“You Lit Up The Room”: Kenny Chesney Brings Out Megan Moroney for High-Energy Live Debut of ‘You Had To Be There’ at Sphere Las Vegas

Kenny Chesney surprised attendees at his Sphere Las Vegas show last night (May 28th) by bringing out his good friend, Megan Moroney, for the live debut of ‘You Had To Be There’.

The nostalgic duet arrived earlier in the month, with Moroney heartwarmingly penning the track as a thank-you to Chesney for his support during their 2024 Sun Goes Down Tour.

Their Sphere rendition of the feel-good, carpe diem anthem captured the spirit of living life to its fullest, which permeates the studio version. Megan Moroney and Kenny Chesney's friendship was apparent throughout their performance, with the ‘Tennessee Orange’ hitmaker also joining Chesney for ‘She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy’, ’All the Pretty Girls’ and Moroney's current Country Radio single, ‘Am I Okay?’

It served as an endearing full-circle moment, after Chesney unexpectedly invited Moroney to perform the rose-tinted track in front of a packed-out Gillette Stadium crowd during their tour finale in Foxborough, Massachusetts last August.

In an official statement following the momentous duet, Chesney has gushed, “No one has more fun onstage than Megan Moroney. She doesn’t just radiate joy up there, she makes everybody want to experience the amount of fun she is clearly having. Even I want to – and don’t always – maintain that level of feeling good. She just brings it”.

The ‘I Go Back’ icon, who was just named Billboard's No. 1 country artist of the 21st Century, expands, “For a Wednesday night crowd, it sure felt like Saturday night! Maybe it was Megan… Maybe we’re really getting the hang of Sphere… Or else it was just meant to be… No matter why, it was an incredible night in No Shoes Nation”.

In an accompanying socials post, Chesney has offered another touching tribute to Moroney, “You Had To Be There last night at Sphere in Vegas. @MegMoroney and I sang our song for the first time live. It felt amazing to share the stage with her again. Thank you Megan for being there. You lit up the room. Love you”.

Moroney has reciprocated Chesney's gratitude, sharing via Instagram, “thanks for having me @kennychesney...first time playing YHTBT at @spherevegas nbd!!!! [no big deal]”, before encouraging fans to experience the show in person, “go see KC at the sphere if you get a chance it was AMAZINGGGGG I'm still mind blown”.

Movingly, Moroney then revealed that Chesney and his team organised for a cake to be made, emblazoned with the single artwork for their debut duet, ‘You Had To Be There’.

The Georgia native's appearance with Kenny Chesney in Las Vegas cements this 15-date residency as the must-see summer event for country music fans, with Chesney having brought out Kelsea Ballerini and Grace Potter at previous Sphere shows.

The Island Country trailblazer has again underlined how the graphics and technology unique to the venue, which immerse viewers in spectacular, visceral settings that range from the deep ocean to a fairground to the beach, are going far beyond what he imagined, “I knew this was going to be incredible when I said, ‘Yes,’ when they asked me to do this, but I had no idea how awesome the experience could actually be. More than all the visuals, the dialed in sound, though, it’s getting to share this stage with a lot of people I love, including everyone in No Shoes Nation, who came to Vegas to be part of this unbelievable moment”.

Kenny Chesney next takes the Sphere stage tomorrow (Friday, May 30th), with a follow-up date lined up on Saturday evening. After the blockbuster, era-spanning sets he's been producing so far, we can't wait to see what else Chesney has up his sleeve (well, if the tank-top-wearing megastar ever wore sleeves, that is...!).

For more on Kenny Chesney, see below: