Kenny Chesney found himself in a strange position on Saturday after he paid tribute to a fallen police officer during his concert only to find out later that the cop wasn’t actually dead.
Oops.
Delaware County police officer Christopher Dorman was shot seven times on Friday morning in what the local paper called an ambush after Dorman responded to a call about a possible drug deal happening. On Saturday, he was supposed to attend Kenny’s concert in Philadelphia but obviously had to miss it. Disappointed, Dorman recorded a video from his hospital room asking Kenny Chesney not to forget about him. Kenny at some point got the message about the officer’s video but apparently there was a bit of a misunderstanding because Kenny thought he had actually died and decided to pay tribute to him during his show.
“Last night a Philadelphia police officer was shot seven times,” Kenny explained to screaming audience. “In a hospital on his bed, he, uh, he passed away, but before he passed away he did a video about wanting to come tonight so bad and he said, ‘Kenny, please don’t forget me.’ Well, Christopher Dorman, we won’t forget you…”
It wasn’t until later that Kenny learned the truth. He then released a statement sort of explaining what had happened.
“I was so caught up in the moment,” Chesney said after the full-tilt set, “I think the emotions got the best of me – and I wasn’t as clear as I could’ve been. The idea that a hero like that, with seven bullets in him, would even think about me… I heard about it right before I hit the stage, and it stopped me in my tracks. Someone whose life was on the line, and after all that bravery? As anyone in the stadium knows, I kept pausing, trying to collect my thoughts.
“Philadelphia has always been one of those places where the fans are loud, the tailgating is crazy and me and the band have the time of our lives every year,” continued the superstar next door. “And when I heard the cheer they sent up when I sent our best to Officer Dorman, man, everything I’ve ever thought about the people of Philadelphia was confirmed.”
Well all’s well that ends well. According to TMZ, Kenny ended up calling Officer Dorman to apologize and even offered to take him to a game some time in the near future.
And, hey, he has a fun story he can now tell at parties.
