“It Was Wonderful Meeting You”: Kenny Chesney Dedicates ‘Big Star’ to Lainey Wilson at Electric Sphere Las Vegas Show

As he closed out the opening weekend of his blockbuster Sphere Las Vegas residency, Kenny Chesney delivered a heartwarming tribute to 2025 ACM Entertainer of the Year, Lainey Wilson, as Chesney introduced his iconic anthem, ‘Big Star’.

The galvanising 2002 track, which arrived as part of the ‘There Goes My Life’ hitmaker's trailblazing No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems album, tells the tale of an up-and-coming singer who overcomes her detractors to become an arena-filling artist.

During his Las Vegas residency so far, Kenny Chesney has been using ‘Big Star’ as an opportunity to pay homage to some of the female artists he's toured with over the years via the immersive Sphere graphics, including Taylor Swift and Megan Moroney.

Endearingly, Chesney took the chance this past weekend to tip his cap to Lainey Wilson, who attended the show while she was in town for the 2025 American Music Awards. Wilson performed her brand new single, ‘Somewhere Over Laredo’, at the AMAs.

After the set, the Knoxville native shared a photo of the two country icons together alongside a sweet caption, with Chesney gushing, “Thank you @LaineyWilson for coming to the show last night at Sphere in Vegas. It was wonderful meeting you. KC”.

In an official statement, the beach country pioneer reflected on the first few dates of his groundbreaking Sphere run, “Having friends stop by, having friends get up on stage. This is about creating a whole new experience for No Shoes Nation. Something that could only happen here – a venue built around this groundbreaking technology – I’m so grateful so many members of No Shoes Nation were willing to travel to the desert to experience this with us. It’s strange in the best way: the intensity, the immersion, the way songs come to life almost literally”.

Elsewhere during the opening trio of shows, Kenny Chesney brought out Kelsea Ballerini and Grace Potter, with fans excited to see who else Chesney has up his sleeve later this month.

Following his high-octane performances, Chesney has expressed his admiration for the Sphere graphics, “The animation with Kracker? The midway for ‘Til It’s Gone’? To literally be in a fish bowl? How could we not have those experiences? But even more, hearing the audience sing that second chorus on ‘American Kids’ with such joy? You can tell their hitting another gear from the joy in their voices”.

As the excitement builds for Kenny Chesney's next Sphere Las Vegas show tomorrow (Wednesday, May 28th), Chesney has just been deservingly crowned Billboard's No. 1 Country Artist of the 21st Century, with the comprehensive list honouring the ‘Wherever You Are Tonight’ singer-songwriter's lasting impact on the genre.

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