Kenny Chesney's new exhibit may be called, "Living in Fast Forward," but it's really a chance for the superstar to hit rewind.
Nine months after becoming the 158th member of the Country Music Hall of Fame,
Chesney returned to the museum July 22 to celebrate the opening of a new career-spanning display chronicling the East Tennessee native's journey from a college bluegrass band to one of country music's biggest touring stars.
"It's weird seeing your life behind glass like that, because I lived it once, but to see it again is really strange," Chesney told guests gathered in the Hall of Fame rotunda. "But I'm very proud of it."
The exhibit features 95 artifacts spanning more than three decades, including the weathered wicker rocking chair that inspired his favorite song, "Old Blue Chair"; the cassette demo of "When She Calls Me Baby" recorded in 1992; handwritten chord charts for "You and Tequila"; and "Marley 2," the life-size blue marlin replica that washed away from his home during Nashville's 2010 flood before being recovered downstream. Fifteen concert tour flags hang above the glass display, marking the first time the museum has used the gallery's vertical space.
"The thing that I saw when I first walked in... is the amount of fun that we've had," Chesney said. "We are having just as much fun today as we did then. Music is supposed to be fun."
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young said Chesney approached the exhibit the same way he has approached his career.
Before agreeing to the project, Young had a Zoom meeting with Chesney who arrived five minutes early wearing a tank top and backward ball cap. The "No Shoes Nation" captain asked detailed questions about whether the exhibit would capture the parts of his life that mattered most.
Writer and editor Jon Freeman, who spent months researching Chesney's career and helping shape the exhibit, said the collection tells the star's complete story.
"I think he's maybe the most influential artist of the 2000s," Freeman said. "It's really hard to imagine the current country music on the radio without someone like Kenny Chesney doing the kinds of collaborations he was doing and innovating with sound."
"Living in Fast Forward" is included with museum admission and runs through June 2027.
Admission costs $31.95 for adults and $21.95 for children ages 6 to 12. As Chesney put it after walking through the gallery for the first time: "It's really cool, and I hope you guys enjoy it."
Bryan West is a music reporter at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kenny Chesney opens 'Living in Fast Forward' Hall of Fame exhibit
