In his Sphere production, Kenny Chesney is encircled by the venue’s groundbreaking audio-video technology. But he plays a weathered acoustic guitar, scarred from years of studio strumming and live performances.
Chesney’s chosen instrument, at least for most songs at Sphere, is a version of his Takamine EF317S. The industry model name can be translated as, “beat-up old six-string.” The finish is worn through by the superstar’s musical handiwork.
Chesney even showcases the Takamine in the show’s LED video production, showing the customized name, “KC 317S,” bearing his initials and signature.
The original instrument that inspired the video dates to Chesney’s first No. 1 hit, “She’s Got it All,” in 1997. The guitar is not as battered as Willie Nelson’s 1969 Martin N-20, dubbed “Trigger,” but it’s getting there.
The time-tested guitar offsets the wild visuals and swirling sound in Chesney’s Sphere return. The superstar’s laid-back attire, his cut-off black T-shirt, jeans and a straw cowboy hat, also remind of his everyman rise to fame.
Bowing to technology, Sphere’s seats shake during Chesney’s show. But this is news to the many fans who are standing in the GA section at the front of the stage. They shake it up pretty well on their own. There’s a party down there for the No Shoes Nation, as Chesney turns Sphere into a beach hang, pirate quest and, occasionally, trip to the county fair.
Saturday’s show was Chesney’s second in his return to Sphere after his momentous run in May and June 2025. He continues for seven more performances Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and July 1, 8, 10, and 11.
Get it @kennychesney @sphere @neonlasvegas pic.twitter.com/96HO5iKpbc
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) June 21, 2026
More highlights from Night No. 2:
Sphere view in intro: The opening segment is set up underwater, as we swim among sharks and ship wreckage. The crowd rises to the ocean surface, navigating through a pirate ships to a port that includes the rising flames from a tiki bar and, finally, an image of Sphere itself.
This is a characteristic of the Bulbous Wonder. You are often convinced you are floating, even when your brain implores, “We are not moving! Stop being dizzy!” But still, you grab the seat in front of you as you look down upon a venue you are, in fact, occupying. This will mess with your mind. Fortunately, the band’s powerhouse run through “Here and Now” and “Living in Fast Forward” keeps you grounded.
VW Bus makes its appearance: One of the great festival vehicles ever, the Volkswagen bus (seems a late-’60s, T2 model) is summoned for “When the Sun Goes Down.” The backdrop is pink-purple. Glowing jellyfish float around a crescent moon as the bus, covered with Chesney concert stickers, rumbles along a rickety pier. The superstar sings, “Everything gets hotter when the sun goes down!” But this scene is very cool.
Skills in play: I’ve always marveled at how Chesney, who is not a day-glow individual, fills Sphere with a full array of colors. “Beer In Mexico” is flooded with multicolored skulls, with Chesney presented inside the eyes as the band pounds out the tune. A little bit creepy, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll. This is the most effective use of skeletons at Sphere since Dead & Company’s Harley-riding skeleton blazed across the landscape in “Hell In a Bucket.”
Spinning VIP action: You might not consider a bunch of all-access passes as visual art powerful enough to carry a number at Sphere. But Chesney presents dozens of VIP tickets, spinning clockwise into the apparent abyss, for “Reality.”
The star advises, “Sometimes life is not all that it’s cracked up to be, so let’s take a chance and live this fantasy.” The crowd is again taken from their seats and on this winding journey. The implication is, again, is you are experiencing a fantasy in real time.
“Big Star” hits tilt: This is a revival of Chesney’s 2002 fan favorite. The song centers on a female artist who defies the odds to become a (check the title) big star. The scene opens with a pinball machine, and we are the ball (or Sphere, if you will). We bang around the bumpers until met with an image of a younger Chesney with Taylor Swift. The two have been friends since Chesney booked Swift as opener on his “Flip Flop Summer Tour” in 2007. But Chesney was forced to cancel the invite because the tour was sponsored by Corona Extra, which restricted minors from endorsing the product, and Swift was just 17. He paid her a bunch of money anyway to make it right. The next year, Swift beat out Chesney for the CMA Entertainer of The Year award, Chesney sharing later he hugged her after the victory and joked, “Now give me my money back.”
Las Vegas color: The illuminated “City of Las Vegas” arch on Las Vegas Boulevard at The Strat returns to Chesney’s show. The image rises over the Strip skyline, which includes Sphere (which is not quite on the Strip, we know). Chesney announces, “I’ve been coming to Vegas a long time. If there’s a city in the world where every night is Saturday night, it’s Las Vegas.” He continues, “You might wake up to someone you know, and love. You might wake up to someone you don’t know, and don’t love. But whatever the situation, I hope you that you look at that person and say this phrase, with all your heart, ‘We! Went! Out! Last! Night!’”
Chesney dropped that intro in his 2025 show. It has become his call to arms for No Shoes Nation, who back their favorite through dizzying heights on Vegas nights.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.