Kenny Chesney Spread the Love Tour

CHRIS STAPLETON deserves every bit of love that’s come his way since the CMAs.  Ask anyone in Nashville and they’ll say it’s long overdue.  But even he knows it wouldn’t have blown up this big if not for his duet with JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE.

So, “Billboard” asked how the whole thing came together.  He said, quote, “We’ve known each other for a few years.  We talk about dad stuff and regular life stuff . . . and we talk about music a lot, too.  And we always check in on each other.

“It’s like, ‘Hey man, how you doing?  All right, you good?  Cool.’  In all that, we kept threatening to find a reason to do something.  So when [my three CMA] nominations came up, I called and he was like, ‘Yeah, man, tell me when and I’ll be there.'”

They were given eight minutes to perform, which is a lot for an awards show.  And from what Chris says, we can thank Justin for that.  Quote, “He’s real good at convincing people what’s needed . . . and what would make sense.

“And for him, what made sense was eight minutes.  Obviously I’m not going to complain about that.  I understand it was an unprecedented amount of time to get on a show.  But they really wanted to make it be a moment, and that was the way it got done.”

  OLD DOMINION were still playing clubs and fairs when KENNY CHESNEY invited them to be one of the openers on his 2015 Big Revival tour.  It was such a surprise they refused to believe it.

Bass player GEOFF SPRUNG says, quote, “We thought it was a joke.  They were like, ‘You guys made it.  Kenny wants you on the tour,’ and we were like, ‘Yeah, whatever.’  And they were like, ‘No, we’re serious.'”

Singer MATT RAMSEY explains what it was like going from the guesthouse to the penthouse.  Quote, “We were in this weird spot where we’re playing these crappy little fairs, and then on Saturday we would get to go play a stadium.

“The whole crew, and Kenny himself, everybody treats you like gold.  The fans are amazing.  Nobody’s getting into fights, and everybody’s just having a good time.  The whole atmosphere, from beginning to end, is amazing.”

They were definitely up to the task too, because Kenny booked them for his 2016 Spread The Love tour . . . which also features MIRANDA LAMBERT and SAM HUNT.