Country Is King: Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Rascal Flatts’ Rankings Rebound

By Stacey Willets

Dust off your boots, put on your cowboy hat, and check out the week’s exclusive TicketNews Top Tens. Read on for this week’s hot events.

As the holiday approaches, a wave of Patriotism washes over ticket-buyers. This week’s big events include baseball and country music. What could be more American? The Chicago Cubs are the big movers on the Overall Events chart this week, creating fireworks with a series win over divisional leaders the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs rocket from number eight to number three on the chart while filling fans’ hearts with hope of a pennant race this year. Kenny Chesney returns to the Overall Events rankings at number seven as his hit single “Never Wanted Nothing More” shoots up the Billboard charts. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s Soul2Soul Tour also rejoins the rankings, taking the number ten spot.

The San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, and Atlanta Braves are benched this week and get replaced by . . . more baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, and Baltimore Orioles join the Top Sports rankings, taking positions seven, eight, and nine, respectively. The votes are in, the starters have been revealed, and ticket sales for the 2007 MLB All Star Game introduce the event to the Top Sports Rankings. The game debuts at number five . . .

Mary Poppins drops to number seven on the Top Theatre chart this week, leading theater-goers to speculate if the wind has changed. Phantom of the Opera fills its place at number six. Cirque Du Soleil’s LOVE makes it into the Top Theatre rankings with a little help from its friends – Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, to name two. The remaining Beatles were joined by Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison, and Cirque founder Guy Laliberté to celebrate LOVE’s one year anniversary and to commemorate the late John Lennon and George Harrison. The tribute piece, which disappeared from the theatre rankings several weeks ago, returns at number eight this week.

This week the Spring Awakening cast unveiled the show’s new billboard, which now hangs outside the Eugene O’Neill Theatre. It must be working quite well, as the production moves back onto the Top New York City Theatre chart to take the number six spot. Legally Blonde drops off the Top Theatre chart and slips to the bottom of the Top NYC Theatre chart where, appropriately, it is paired with Hairspray.

Country: unpopular genre of interior design (stenciled roosters, anyone?), popular genre of music. While last week’s Top Concerts rankings were described as worthy of a George Jones song, this week’s chart is singing a different tune. Kenny Chesney moves up through the rankings, climbing from number six to number two. Faith Hill’s comments about the 2007 Soul2Soul Tour being the couple’s last joint effort for a long while appear to be the magic words to entice fans to buy tickets. She and husband Tim McGraw return to the rankings at number four. Rascal Flatts joins the mix at number nine. Toby Keith, while down a spot at number six this week, adds to the lineup. For those who like only a touch of twang, Bon Jovi, his steel horse, and new his country-inspired album rank at number five while Jimmy Buffett, with or without Alan Jackson, is singing “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” from the number seven spot.

A week after Bette Midler reached number three on the Top Vegas chart, she drops from the rankings altogether. Céline Dion is the only one to hold onto the same spot, remaining at number one. LOVE and “O” move up two spots each to numbers two and three. Blue Man Group advances six places to number four. Spamalot rises to number five. Elton John drops four spots to number six. Phantom returns to the chart at number seven. Barry Manilow moves up to number eight. Jubilee! and Fab Four take positions nine and ten.

To see this week’s rankings, check out the press release in the Daily Buzz section of TicketNews.com.