Carly Pearce and Russell Dickerson are having so much success on the charts that the old friends decided to team up for the co-headlining The Way Back Tour in 2019.
After topping the charts earlier this year with “Yours,” Russell earned his second No. 1 hit with “Blue Tacoma” in October, while Carly copped her first No. 1 with “Every Little Thing” in 2017 before recently scoring a Top 15 hit with “Hide the Wine.”
Carly and Russell’s 11-date co-headlining tour kicks off on Jan. 24 in Cleveland and makes additional stops in Myrtle Beach, Tulsa, Chicago and more.
“Carly and I go way, way back, and we have cheered each other on for years,” says Russell. “Breaking onto the scene together has been such a fun ride, so we had to book a tour together to celebrate.”
“It’s crazy to think about eight years ago when Russell and I had a residency in Nashville together,” says Carly. “Now, to see the evolution of our careers that have mirrored in so many ways is a dream come true. Sometimes slow and steady wins the race, and I couldn’t be more proud of how far we’ve come.”
After Kenny Chesney’s 2018 Trip Around the Sun Tour hit more than a dozen major stadiums and more than 20 amphitheaters, the Tennessee native is scaling back his 2019 tour, which he has dubbed the Songs for the Saints 2019 Tour.
“I wanted to change it up,” says Kenny. “Last year was so intense, and amazing. No Shoes Nation took it to a whole other level, and they blew all of us away. It was the kind of energy you don’t take for granted. So when we started thinking about next year, they made me wanna come to them. Rather than the massive two-day set-up, make everyone come to a stadium away from their homes, I wanted to go to where the fans live . . . strip things back a bit, and make it a little more intimate.”
While dates haven’t been announced yet, Kenny has revealed 11 cities and venues, including Washington, D.C., Wichita, Kan., Atlantic City, N.J., and more.
“This is the kind of thing you do for passion,” Kenny says. “To rein things in a bit, change up the way we present the music, I know these songs will show us things they don’t when we’re in those massive stadiums. I never worry about the energy or the passion, but I think the songs are different depending on where you play them. So I’m fired up for 2019.”
Dates and more cities will be announced in the coming weeks.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – All five of Tennessee’s starters scored in double digits as the Vols rolled to a 86-41 season-opening victory over Lenoir-Rhyne in front of a crowd of 16,156 at Thompson-Boling Arena Tuesday.
The sixth-ranked Vols built a 20-point halftime lead before opening the second half on a 19-0 run over the first 8:47 of play to put the game away. In the second half, Tennessee held Lenoir-Rhyne to 11 points on 4-of-32 (12.5 percent) shooting during the period.
Jordan Bone led Tennessee (1-0) in scoring with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go along with six boards and three assists, followed by a career-high 16 points from Kyle Alexander. Alexander also added five rebounds and four blocks.
Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield both chipped in 13 points. Williams finished with seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals. Schofield tallied a game-high nine boards and four assists. Jordan Bowden recorded 11 points and a game-high six assists.
Cory Thomas led the Bears in scoring with seven points.
Lenoir-Rhyne started the game hot from 3-point range, hitting six of its first 10 attempts. All of the Bears’ first 18 points came by way of 3-pointers.
Tennessee built an early lead, but the Bears cut that lead to 20-18 on a Jalen Johnson 3-pointer, their sixth converted three of the first half.
The Vols quickly responded, however, coming out of the timeout and executing a quick, 13-2 run that featured three forced turnovers in a 40-second span to push the lead back to 13 points.
From there, Tennessee gradually built on its lead before ending the first half on a 13-4 run, taking a 50-30 advantage into the break.
Tennessee’s 50 first-half points marked the first time the Vols reached the half-century in a half mark since Nov. 14, 2017. Bone and Alexander both reached double-digit scoring in the first half with 12 points apiece.
HOME OPENER ATTENDANCE: A crowd of 16,156 witnessed the Vols’ opening night win over Lenoir-Rhyne. It marked the largest home-opener crowd at Thompson-Boling Arena since 2012.
VOLS TALLY 11 BLOCKS: Tennessee blocked 11 shots during Tuesday’s triumph, the most blocks in a single game since having 11 on Dec. 23, 2013, against Morehead State. Kyle Alexander led the team with four blocks, Yves Pons added three, Grant Williams had two and Jordan Bowden had one.
LOCKDOWN SECOND HALF DEFENSE: Tennessee held Lenoir-Rhyne to just 11 second-half points during Tuesday’s win, which was fewer than any UT opponent managed during a half last season. After starting the game 6-for-10 from 3-point range, the Bears finished the game 1-of-25 from beyond the arc. Of the 11 Lenoir-Rhyne players who attempted a shot in the second half, only three made a basket. Overall, the Bears finished 4-for-32 (12.5 percent) from the field in the second half.
PONS FILLS THE STAT SHEET: Sophomore swingman Yves Pons got it done in several statistical categories, setting several career-highs. Pons finished the game with seven points (on 3-of-4 shooting), five rebounds and three blocks. In 21 minutes of play, the Fuveau, France, native finished with a plus-minus rating of +31.
WILLIAMS RECORDS 50TH DOUBLE-DIGIT GAME: Junior forward and reigning SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams logged his 50th career double-digit scoring game with his 13-point performance against Lenoir-Rhyne. Dating to last season, Williams has scored in double digits in seven straight games. The Charlotte, N.C., native scored in double figures in 29 of 35 games as a sophomore last season.
UP NEXT: Tennessee returns to Thompson-Boling Arena on Friday at 7 p.m. ET for its second home game of the week as it hosts Louisiana. The game will be streamed online and viewable worldwide through SEC Network+ (WatchESPN).
Tennessee men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes spoke to the media in his postgame press conference after the Vols defeated Lenoir-Rhyne in the season opener at home 86-41.
