Kenny Chesney Hints at Taking a Break

He's the biggest North American concert ticket seller of any artist in any genre of music, and there's no doubt Kenny Chesney takes his touring very seriously. But is it taking a toll on him? In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the four-time CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year revealed that his days on the road may come to a halt, at least temporarily.

"I can honestly say that my perspective of this is gonna change," he answered EW when asked how long he thinks he can continue the constant touring, putting on elaborate show after show. "Things that I've done to put myself in a position to do certain things -- I've had my foot on the gas pedal so hard for so long, and I've never looked at it as a sacrifice. Never. Not once. But ... I can say that I don't see myself with the foot on the gas pedal as hard as it's been down for 16 years. I think there is a part of life that I'm missing.

"The whole world doesn't revolve around this stuff," Kenny continued. "It does for us now. And I've given and given and given and given and when I couldn't give any more, I gave. And then everybody said, 'We know you're tired, but we want you to give just one more time.' And that ain't gonna happen no more. If you'd told me when I was sitting on that barstool [playing for tips after college] that I'd win as many Entertainers of the Year as Garth Brooks did, I'd have told you you were crazy. And I have. Do I want to win another one? Yeah, sure. But you know what? The things that you have to do to be in that spot? I'm not gonna do anymore. I'm not ... It almost makes it seem mechanical. And I think I can be better than that. I don't think I've written my best song yet. I want to be a great songwriter. And if that means taking a year off and living on my boat and writing those songs, I want to do it. Despite the consequences."

Kenny has headlined summer tours every year since 2002, selling out arenas and stadiums across the country. His current Sun City Carnival Tour runs through September.

You can read the entire Entertainment Weekly interview with Kenny here.