The Kenny Chesney Poets & Pirates Tour Caravan rolled mightily into Heinz Field last night for a sold out show on the premier stop of the 2008 tour.

Besides Chesney, the other main acts were country superstars LeAnn Rimes, Keith Urban -- and the amazing stage they performed on.

It must be said. Besides looking good and being versatile with long risers that reached into the belly of the audience, it was outfitted with the best digital projection this reviewer has ever seen. The four main screens appeared to be high-def movie quality and just got better as the day turned into night. Wow.

Back to the show (... and what a show it was.)

After early sets by Gary Allan and Luke Bryan and the last of the rains moved through, Rimes strutted her yoga-svelte self onto the stage in a slinky-silver top, matching platform shoes and short-shorts perfect for the steamy evening air. She tore through an hour of music including her country and pop hits and gave a generally pleasing performance with those superstar pipes of hers.

Keith Urban was up next and from the first note on the guitar, he worked the crowd like the A-list professional he is. His musical chops are some of the best in the business and he showcased them as he rocked out on "Where the Black Top Ends" and "Shine." On "Better Half" he wailed on lead guitar getting up close to the audience and I had to remind myself this was a country show.

His songwriting is masterful and was displayed on such ballads as "You'll Think of Me" and "Making Memories of Us." He rocked out his set strolling into the audience on "Better Life." It was a treat to see him on this bill.

The main event rose out of the floor at exactly 9:30 p.m. amid stadium lights, smoke, flashy screens and applause that shook the very floor of the Mustard Palace to its core as the thousands who milled around waiting for him took their seats and fist-pumped his arrival in a unison of cheers.

He tore through his 21 song set list with utter precision starting with "Live Those Songs." I don't know who was more ecstatic, Chesney or the fans -- who in fact sang and knew every lyric to every song. Impressive.

Chesney favorites included "Beer in Mexico," "Wild Ride," "Don't Blink" and "Young." He played 13 songs on full throttle until he finally eased up on the pedal with "Better as a Memory." Afterward, he roused the crowd back to a fever pitch on "Back Where I Come From" as those digital screens displayed recent video of some of Pittsburgh's greatest local landmarks and sports teams. He turned in a poignant performance of "Old Blue Chair" accompanying himself on acoustic guitar for a nice change of pace. I could have used a little more of that. Right after, he brought Urban back to the stage for a cover of The Eagles' "Take it to the Limit."

This town loves Chesney -- and he loves them right back. His blue-collar sensibilities and work ethic fit right into his fan base here. They come to rock, and he delivers it straight on. So, as the sea of cell phone cameras illuminated this hearty audience like stars in the night sky, I thought about their devotion and decided they are in a class by themselves, too.