Dan + Shay tribute Kenny Chesney in original new song

ABC

Dan + Shay are Kenny Chesney superfans and are pledging their allegiance through song. 

The duo is currently one of the opening acts on Kenny’s stadium-sized Here and Now Tour. Ahead of their show at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, they debuted a new song they wrote in honor of the impact Kenny has had on them. 

Dan + Shay hopped on Instagram to share the brand new track, with Dan Smyers revealing that it’s inspired by how much Kenny’s music means to them and how they used to go to his shows every summer. “It’s an absolute dream come true for us to be on this tour,” he said. “At the end of the day, we’re still just fans.”

With the lyrics pulled up on bandmate Shay Mooney‘s phone, the two turned the empty Nissan Stadium into their personal stage as they performed the acoustic number that references Kenny’s hit “I Go Back” while recalling the first time they met him. 

“The first time I shook his hand/All I said was was thank you, man/You introduced me to country music/You’re the reason that I do it,” Shay croons, leading into the chorus. “Every time I hear that song/I’m right back there in that parking lot/Drinking discount beer with my best friends/We were drunk before we ever got in/And just like him it stops me in my tracks/Singing I go back.” 

Many fans took to the comments to demand that the duo officially record the song, with one referring to it as “the song of the summer.” 

Carly Pearce and Old Dominion are also part of the lineup of Kenny’s tour, which continues through the summer, concluding with a two-night stay at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on August 26 and 27. 

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