Kenny Hits Austin, Oct. 17

Kenny Chesney will star in a special one-hour performance for the acclaimed PBS series, Austin City Limits, Saturday, Oct. 17.

Kenny will bring along his good friend, songwriter Mac McAnally, for the performance on the University of Texas campus. Kenny and Mac are nominated for a CMA Award in the Vocal Event of the Year category for Kenny's No. 1 single, "Down the Road." The show will be held in an intimate setting, which Kenny notes will allow him to play the quieter ballads that he loves. “You know, it is about the songs,” Kenny says. “When you’re playing to 50,000 people, you don’t want the energy to lag, but there’s also that idea that the ballads are the songs that really touch people, and I hate that we can’t go to that quieter place in the show as much. Beyond the thrill of being asked to do the one show that I grew up on, I knew Austin City Limits is a place where those more thoughtful songs are really understood.”

• published October 6, 2009