The ’90s… for many, it’s the golden era of country music, but that’s because many of us ’80 and ’90s babies grew up it with it. It was a formative time that we now look back on fondly, drinking up that nostalgia like the first sip of an ice cold beer. Of course, on a practical level, the ’90s also catapulted country music into the mainstream in a way that we had never seen before. Following the pop-inspired boom of the ’80s, which came on the heels of the popular movie Urban Cowboy, the neotraditional movement, spearheaded by the likes of George Strait, Keith Whitley and Randy Travis, really root. It took country from the honky-tonks and into stadiums, turning cowboy hats and wrangler jeans into mainstream fashion, and producing songs that still dominate bar jukeboxes and tailgate playlists today. And when you think of ’90s country, I’d be willing to be that the first names you generally think about are names like aforementioned George Strait, as well as Alan Jackson, Brooks and Dunn, Reba, Shania Twain, Garth Brooks, maybe even Toby Keith. But it’s kind of wild to take a step back and look at how some household names in country music got started way back then, and are still going strong today. Take Kenny Chesney for example… he dropped his first single in 1993, the same year that Shania Twain, Toby Keith, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw dropped their debut albums (Kenny’s debut album would come the following year). But when you think about great ’90s country stars, the average country music fan wouldn’t drop Kenny Chesney as the first name off their list. Same probably goes for Tim McGraw as well. Why do they feel more modern than that? A testament to their longevity perhaps? I think so. It’s certainly a rare feat to have a bunch of Top 5 singles in 4 different decades. That’s elite company. And then you have Eric Church. Eric kicked off his career in 2006 and while he had some immediate success, he didn’t really take off until his Chief record in 2011. And even when he was winning Entertainer of the Year awards… Eric has always been a bit of an outsider. But believe it or not, Eric Church and Kenny Chesney were on tour together way back in 2013 on Kenny’s No Shoes Nation Tour along with Eli Young Band and this rising star known as Kacey Musgraves. As you know, Kacey would go on to be an 8-time Grammy-winning superstar, including a massive 2019 campaign that found her winning the all-genre Album of the Year, as well as Best Country Album, Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance… a clean sweep. Kenny, Eric and Kacey all sharing one stage… can you even imagine that now? Anyways, they went on to co-headline a few shows together during Kenny’s 2015 The Big Revival Tour, but the following year, Kenny was shaking the rust off with a little dive bar show down in Key West. Most country music fans know that Kenny loves being down in the islands, and spends most of his free time on the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he has a home. However, back in 2016, Kenny treated fans to a free “keg show” at Sloppy Joe’s bar, and you know he brought along some famous friends along for the ride with him. “Nothing gets us as in the mood to go out and play music for you all summer long quite like coming down to the Florida Keys and doing this show.” And who did he bring? None other than Mr. Eric Church. Seeing Eric Church and Kenny Chesney in a little dive bar by the ocean? It doesn’t get much better than that. “Mr. Misunderstood” There really is nothing like seeing your favorite artists in a dive bar. Of course, if you’re lucky enough, you were there in the early days when your favorite acts were playing them. Maybe they still are right now (in that case, soak it in now), but when they blow up and still come back to the intimate venues… it’s always special. I saw Eric at Joe’s Bar a quite a few years back when he did an epic run a of 6 shows in 6 different cities on two nights… and I’ll never forget it. And I’m sure none of the people at Sloppy Joe’s will forget this. “Drink In My Hand” The post WATCH: Kenny Chesney & Eric Church Rock Out A Key West Dive Bar Way Back In 2016 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.