It was a night to remember for over 30,000 country music fans.  Starting at 4 P.M. with Lady Antebellum, Kenny Chesney's Sun City Carnival Arena Tour didn't end until after 11pm with Chesney singing an encore medley of classic rock standby's.

Lady Antebellum ran through about a thirty minute set of their hits including "Love Don't Live Here" (watch) and "I Run To You" along with a sprinkling of covers before Miranda Lambert took to the stage with her firery brand of country and rock.  While she sang hits like "Kerosene" (watch here), "Dead Flowers" and "Gunpowder & Lead," Miranda also rocked out to Joan Jett's "I Love Rock and Roll." Montgomery Gentry's 90-minute set featured virtually all of the band's hits, from "Hillbilly Shoes" to "Gone" to their latest "Long Line of Losers" (watch). Eddie and T-Roy were in fine voice. 

While all three of those acts were fun and sounded at least as good (if not better than) their records, Sugarland, performing for only the second time since Jennifer Nettles was ordered to take a brief vocal rest, ran through their hits like"Baby Girl" (watch here)  "All I Want To Do" and "Want To" but curiously didn't play "Stay."  They surprised the audience by performing Pearl Jam's classic hit "Better Man," one of the group's 12 cover songs featured on "Live On The Inside," A new album released Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at Walmart stores.  Nettles and Bush provided a high-energy show and it was clearly obvious that this is an act that will not be supporting many artists much longer. In fact, they are one of the few acts touring that could fill an arena as they, like headliner Chesney and Rascal Flatts, have music that crosses over and touches more than the historically country listening fan. 

Kenny surprised the audience as he entertained from about 50 feet in the air on a chair for his opening song "Live Those Songs Again" (view here).  Fans were estactic with the enterance and it was just the beginning of a two-hour-long set of virtually all of Chesney's hits like "Keg In A Closet," "Summertime" "I Go Back" (view here) and "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy."  While those moments were fun, it was great to hear Chesney reach back into his catalog and perform "Me And You," a song which was his first #1 hit.

Kenny also brought out friends like The Wailer's Drummie Zeb, songwriter Mac McAnally and a horn section led by Jim Horn.  The set covered 20 songs and during the encore, Drumme Zeb sang a Marley song with Kenny while an unknown guy sang "With Or Without You" (by U2) with Kenny.  Mac, for his part, shared the stage with Kenny for "Back Where I Come From" and their #1 duet "Down The Road" (watch).