Kenny Chesney [ tickets ] hit the ground running last weekend, opening his "Poets & Pirates" tour with two sold-out arena shows in Uncasville, CT, and the country star continues to add dates to the itinerary.

The extensive spring/summer outing continues Saturday (4/26) in Columbia, SC, and is scheduled to visit a host of stadiums, arenas and amphitheaters across the US through mid-September. Since last check, shows have been added in Evansville, IN; Canandaigua, NY; and Houston, TX. Details are included below.

The stadium shows on the calendar will feature LeAnn Rimes [ tickets ] and Gary Allan [ tickets ], plus special guests including Keith Urban [ tickets ], Brooks & Dunn [ tickets ], Sammy Hagar [ tickets ] and Big & Rich [ tickets ] on select dates.

Tour openers will be culled from Chesney's "Next Big Star Contest," which allows local bands in most markets to compete for the honor, according to a press release. One grand-prize winner will be given a tour bus to open the final three shows of the tour, $25,000 and the opportunity to audition for Sony BMG executives. Information about the contest can be found at Chesney's website.

On the road, the laid-back country star is performing hits from every phase of his career, as well as tunes from his latest album, "Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates," which hit stores last September. The new set debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart and has spawned hit singles "Never Wanted Nothing More," "Don't Blink," "Shiftwork" and Chesney's latest, "Better as a Memory," all of which are streaming at his MySpace page.

"Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates" helped Chesney land a whopping 11 nominations for next month's Academy of Country Music Awards, including Entertainer of the Year, Top Male Vocalist, Album of the Year and Song of the Year for "Don't Blink." The singer has won the ACM Entertainer honor for the last three years and is also the reigning Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year.