Pop Music

BY RICK MASSIMO
Journal Pop Music Writer

FOXBORO - "It wouldn't be summer without you," Kenny Chesney told the crowd of 55,869 early on in his show Sunday night at Gillette Stadium, and evidently the feeling was mutual: Even though this was Chesney's fifth straight year headlining the new England Country Music Festival, it was his fifth straight sellout - this time in eight minutes back in December, stadium officials said.

How does that kind of appeal happen? And continue?

Well, for one, Chesney's been putting out a new record every year for the past five, so repeat fans always have new songs to look forward to. He's also a genial Everyguy with a flair for the big stage - this year opening the show by singing "Live Those Songs Again" while riding in a crane above the audience to the stage.

And with his odes to beer in Mexico, guitars and tiki bars and kegs in the closet, Chesney has not only added to the country-music lexicon; he's become a full-on Jimmy Buffett-in-waiting. Songs such as "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" and "Keg in the Closet" pretty much explain themselves.

His sound has more to do with thick-sounding Les Paul guitars than fiddles and slide guitars (although those made appearances too). But there were plenty of change-ups from Chesney and his 12-piece band (including horn section). "Guitars and Tiki Bars" hopped from snappy, horn-driven ska-lite to a one-drop reggae beat; "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" included glockenspiel-like vibes.

Things got a little slow in the middle, with the Nashville power ballads "I Go Back" and "Anything But Mine," both from 2004's When the Sun Goes Down album, and then the piano ballads "Me and You" and "There Goes My Life" (with sax on the former).

It picked up from there temporarily, with the rock-star celebration "Living in Fast Forward," and after a pause for "Boston" (naturally), thigs pretty much stayed up-tempo from there.

The white reggae of "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven" was the only song from last year's Lucky Old Sun to make it in, and from there the party anthem "When the Sun Goes Down" and the earnest rocker "Don't Happen Twice" finished the regular set.

And the encores included the self-deprecating swagger of "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" and Steve Miller's "The Joker," including cameo appearances by Patriots players Tedy Bruschi ("don't tell Coach he was out here tonight") and Wes Welker.

It's seriously tempting - and would not be completely inaccurate - to simply describe the opening acts by the '70s and '80s rock and pop songs they covered: Sugarland, led by the big-voiced Jennifer Nettles, tackled Katrina and the Waves' "Walking on Sunshine." Montgomery Gentry took on KISS's "Rock n Roll All Nite," while Miranda Lambert hit Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" and Rod Stewart's "Stay With Me" and opener Lady Antebellum went for "Long train Runnin'."

OK, that's not all you need to know: Sugarland spun on the axis Nettles and guitarist and singer Kristian Bush, who were respectively a little bit country and - well, a lot of rock 'n' roll.

The opener, "Love," was a grand rock anthem starting with wah-wah guitar and organ washes; 'Settlin'" was pure '80s rock, and "Want To" was also an arena statement. "It Happens" had a Dolly Parton-esque bounce, but the real country elements were the detailed, common-touch storytelling and, again, Nettles's powerful voice. They even threw a bit of Madonna's "Holiday," Nelly's "Hot in Herre"(cq) and The Emotions' "Best of My Love" into "Everyday America."

It began to get a little refined, a little adult-contemporary, until they brought the noise - and the speed - to the honky-tonk rock of "Down in Mississippi (Up to No Good)." And of course they covered Bon Jovi's "Who Says You Can't Go Home," the single on which Nettles did a guest vocal.

Montgomery Gentry balanced loud and proud Southern rock such as "Hell Yeah," a tribute to the therapeutic effects of volume, as well as the swaggering "What Do Ya Think About That?" with sentimental stuff such as "Back When I Knew It All," a mid-tempo pop-rocker about growing up, the Everyman anthem "Something to Be Proud Of" and ballads of satisfaction such as "Lucky Man" and "My Town."

The result was that at time they weren't rocking as hard as frontman Eddie Montgomery (or singer-guitarist Troy Gentry) were shouting that they were, but they made up for it by the end with the sway-and-sing-along "Long Line of Losers," the genial barroom anthem "One In Every Crowd" ("and it's usually me") and, probably most impressively, "Hillbilly Shoes," which mixed and old-time stomp with metallic guitar riffs and a bit of "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" on top.

Miranda Lambert came out in full rocker mode with "Kerosene" and finished that way with the redneck shotgun anthem "Gunpowder and Lead." In between, she threw in covers of Rod Stewart's "Stay With Me" and Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," and changed up with the honky-tonk story-song "Dry Town" and the piano-led ballad "More Like Her."

With a new record coming out next month, Lambert went through the new single "White Liar" at a gallop, with a keening slide guitar leading the way, as well as the nondescript ballad "Dead Flowers" and the guitar rocker "Maintain the Pain."

Lady Antebellum kicked off their opening set with the crashing power chords of "Lookin' For a Good Time," congruously quoted AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" about halfway through that, and launched into a cover of The Doobie Brothers' "Long Train Runnin'" in midset. It was an accurate microcosm of their mix of country music and heartland rock, with the earnest semi-twang of Charles Kelly and Hilary Scott leading the way.

"Home Is Where the Heart Is" and "Love Looks Good On You" pretty much covered their lyrical bases, but it was all tuneful enough, especially the breakthrough hit "Love Don't Live Here." As if to drive home Kelly's John Mellencamp-like husk, they closed with a cover of "Hurts So Good."

rmassimo@projo.com / (401) 277-7206

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