Kenny Chesney Officially Begins His Touring Break

Kenny Chesney's fun-in-the-sun touring lifestyle has finally caught up to the singer after more than a decade of constantly being on the road. He concluded his 2009 Sun City Carnival tour last Saturday at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and said he now plans on taking an overdue break from touring, reported GAC.
As the concert came to an end on Saturday, Chesney was joined onstage by several friends, including Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland. The two performed Chesney's hit, "When The Sun Goes Down." Miranda Lambert accompanied Chesney with "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy," while the Zac Brown Band did a cover of Alabama's "Dixieland Delight" and the notorious "Space Cowboy" by Steve Miller. Wailer Drummie Zeb also did a reggae rendition of "Three Little Birds."  
When the show concluded, Chesney gave an emotional farewell to the crowd, thanking them for their years of support and current understanding of his need for a break.  
"I hope people understand, I've never been an all or nothing kind of guy," the singer said. "This doesn't mean there will be no shows or no music. It means I'm not going to be staging a major tour." 
Despite the fact that there will be no major tour on Chesney's radar, the four-time and current CMA Entertainer of the Year gave fans hope after revealing that a new album is scheduled for release in the spring of 2010. He also made it clear that this was a break from a major tour, leaving the door open for select concerts if the opportunity presents itself.  
"I just felt like this year it finally hit me that I need to get reconnected with my family. I wanna do some things that I’ve never gotten to do, like see other parts of the world, write some more songs. Do some shows that are completely different for me," Chesney told Entertainment Weekly last week. "I might wanna go do an acoustic show at Red Rocks or something. Something to feed my soul. It seems like in the last couple of years, I’ve been on an empty tank. And that’s gotta change."
While on his tour bus after a concert in New Jersey, the singer received some words of wisdom from one of his musical and influential heros, Bruce Spingsteen.
According to TheBoot.com, Chesney said, "He told me something that hit me really hard, and it's stuck with me ever since. He said, 'Kenny, you can write half a song on a piece of paper, and you can put that piece of paper away in a drawer for five years, and you can go back to it, and that song will still be there. But life isn't like that. And whatever you're doing, don't miss your life, too."
While spending much of his vacation surrounded by friends and family, traveling and writing fresh songs, Chesney will remain active in the music industry while acting as part of the Hard Rock Café's international Ambassadors of Rock.