It is safe to say that everyone who tuned into the 2024 ACM Awards tonight (May 16) shed a tear or two.
Attendees at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas were in for a treat, as “Tattoos On This Town” singer Jason Aldean took the stage for a super special performance honoring the late, great Toby Keith. Singing “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” during “Country Music’s Party of the Year,” Aldean’s acoustic rendition was nothing short of sensational, captivating the crowd from start to finish.
Toby Keith passed away on February 5 after a tumultuous battle with stomach cancer, resulting in a great deal of tributes that tugged on our heartstrings — from country superstars like Brooks & Dunn, Koe Wetzel, Jelly Roll and more — as well as a posthumous induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Aldean and Keith were seemingly close friends, with the “Red Solo Cup” singer making a surprise appearance at Aldean’s show in his home state of Oklahoma just months before his passing. Because of this, the Georgia native was the perfect man for the job.
In an Instagram story ahead of the performance, Aldean gushed about how excited he was to be selected for such a special set at the 2024 ACM Awards:
“Honored to pay tribute to my friend, the one and only @tobykeith, with a special performance of “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” at the @acmawards. Join me as we celebrate his legacy and the mark he left on country music.”
In addition to this, Aldean gushed about Keith as an individual — who took home 14 ACM Awards in his illustrious career, winning the top prize of Entertainer of the Year on two separate occasions — in an interview with Fox News Digital prior to taking the stage:
“I think Toby was a guy for a lot of us in the business — well, I’ll speak for myself — I think he was a guy that a lot of us looked up to. For me personally, he was a guy that I feel like just always spoke his mind. He said what he thought, whether it was the popular opinion or not, and it didn’t always go well for him, and he didn’t care. I mean, it was something that if he felt strongly about it and felt like it was something he believed in, he was going to speak his mind.
To me, from personal level, that was something to me that was always inspiring, as far as like, ‘Hey, you can still be an artist and be true to who you are and go out and not be afraid to speak out,’ and I think that was something that always kind of stood with me… Just being not afraid to speak your mind, stand up for what you believe in. Whether other people agree with it or not, be who you are and be unapologetic about it, and I think that’s pretty good advice.”
Unsurprisingly, this passion — as well as Aldean’s overwhelming respect for Keith — made its way into the performance, causing Keith’s wife and children, host Reba McEntire and more attendees to shed a tear or two. The 47-year-old did not disappoint whatsoever, strumming his guitar while sitting on a stool, belting out the song’s cheeky lyrics over an awe-striking acoustic sound. With four violinists seated behind him, this arrangement of “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” was seriously one-of-a-kind, serving as the perfect way to honor such a legend in the country music community.
Aside from Aldean’s tear-jerking tribute, Lainey Wilson, Chris Stapleton, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, and more chart-topping superstars have already taken the stage, with performances from Parker McCollum, Post Malone, Nate Smith, Avril Lavigne and more still to come. While each and every performance has been a true treat thus far, it is hard to believe that any set will top the show that Jason Aldean put on in honor of Toby Keith.