Kelsea Ballerini surprised Kenny Chesney’s unsuspecting audience when she appeared on stage during his concert over the weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ballerini shared a few videos on her Instagram story showing the two East Tennessee-born country stars on stage together for Chesney’s hit anthem, “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” his Hemingway’s Whiskey duet with Grace Potter “You and Tequila,” and “half of my hometown,” which Ballerini and Chesney released in 2020.

“Thank you to [Kelsea Ballerini] for making the stage a lot more beautiful last night in Charlotte, NC. What a surprise and what a moment for all of us. Love you, Kelsea,” Chesney wrote as he shared a few snapshots by photographer Allister Ann on Instagram.

Chesney recently kicked off his headlining “Sun Goes Down 2024 Tour,” following the release of his 15-track studio album, Born. The project includes “Just To Say We Did,” “Take Her Home,” the title track and other highlights, adding to decades of hits spanning Chesney’s career. He said when the album released that “Born” serves as “a reminder that we are all the same. We all love. We all dream. In some ways, we all struggle with what we’re doing here.

“I can speak for myself, there’s a line in the song that says, ‘am I making in harder than it has to be?,’ and I think I do that a lot,” the country hitmaker, who stopped by The Bobby Bones Show when his album debuted, continued. “And I think that’s the connection of this song ‘Born.’ I think a lot of people in my audience — if they’re anything like me, which I think they are — make it harder than it has to be, and I’m working on that myself. And I think why not we just all enjoy the ride, share it and celebrate how good life can be.” He previously said of the project: “My new album BORN continues the story of who we are and how we live, breathe, work, rock, kick back and sometimes get tangled up in feelings that are anything but simple.”

Chesney is bringing Zac Brown Band, Megan Moroney and Uncle Kracker on the tour named after his early 2000s anthem, which “captured a vibe and a moment so perfectly. No matter how much fun you’re having all day long, ‘everything gets hotter when the sun goes down.’ I know from years of experience that’s true. …It’s gonna be awesome.” See the remaining tour stops below.

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