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14th June, 2012
And now for something a little different: Kenny Chesney and Jonathan Demme are working together.
Country music’s king of the road and the Academy Award-winning director will collaborate on the next installment of the “American Express Unstaged” music series on June 20.
“I think it’s a unique situation for both of us because odds are we never would have worked together without this thing, you know?” Chesney said. “And I think it’s a good thing. I love meeting and working with people who can push me and inspire me creatively in a different way. And I think that all creative people look for inspiration. That’s the thing I’m looking forward to the most about this, because it is left of center and it is combining two worlds.”
Demme, whose credits include “The Silence of the Lambs” and Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” concert film, will direct the livestream of the 75-minute performance from the beach in New Jersey. Chesney and the credit card company have given 20,000 fans free tickets to the seaside show, which will be framed by a roller coaster and a Ferris wheel in a boardwalk setting.
Fans at home can watch live and repeats for 12 hours after on YouTube. The show also can be seen on VEVO’s mobile apps. It’s the 10th “Unstaged” event, following pairings like Monday’s Usher-Hamish Hamilton collaboration in London and last month’s Jack White-Gary Oldman installment.
Chesney’s new album “Welcome to the Fishbowl” is out Tuesday. In an earlier interview, he talked about all the moving parts of his life and the new album, his 13th.
Like “Whiskey” and its surprise hit “You and Tequila,” featuring Grace Potter, there’s a melancholy feel that runs through the album on songs like “El Cerrito Place” and “Always Gonna Be You.”
“I’m very in touch with that emotion,” Chesney said. “I think there is a thread on this album. There is searching, there is a longing. ... Several key songs have that in it. And I think when you’re as busy as I am and you’ve given your whole life to one thing basically, there’s a constant search for balance. I think when people hear this album they’re going to hear that thread.”
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