Photo: Getty Images
Megan Moroney’s handwritten lyrics she gifted Kenny Chesney for Christmas turned into a full circle duet.
Moroney, the reigning Country Music Association New Artist of the Year, recently shared the screenshot of the ticket she purchased to Chesney’s concert in May 2018 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Moroney and her friends sat in section 312 in the massive venue. This past summer, however, the Emo Cowgirl joined Chesney on his headlining 2024 stadium tour as an opening act. Moroney wrote in the lyrics of the song, “seven years later, got a different point of view.”
“That night was so much fun,” Moroney said in a statement in a press release issued Friday morning (May 9). “The stuff you do with your friends marks a summer. If that’s all there was, it was perfect. But last year with Kenny, I saw how his life is creating a string of the most perfect nights for anyone who comes to see him the way we did.”
“You Had To Be There” serves as a tribute to that full circle milestone and Moroney’s newfound friendship with the megastar singer-songwriter. Chesney previously shared that the song is likely a “first” in his decades-long career.
“I couldn’t believe it because it was a true postcard, if you will, of everything we experienced on the road,” Chesney said in a “Behind The Song” video as he reflected on the first time he heard “You Had To Be There.” He later said, “as far as I know, nobody has ever written a song for me. And if that’s true, I’m really glad that ‘You Had To Be There’ is the first one.”
“Nobody has more fun, works harder, is more creative – or pranked me harder than Megan,” Chesney added in the press release. “When she called to see if I’d sing on her song, a song she said she wrote about me, I paused. Nobody’s ever written a song about me, but nobody’s ever ridden a tiny child’s tractor down my T wearing my clothes before, either.
“The answer was always going to be yes. But what a great thing to sing on a song so well-written, with so much heart and so in the moment. Being out with Megan last year, she really does pack it all into every single thing she does. With her, you do have to be there.”
“You Had To Be There” arrives as Moroney continues her headlining “Am I Okay? Tour.” See the list of tour stops below, and listen to “You Had To Be There” here:
Megan Moroney’s AM I OKAY? TOUR:
MAY
15 | Minneapolis, MN – The Armory
16 | Omaha, NE – The Astro Amphitheater
17 | Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
22 | Washington, DC – The Anthem
24 | Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
29 | Savannah, GA – Enmarket Arena
30 | Savannah, GA – Enmarket Arena
JUNE
12 | Canandaigua, NY – CMAC
13 | Richmond, VA – Virginia Credit Union LIVE!
14 | Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion
20 | Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE Outdoors
JULY
17 | Milwaukee, WI – Eagles Ballroom
19 | Buffalo, NY – Outer Harbor Live at Terminal B
AUGUST
01 | Boston, MA – Roadrunner
02 | Boston, MA – Roadrunner
SEPTEMBER
12 | Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium
13 | Charlotte, NC – Bojangles Coliseum
16 | Independence, MO – Cable Dahmer Arena
18 | West Valley City, UT – Maverik Center
19 | Idaho Falls, ID – Mountain America Center
20 | Lake Tahoe, NV – Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys
24 | Vancouver, BC – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
26 | Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater
27 | Portland, OR – Theater of the Clouds
30 | Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
OCTOBER
2 | Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
4 | Las Vegas, NV – The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
10 | Dallas, TX – Texas Trust CU Theatre