Kenny Chesney closed the 2022 CMT Music Awards with his popular throwback “Beer in Mexico.”
While it’s a chilly and rainy April evening outside Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium, Chesney transformed the stage into a tropical paradise with his 2005 sing-along favorite. Scenes of Chesney on the beach, dancing, paddleboarding, and even sporting a sombrero flitted across the expansive technicolor screen as he and his band brought vacation vibes to Music City.
The performance serves as a preview for his upcoming stadium tour that will launch later this month in Florida, with support from Dan + Shay, Old Dominion and Carly Pearce. It’s also the chance to show off his new band members – drummer Nick Buda and guitarist Danny Rader, who might look familiar to people. Radar spent years touring with Keith Urban. Chesney made sure they had the chance to show off, giving them an extended jam at the end of the song.
“When you do video right, it’s a lot like hitting the stage with everything you’ve got,” Chesney said in a statement. “You can give people so much more than a song or a record; you can show them the power and the emotion that’s driving what’s inside the songs. So, for us to come be part of this Monday, it’s bringing who we are during concerts to a place where people have seen so many of these videos. And it’s always great to be able to close down the night!”
If you missed Chesney’s show-closing jaunt to the beach, CMT will air CMT MUSIC AWARDS EXTENDED CUT with an added 30 minutes of new performances and bonus content on Friday, April 15th (8:00–11:30 p.m. ET) exclusively on CMT.