Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/136432
KENNY CHESNEY SPREADS THE LOVE FOR BOSTON Hannah Storm: New England music fans seem to have an increasing love for both you and country music. What makes that connection so strong? Kenny Chesney: I think that New Englanders live life and they love life as much as I do. We connected from the beginning when I first played in Boston in a small theater. We didn't always play Gillette Stadium. It was built over time. Oddly enough, the people are very much like the ones I grew up with in East Tennessee. Really? They're not afraid. They play hard and love hard. And they love sports like I do. It's a very passionate town, whether it's sports, music, or food. We invested in each other, and over time we've built this wonderful thing. There's a strong New England thread that runs through my life in the Virgin Islands, too. My boat captain is from New England, and so are many of my friends. Once you have that one certain thing in your soul that leans toward the water, it never leaves you. With all the friends you have in the city and all the fondness you have for Boston, you must have felt sick when you heard the news about the Boston Marathon. I know you set up a Spread the Love fund to help with the prosthetics and . the ongoing care of some of the victims. Why did you decide to do this? Watching the footage, I was stunned at first. And then, like for a lot of people, for me it turned to anger. Why do we live in a world where you can't go to the movie theater in Colorado, where you can't take your kids to school in Connecticut, where you can't go watch a major sporting event in America? We should be able to cheer for our friends running in the Boston Marathon and be happy that they accomplished something so wonderful. Why can't we do that? It's the robbing of these basic pleasures in life. Yeah. I sat there and I internalized that. Bostonians have shown me so much love over the years, how could I not do something? God has given me this life where I can use music to help people. Regardless of your religious beliefs, BEFORE THE COUNTRY MUSIC ICON ENDS HIS SUMMER TOUR HERE IN AUGUST, HE RIFFS WITH HANNAH STORM ON WANTING TO BE DUSTIN PEDROIA, HIS CONNECTION TO THE OCEAN, AND FUNDRAISING FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE MARATHON BOMBINGS W hile he may have been born a Te n n e s s e e man and emb raced the mythology of a Caribbean pirate, like many wanderers and lyricists before him, Kenny Chesney has made Boston something of a personal landmark. He caps off his annual tour with two days at Gillette Stadium, August 23 and 24, a finale that has become legendary in Boston. Through friends and his art, he has connected intimately with New England, and that connection compelled him to launch a special fundraiser for victims of the marathon bombings in April. He talks about all of this, as well as his new album, Life on a Rock, and the launch of Blue Chair Bay, an authentically Kenny rum, with his good friend, ESPN anchor Hannah Storm. BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM 086-089_BC_F_CoverStory_SUM13.indd 87 87 6/7/13 4:12 PM