Toronto has just been full of all the surprises this past week.
On Wednesday night, August 5, Chris Stapleton made his very own pop-up appearance at the Guns N’ Roses concert at Rogers Stadium. Last night, Stapleton not only returned to the venue for his very own headlining show but also returned the favor by not only bringing out Guns N’ Roses for “Patience” but also inviting up opener Zach Top for a song.
Top’s spent a few shows on the road with Stapleton over the past few months for the 2026 All American Road Show, but any time these two actually get to cross paths on stage, it’s bound to be a stellar performance. Last night, the country music icons showed off their traditional country side by putting their own spin on a good ‘ole Waylon Jennings song.
The crowd was blessed with the outlaw staple’s eleventh number one hit from 1979, “I Ain’t Living Long Like This.” Of course, I also have to give a little nod to Gary Stewart, who originally recorded the song just a couple of years earlier in 1977, followed by Emmylou Hariss’ take in 1978.
Stapleton & Top surely did all three legends justice with their absolutely rippin’ rendition, with both playing electric guitar and some heavy steel pedal guitar topping off the epic performance. Now I know it’s a long stretch considering Stapleton’s pretty much declared himself retired from making new music and Top’s admitted he’s not a big fan of collaborations; however, you can’t tell me these two’s voices don’t belong on a track together.
Not to mention, this is just further fuel that Top can basically cover any song on a full-blown album, and fans are bound to eat it up no matter what. The Washington native will join Stapleton for one more show this summer on August 14 in Boston, MA before getting ready to continue out on the fall leg of his Cold Beer & Country Music Tour, where he’s also been going heavy on showcasing some bad a** covers.
As for Stapleton, he’ll return back to the stage tomorrow night in Detroit, Michigan, with just nine more dates ahead of him before wrapping up this tour on October 9 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Chris Stapleton Tour Dates:
- August 8—Detroit, MI—Ford Field
- August 14—Boston, MA—Fenway Park
- August 18—Virginia Beach, VA—Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
- August 21—Atlanta, GA—Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- August 26—Wantagh, NY—Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
- August 28—Philadelphia, PA—Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
- October 2—Bristow, VA—Jiffy Lube Live
- October 7—Lincoln, NE—Pinnacle Bank Arena
- October 9—Kansas City, MO—Morton Amphitheater