Nothing but high praise for the leader of No Shoes Nation.
Megan Moroney is reflecting on her stellar 2024 year. From entering her blue era with the release of her sophomore record, Am I Okay?, supporting Kenny Chesney on a massive stadium tour to crushing a shoey on her first tour Down Under, Megan Moroney accomplished a lot over the past twelve months.
While she made a lot of memories while doing all of these things, she also learned a lot and is taking pieces of advice and some notes she took from tour with her into 2025. Ahead of the CMA Awards, she chatted with Katie Neal as a part of the Superstar Power Hour from Audacy’s Stars & Strings.
Neal asked Moroney about touring with Kenny Chesney on the Sun Goes Down Tour and whether she had seen anything Chesney does on tour that she hopes to incorporate into her shows next year. Moroney is wise to take notes from Chesney, as he has a long and successful career and knows what will keep people buying tickets and streaming his songs.
“I would say just really making it for the fans. You know, his live show is really a celebration of No Shoes Nation, and that’s how I want my shows to feel.”
Megan Moroney’s Emo Cowgirl fan base is ride-or-die for the Georgia native, so she’s fostering that culture at her shows. While it’s crucial for the fans to feel loved and special during live shows, she also took notes on how Chesney runs his shows and what’s always at the focal point—the songs.
“One thing I saw that was kind of crazy to me is that he’s in a stadium. He could have crazy production, but he doesn’t because his songs are that good, and he’s that good of a performer. So, it was kind of a reminder to focus on the songwriting and make sure the songs are good. Because, you know, he can get up there and entertain people for two hours and still not play all of his hits. There are still songs that he doesn’t get to play.
So that’s really inspiring, too. Like, how do you get to play for that long, and you don’t even play all of your hits?”
Kenny Chesney keeps his songwriting at the focal point of his career, and it’s worked out for him as his fans fill massive venues to hear their favorite hits instead of watching some crazy show with a lot of pyrotechnics.
Moroney and Chesney fostered a very close relationship on the tour, and I am sure he will continue to mentor her for years to come. I love their support for each other, such as Chesney congratulating Moroney on her CMA Award win after the show.
“Congratulations to Megan Moroney on your big win last night. We are all so happy for you and proud to watch you stand up there last night like a star that you are. This is just the beginning!! We love you, Megan!!”
It shows that he cares about her beyond being an artist, and I can’t wait to see how Moroney grows as an artist after watching a veteran like Chesney all year.
Check it out:
You’re in luck if you want to see Megan Moroney live in 2025. She’s embarking on an extensive Am I Okay? Tour to celebrate the music from her latest record. I know the Emo Cowgirls will show up and show out for each of these shows.