The money is in, and once again, Kenny Chesney rules the touring roost for all country stars in 2009.

According to music industry touring publication, Pollstar, Chesney's Sun City Carnival Tour raked in $71.1 million in 2009, placing him at No. 6 out of all touring acts. U2 topped the list with $123 million, followed by Bruce Springsteen ($94 million), Elton John/Billy Joel ($88 million), Britney Spears ($82.5 million) and AC/DC ($77.9 million).

Chesney's 51-city Sun City Carnival Tour kicked off on April 17, 2009 in Uncasville, CT and concluded on September 9, 2009 in Indianapolis.

According to Pollstar, 2009 was an up year for concert grosses despite the ailing economy. Five acts, including U2, Springsteen, Chesney, Jonas Brothers and Dave Matthews Band all sold more than one million tickets. Last year, Chesney was the only act to sell more than one million tickets.

Keith Urban was country's second highest-grossing act in 2009 with $42.7 million. Urban's tour ranked No. 16 overall.

Other country acts making the top 50 list include:

• Rascal Flatts (No. 18, $42.2 million)
• Brad Paisley (No. 22, $35.4 million)
• Toby Keith (No. 29, $29.7 million)
• Taylor Swift (No. 36, $25.5 million)
• George Strait (No. 41, $22 million)

A couple of other notable acts with country ties include the Eagles (No. 15, $42.8 million) and Billy Ray Cyrus' uber-rich daughter, Miley Cirus (No. 13, $45 million).

Photo © BNA Records

There's no question 2009 will go down as Taylor Swift's year. But there were three other welcomed surprises last year: Lady Antebellum, the Zac Brown Band and Jamey Johnson.

Lady Antebellum has managed to turn industry heads in a very short amount of time. They've only been around for a couple of years, but their two major victories at the recent Country Music Association awards for Single of the Year ("I Run to You") and Vocal Group of the Year proved that their Best New Artist victories from both the CMA's and the Academy of Country Music were no fluke.

Now, Lady Antebellum is up for two Grammy awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, both for "I Run to You." The trio have also just confirmed they will perform at the 52nd Grammy Awards, which will be televised live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010 on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

The Zac Brown Band is another group whose success of the last year has been a bit overshadowed by the Taylor Swift steamroller. After taking home the ACM for Top New Vocal Duo or Group, the Atlanta band dazzled at the CMA's with their dizzying performance of Charlie Daniel's "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." They were nominated for three CMA's and are up for three more Grammy awards, including Best New Artist, Best Country Album for The Foundation and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "Chicken Fried."

And with ten major award nominations in 2009, including trophies from both the ACM and the CMA for Song of the Year ("In Color"), Jamey Johnson's career is finally on the fast-track to where it belongs. Plus, Jamey has more than a snowball's chance of picking up at least one of the two Grammy awards he is up for (Best Country Song and Best Male Country Vocal Performance, both for his great tune, "High Cost of Living").

Photo © Mercury Nashville

Police are investigating a pair of country music-related burglaries in Tennessee and Texas over the holidays.

In Nashville, a burglar kicked in the door to the Charlie Daniels Band Museum, located downtown between the Hard Rock Café and the Wildhorse Saloon. The culprit ignored thousands of dollars in memorabilia and went straight for the $200 in the cash register. Left untouched were many valuable guitars, tour merchandise, awards and thousands of photographs. The break-in occurred at 12:30 am on Tuesday, January 29. No suspects have been arrested though police are reviewing surveillance video.

In the Dallas suburb of Garland, Texas, burglars broke into Uncle Bob's Self Storage and made off with more than 60 autographed guitars intended to benefit the charity Friends of Purtis Creek State Park.

Signed guitars from Taylor Swift, Willie Nelson, Brad Paisley , Trace Adkins and NASCAR star, Tony Stewart, were among the items stolen. Estimates for the value of the stolen guitars exceed $70,000.

"The guitars are one of the main sources of income for the Friends of the park," park manager, Shawn Greene, said. "There's a lot of equipment that we have here that was funded by the Friends." Each guitar was expected to fetch between $1,000 and $3,000 for the charity.

For reasons unknown, the only guitar not taken was the one autographed by Rascal Flatts . Ouch.

Photo © Arista Nashville

For you gamers out there, Harmonix has just announced that the Country Track Pack for its Rock Band simulator has expanded by seven songs. The new tracks include:

• "Good Time" - Alan Jackson
• "Cry Lonely" - Cross Canadian Ragweed
• "She's Country" - Jason Aldean
• "I Told You So" - Keith Urban
• "The Gambler" - Kenny Rogers
• "This One's for the Girls" - Martina McBride
• "Any Man of Mine" - Shania Twain

Individual tracks may be downloaded for $1.99. The entire Country Track Pack costs $29.95.

If you own a Wii or Xbox 360, you may log on to the Rock Band Store immediately to download these tracks to your computer. If your system is the PS3, you'll have to wait until January 7, 2010.

The full track listing for the Rock Band Country Track Pack is:

• "Good Time" - Alan Jackson
• "Mud on the Tires" - Brad Paisley
• "Hillbilly Deluxe" - Brooks and Dunn
• "Cry Lonely" - Cross Canadian Ragweed
• "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)" - Dierks Bentley
• "Sin Wagon" - Dixie Chicks
• "3 Dimes Down" - Drive-By Truckers
• "She's Country" - Jason Aldean
• "I Told You So" - Keith Urban
• "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" - Kenny Chesney
• "The Gambler" - Kenny Rogers
• "Can't Let Go" - Lucinda Williams
• "This One's for the Girls" - Martina McBride
• "Gunpowder & Lead" - Miranda Lambert
• "Gone" - Montgomery Gentry
• "Me and My Gang" - Rascal Flatts
• "Suds in the Bucket" - Sara Evans
• "Any Man of Mine" - Shania Twain
• "Swing" - Tracy Adkins
• "Satellite Radio" - Steve Earle
• "On the Road Again" - Willie Nelson

Photo © RCA Nashville