of those chosen, he performed a lost-in-it version of George Strait’s “Carried Away” and “Island Boy,” which he realized “is the first time we’ve ever done this live.”

Although seemingly obvious, one request he accepted but was shocked to realize he had left off the set was the one that inspired his rabid fandom, “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems.”

Released in 2002, the album “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems” has since been certified platinum 5 times. In 2012, Chesney officially announced “No Shoes Nation” as the name of his fan club at a Gillette Stadium concert in Massachusetts, which was then released as his “Live in No Shoes Nation” album in 2017. His popularity evolved into SiriusXM approaching him in 2016 to create NSR.

Other songs in his set list included his 2013 hit “When I See This Bar,” which infused an all-beach-and-island vibe into his regular country genre, crediting his love of Jimmy Buffett’s music, and “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.”

Am I Okay?

Rising country star Megan Moroney surprised the crowd as she suddenly stepped onto stage wearing a No Shoes Nation corset. “Well, she was just on vacation on 30A and stopped by,” Chesney told the thrilled crowd.

“The surprise appearance by Megan Moroney was a huge highlight,” Sherman admitted, noting “it’s not every day you see a stadium-level act in such an intimate setting, and that created an atmosphere that was really one-of-a-kind. We kept that completely under wraps, so seeing the reaction in real time was a lot of fun.”

Maroney gushed her appreciation for Chesney as a mentor and friend. He, in turn, shared how impressed he was at his first meeting with her to go on tour, and launched into a duet of “You Had To Be There.” She sang her signature “Am I Okay?” to the delight of the audience.

From Robert Witkowski

When The Sun Goes Down

Chesney ended the show with a rendition of “American Kids,” which closed the 90-minute set, delivering the loudest, biggest cheers.

“It’s crazy—people were more on fire at the end than the beginning,” Chesney marveled at ending the show with a rendition of “American Kids,” which closed the 90-minute set. This delivered the loudest, biggest cheers as he threw his whole body into the song. “When we hit that intro, you could feel the energy double slam right into us. Talk about a wild ride! It’s the exact reason we do this.”

“I’ve lived a lot of life on No Shoes Radio,” the singer continued. “I am so grateful to SiriusXM for taking what we do and amplifying it all over the world. A whole lot has happened over the last ten years, and because of them, we’ve been able to live it with everyone who loves these songs.”

His residency at the Las Vegas Sphere aside, Kenny Chesney has made it clear why the Flora-Bama was the only place to have this concert by saying, “I feel like the people that come to this bar really do represent my audience and everything that we’ve built No Shoe Nation to be.”

The full performance aired live on SiriusXM’s No Shoes Radio (ch 59) and will also be available on the SiriusXM app.