‘Too Cold at Home,’ ‘Brother Jukebox’ hitmaker shares a decades-long journey of comeback, healing
Mark Chesnutt
Mark Chesnutt was finally back on top of his world when the pain started in his arm.
It was June 2024, and the pain wasn’t in his shoulder, as is typical in a heart attack, but below his elbow. He played a Friday night show in Texas, then another the next night. After that concert, his wife called an ambulance to meet the tour bus on the way home and take him to the hospital. The night ended in emergency quadruple bypass surgery.
It was the latest in a string of hurdles. In 2021, career-threatening back surgery and potentially fatal alcoholism had brought a different kind of chaos. Each time, Chesnutt had to start over to work his way back to the stage. And, each time, he was up to the challenge.
Now, the CMA Award winner brings his story and his songs to Conway. The University of Central Arkansas Public Appearances will present Mark Chesnutt Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. at Reynolds Performance Hall. Ticket prices range from $34.50 to $57.50 for adults and can be purchased exclusively through Reynolds Performance Hall, online at uca.edu/pa or by contacting the Reynolds Box Office, 501-450-3265.
“Mark Chesnutt is a true ’90s country music icon, and we’re thrilled to bring him to the UCA campus,” Amanda Horton, executive director of UCA Public Appearances, said. “Audiences can look forward to hearing the hits they know and love while experiencing the incredible talent and timeless sound of a truly outstanding musician.”
Chesnutt’s catalog carried him from honky-tonk stages to one of the 1990s’ most reliable hit makers. He signed with MCA Nashville in 1989 and was notching chart-toppers within a year. By the end of the decade, he had earned 14 No. 1 hits and 23 Top 10 songs, sold more than 12 million albums and won the CMA Horizon Award. Billboard named him one of the most-played country artists of the decade.
Fans can expect the songs that made him a country radio staple, including “Bubba Shot the Jukebox,” “Too Cold at Home,” “Brother Jukebox” and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” A three-time platinum-selling artist, Chesnutt is known for his neo-traditionalist country and honky-tonk influences, with frequent stylistic comparisons to George Jones.
The performance partner for “Mark Chesnutt | Redemption Tour” is Y107.1.
Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at the Reynolds box office or Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts box office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., online at uca.edu/pa, or by calling UCA Ticket Central at (501) 450-3265 or toll free at (866) 810-0012.