BLOOMINGTON -- Several downtown streets near the U.S. Cellular Coliseum are being closed ahead of the sold-out Kenny Chesney concert Thursday.

The city will close about five blocks directly around the Coliseum so there will be enough parking for the 26 semi-tractor trailers and 14 charter buses that carry equipment and personnel.

The concert is expected to set a Coliseum attendance record with 8,250 tickets sold. Pop singer John Mayer holds the current Coliseum record of 8,134 for his February 2007 concert. The Coliseum opened in April 2006.

Chesney is the current Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year. Opening for Chesney are Miranda Lambert and the Zac Brown Band. Last week, Lambert received a nomination from the academy for top female vocalist.

The preparations require street closures that start at 6 a.m. Wednesday. Affected will be Lee Street between Front and Olive streets; Front Street between Lee and Madison streets; and Roosevelt Avenue between Washington and Front streets (see accompanying map).

Several private lots near the Coliseum also will be affected. The city's Butler Parking Lot, across Front Street from the Coliseum, will be the site of a tailgate party that starts at 3 p.m. Thursday. Grove Street between Mason and Lee streets will remain permit parking only for the residents of that area.

Police began posting signs earlier in the week, said Deputy City Manager Barb Adkins. The streets will reopen at 6 a.m. Friday.

"We have been working on plans to accommodate the large amount of equipment needed for this concert for several weeks now," Adkins said. "We think we have a plan in place that will work well for this concert and any large concerts in the future."

Coliseum General Manager Bart Rogers said concert-goers should plan to arrive early so they are not rushed trying to find parking. Doors to the Coliseum open at 6 p.m. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

Some of trucks for Chesney's Sun City Carnival Tour are expected to start arriving Tuesday afternoon

Extra police will be assigned to help direct traffic and control crowds at the Coliseum and the tailgate party. An estimate of overtime pay was not available Tuesday; Adkins said Central Illinois Arena Management, which manages the Coliseum, will repay the city for those costs.