Published by Cel Manero from Global One Media Inc.
The country singer said the altercation occurred after a fan lifted him while he was making his way to the stage.
Kenny Chesney recounted a moment when he “snapped” and punched a fan who physically picked him up during a concert with Joe Walsh.
On Wednesday, the country star shared the story as a guest on The Howard Stern Show, though he didn’t specify exactly when it happened. Chesney performed with Walsh on the Flip Flop Summer Tour in 2007 and again during The Big Revival Tour in 2015.
“We were in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the Steelers’ stadium,” Chesney told Stern. “I thought it would be cool to walk through the crowd to the stage, kind of like a boxer making his way in.”
Chesney explained that security had moved ahead of him, leaving him alone as he made his way to the stage. “Out of the corner of my eye, I saw this guy approaching. Suddenly, he grabs me at the knees and lifts me up,” Chesney recalled. “I just snapped and punched him right in the mouth.”
He admitted that at the time, he worried about the consequences. “I thought, ‘This is going to cost me every penny I made tonight.’”
After the show, Chesney spoke with Walsh about the incident. “I said, ‘Joe, did you see what happened at the start of the show?’ He said yes. I asked, ‘What would you have done if someone picked you up like that?’ And he said, ‘I would have asked him to take me to the stage.’”
During the interview, Chesney also discussed a touching tribute to Jimmy Buffett at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He revealed that he and guitarist Mac McAnally secretly brought Buffett’s ashes on stage during his posthumous induction.
“We were warming up backstage, figuring out our parts, when Mac came over with a small urn. He had Jimmy’s ashes in his coat pocket,” Chesney shared.
