WHEN THE POETS & PIRATES TOUR sails into Turner Field, it is contemporary country paragon Kenny Chesney who will be the bona fide captain. Named after Chesney's latest disc, "Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates," the tour is a multi-act, yee haw-inducing rave-up with LeAnn Rimes, Brooks & Dunn, Gary Allan, the Next Big Star and rocker Sammy Hagar filling the rest of the bill.
The Turner Field parking lot opens at 10 a.m. when tailgating fans will likely engage in pre-concert pageantry of the grilled and liquid kind. Music begins at 3:30 p.m., and all roads lead to Chesney's performance just after 9 p.m.
Chesney holds his headlining spot with mucho cred: 15 No. 1 country hits, more than 30 million in record sales and more than 1 million concert tickets sold to each of his tours six years in a row.
After performing in front of more than 50,000 fans on July 5 in Nashville, Chesney took a breather. He talked over the phone about songwriting, working with country legends and keeping his hat —- and head —- on straight.
On his songwriting method:
"I have a small recorder in my backpack. I'll hear a melody, and I'll start humming into it, save it and go back to it six months later. I don't have one method of writing a song, because if you lock yourself into that, you're going to miss something. And I'm looking forward to getting creative again. This tour has been really great. But as any tour is when you put this much into it and do the kind of shows that we're doing, it takes a lot of energy mentally. I'm looking forward to trying to get some of that back and writing some songs this fall and winter."
On co-producing Willie Nelson's 2007 record "Moment of Forever":
"Working with Willie was just an inspiration all the way around. [Since then] I've felt a little bit of an artistic shift as far as a songwriter and the kind of records that I want to make. I think it's inevitable when you work with someone like him. And Willie as a songwriter means as much to American music as anybody. It was something that I'll take with me on my journey of making music."
On "Shiftwork," his duet with George Strait:
"It's my favorite cut on ['Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates']. It's a recording that I never thought would ever happen. Just being able to sing with George and having him be a part of my career in a small way was something that I never really dreamed of. I sang in a lot of college bars with a tip jar on a stool and played a lot of his music. I never thought I'd ever meet him, much less make a record with him. For that reason, it's one of my favorite cuts on the record just for history's sake. I'll have that forever."
On staying grounded amid huge success:
"I was a songwriter in Nashville before I was able to get a record deal, and I had a really good strong base before my life changed. If anything ever gets a little crazy in my life, I always go back to that place. ... I always felt like if I worked harder as a songwriter, if I really just tried to keep tunnel vision and keep focus, then some of the stuff would just bounce off. Some of it has and some of it hasn't, to be honest with you. I don't get too caught up in what's happening around me, but sometimes your life takes on a life of its own. "
> THE 411: Kenny Chesney and LeAnn Rimes: The Poets & Pirates Tour. $45.50-$106. 3:30 p.m. July 13. Turner Field, 755 Hank Aaron Drive, Atlanta. 404-249-6400, www.ticketmaster.com.
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