Kenny Chesney returning to Sphere in ‘26

Kenny Chesney soared at Sphere in the summer of ‘25. He’s leaving no doubt of his plans for the summer of ‘26.

The country superstar closed his 15-show run Saturday night at the Bulbous Wonder by swiftly announcing he will be back. The leader of No Shoes Nation thanked fans for turning out for the residency. Then he dropped the hammer.

“To be able to take our audience on such a magical journey has been one of the highlights of our lives,” Chesney said at the end of the show. “I can tell you that a couple of days ago … We were asked to come back.”

Chesney repeated the message in a post-show video. “We’re coming. If you guys come, we’ll come.”

As “Out Last Night” shut down the party, the message #IGoBack26 and #Summertime26 was displayed in the venue.

Chesney’s buddy and Coral Reefer band icon Mac McAnally jumped into the party on Friday and Saturday night. The celebrated singer-songwriters performed their No. 1 duet “Down The Road,” originally recorded on McAnally’s “Simple Life.” They also uncorked “Two Dozen Roses.”

“I got a little carried away,” Chesney said after the show, as disclosed in a news release. “But after all the guests, all the songs we hadn’t planned on, all the people who came from all over, I just didn’t want to keep it a secret. I knew we were coming back, and if No Shoes Nation had half as much fun as we did, I wanted them to know we’d see them right here next summer. What could be better?”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.