My respect for Cody Johnson as an artist continues to skyrocket day by day.
The 39-year-old Texas native is no stranger to standing firm on his pride in his country, his faith, and his dedication to the fans as a performer. With that being said, pretty much every show of his is bound to be a stellar experience with vocals damn near identical to the recorded version and delivering an unforgettable performance.
Per fan demand, this year on his Live ’26 tour, Johnson’s been listening to the many begs and pleads from people wanting to hear his beloved covers, including his 2025 rendition of the Dixie Chicks’ “Travelin’ Soldier.” The “Dirt Cheap” closes out his shows with his cover of the band’s 2002 hit (which, for those who don’t know, was originally written and recorded by country artist Bruce Robinson in 1996 and again rewritten and covered by another singer named Ty England).
As for Johnson, who’s spent the summer celebrating his June 2026 album release, Banks of the Trinity, his take on the track remains a staple in his discography, yielding over 100 million streams on Spotify alone and since being RIAA gold certified following its Veterans Day release. Over the weekend on Saturday night, August 22, Johnson whipped out his cover once more for his crowd at the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN.
One fan happened to capture an extra special moment during the performance between Johnson and a fan who unfortunately had to attend the show virtually. A loving military wife in the front row of the crowd had her husband held high up on her phone on FaceTime, watching the show from his deployment.
According to @Kayleyn98’s video on TikTok, the woman and her husband had intended to attend the concert together, but his homecoming had been pushed back, forcing him to miss the Food City Center show. Despite the less-than-ideal situation, Johnson at least made the woman’s surely tired arm from holding up her phone worthwhile.
He approached the corner of the stage, pointing at the man on FaceTime mid-song and tipping his hat. It looks like he mouthed something along the lines of, “thank you a lot.” I’ve gotta give the woman credit for not absolutely bawling her eyes out during this song too.
Johnson’s pedal steel player, Harrison Yount, also chimed into the comment section, letting everyone know that the touching nod was more than just a passing moment for Johnson. Pointing out that it was the first time this sort of thing has ever happened during the song, he emphasized that they all went back stage on reminsced on the interaction, “Definitely a cool and memorable moment. We were talking about it after the show.”
Insanely enough, Johnson only has a couple more North American tour stops for the year before he himself heads overseas for a string of European tour dates to round out 2026. In the meantime, he’ll return to Saint Paul, Minnesota this weekend at the Grand Casino Arena.
Tour Dates:
- 8/29 – Saint Paul, MN – Grand Casino Arena
- 9/11 – Vancouver, BC
- 9/12 – Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome
- 9/17 – Edmonton, AB
- 9/19 – Winnipeg, MB
- 10/9 – Belton, TX
- 10/10 – Belton, TX
- 10/24 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
- 10/27 – London, UK – The O2
- 11/1 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
- 11/2 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
- 11/4 – Belfast, UK – SSE Arena Belfast
- 11/5 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena