What a way to honor the legend.
On a historic night in our nation’s capital that started with Carrie Underwood’s impromptu a capella performance of “America The Beautiful,” President Trump was greeted by a plethora of stars from the country genre. From Jason Aldean’s extended concert to Rascal Flatts’ first performance together since reuniting, inauguration day had plenty of memorable moments.
Arguably the most heartfelt moment of the night came during Parker McCollum’s performance during the Commander-in-Chief Ball in the final hours of inauguration day. After playing his signature hits, “Pretty Heart,” “To Be Loved By You” and his current single, “What Kinda Man,” the 32-year-old singer/songwriter closed his set by honoring the late Toby Keith with a performance of iconic 2001 #1 single, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).”
With the “Should Have Been a Cowboy” singer being such a strong presence in both country music and American politics, performing across party lines throughout his career, it only felt fitting for McCollum to perform the track. His performance also serves as a bit of a full-circle moment given that Keith performed the song during President Trump’s first inauguration back in 2017
McCollum has long been a massive fan of the late superstar, performing at Keith’s tribute concert back in August and leading a star-studded sing-along to, you guessed it, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.”
Additionally, when Keith passed away, McCollum took to X to say, “He really is a country music legend man. A Legend gone way too soon. RIP Cowboy!”
It’s safe to say that the Limestone Kid honored Keith’s legacy through the performance. Though it’s hard to compete with Underwood’s rendition of “America The Beautiful” earlier in the day, there’s no denying it was the most impactful for fans of the genre.
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