LITITZ, PENNSYLVANIA -
Kenny Chesney, the six-time Grammy Award-winning country icon, traversed the U.S. in 2024 on his Sun Goes Down tour, demonstrating the talent, conversational wit, and relatable storytelling that earned him 33 number-one Country Airplay Billboard hits and sold more than 30 million albums. The Knoxville, Tennessee native, dubbed “The People’s Superstar” by the Los Angeles Times, alternated between sold-out professional football stadiums and amphitheaters, relying on a Cohesion system in each venue.
The only country artist on Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Artists for the last decade, Chesney and his production team have elected to carry Cohesion since 2022, the last time the industrious crew trekked to as many stadiums.
“We’re in several environments: football stadiums, sheds, soccer stadiums, all different. Some stadiums are 160–180 feet high,” said Production Manager and Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Ed Wannebo. “We need a cabinet that can throw, can handle the timing, clarity, truck space — all of that. I knew the Cohesion system would be able to handle all environments without problem.”
“Sun Goes Down” featured a star-studded production team of award-winning industry veterans, including Wannebo, FOH Engineer Robert Scovill, a Parnelli and CMA Touring Award recipient, and Parnelli Award-winning System Engineer Jim “Fish” Miller.
The PA utilized 16 Cohesion CO12 left-right for the main hangs and 18 CO12 on the side hangs, and the rear hangs were comprised of a dozen Cohesion CO10 left-right.
Six Cohesion CP218 II+ subwoofers were flown left-right in cardioid configuration with an additional 26 CP218 II+ placed underneath the T-thrust. The decision to move subwoofers offstage was a choice made on the 2022 stadium tour. “The band loves where they are now…more in the cardioid pattern instead of above it,” said Scovill.
For front fill, a single Cohesion CF28 was placed under the T-thrust, and eight CF14 per side were placed under the stage in the“sandbar” — the intimate standing-room only zone. The CF14 alternated between horizontal and vertical orientations, with the former being hung under-stage and the latter stacked atop CP218 II+.
Two delay towers, each with two hangs of eight CO12, were supplemented by an additional ground stack of four CO12 on either side when needed. Rounding out the system were three additional CM14 used as wedge monitors for the guitarists and a Cohesion CP118+, paired with a Cohesion CM14 monitor, which sat behind the drum riser as a compact drum fill.
For amphitheater shows, the system shifted to 16 CO12 left-right on the mains, 12 CO10 on the sides, and three CP218 II+ flown on either side plus an additional six to twelve CP218 II+ per side on the ground and a front fill configuration that “changed daily” but typically comprised of four to eight total CF14.
The CF28 and CF14 are part of Cohesion’s CF Series, a new line of versatile speakers engineered with an emphasis on application flexibility. “The CF14 are simple to deploy anywhere we need complementary coverage, especially since they do not require more amplification and can drive more off a single amp channel,” said Miller.
Because the 23’ LED walls were located directly under the arrays, the team determined that shooting farther into the thrust 41’ from the front of the stage would avoid hitting the back of the screens, resulting in a coverage gap. “How do we handle the void? We can’t put anything on stage, and we needed something to cover those people up front,” said Wannebo. “The front fill handled it. It sounded beautiful.”
“Since Kenny spends most of his performance directly in front of the flown speakers, and we shade the CO12 pointed directly at the T-thrust, the CF14 and CF28 give the same character in the ‘sandbar’ that the rest of the audience receives, with no EQ applied,” said Miller.
Due to the LED screens, the CO12 and CO10 arrays were flown “unusually high for stadiums,” described Scovill. He also changed the delay system (compared to the ’22 tour) from three towers with one hang each to two towers with two hangs apiece to better support the stereo mix off the console.
“We needed to maintain the stereo imagery all the way to the seats in the back,” added Wannebo. “We reproduce and deliver the energy where it needs to be.”
“I would take Cohesion anywhere because of its power,” said Miller. “The CO12 is powerful, throwing 350–400 feet. The CO10 is just as powerful for a smaller driver.”
The crew was able to rig the system up to trim in as little as 90 minutes, whether the deployment was in a stadium or amphitheater, according to PA Tech Jen Smola. “It’s simple, efficient, and quick. It doesn’t take a lot of pieces, and what we do have are light, manageable, and easy to move around,” Smola added. “It’s very much appreciated by those of us rigging.”
“It goes up fast, comes down fast, packages up nicely — it just kicks ass,” said Wannebo. “Only three amp racks a side per stadium is really efficient, especially with the price of fuel. Knocking off a truck and still having quality product is a big deal.”
“It’s a monumental jump doing stadiums at this scale down to a 10–20,000-seat shed. It’s a tremendous challenge, but when you have a great staff, they know what to do,” added Scovill.
“You need talented, dedicated people to make a rig sing,” said Wannebo. “I am so proud to be part of a quality crew that slays it daily. Who lives like we do? We do!”
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