It's going to be another bummer summer for Kenny Chesney fans. The grand poobah of No Shoes Nation is once again saying no-way to a giant summer concert tour and has postponed all his 2021 dates to 2022 due to COVID-19 safety concerns, including his already once-delayed stop at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
A new date at the Vikings stadium — originally scheduled May 2, 2020, and then June 5, 2021 — has not yet been confirmed but has promised, along with 17 other shows on his U.S. tour with openers Florida Georgia Line and Old Dominion.
Fans can hang onto their current tickets in the meantime, but they don't have to. Unlike a lot of other postponed arena and stadium tours, Chesney is also offering refunds.
In a statement sent out Monday morning, the country music megastar cited ongoing capacity restrictions for stadiums that vary from state to state as the reason he is postponing again.
"We have waited for so long, I can't play knowing I would disappoint a portion of No Shoes Nation who wouldn't be able to get into the stadiums and the amphitheaters," Chesney said. "There's no way around that this year. As much I hate postponing further, I would hate telling people who waited we won't be able to let them come due to capacity restrictions. That's just not fair."
Chesney's announcement could likely be an indicator of what's to come of other big summer tours, but it's still too early to say for sure.
U.S. Bank Stadium has two other concerts still on the calendar for summer 2021: Def Leppard with Motley Crue, Poison and Joan Jett on July 8, and then George Strait on July 31. Stadium representatives did not yet offer any pointers for what will happen with those shows.
The same goes with the Guns N' Roses and Green Day/Weezer tours headed to Target Field on July 16 and Aug. 11, respectively. A representative at the Twins ballpark said "nothing has been finalized yet" for those shows.
Under current Minnesota rules and CDC guidelines, all these concerts would have to be staged at reduced capacities, which most concert organizers are unwilling to do. However, those restrictions could be loosened by summer.
Several outdoor summer festivals, including the Twin Cities Summer Jam at Canterbury Park and We Fest in Detroit Lakes, are still going ahead with plans to host big crowds this summer. In Minneapolis, however, Rock the Garden was already postponed until 2022, and organizers of the Basilica Block Party are exploring options to delay their July event until fall.
