For a guy who didn’t live in Nashville and bucked every Music Row norm he could, Toby Keith sure was loved by the country music community. That was apparent on Monday night at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, where A-listers like Eric Church, Jelly Roll, Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson, and Keith’s fellow Oklahoman Carrie Underwood gathered to perform his songs at a briskly-paced, but expertly-staged tribute concert. Dubbed Toby Keith: American Icon, the concert was recorded to air Aug. 28 on NBC.
While tribute concerts can sometimes be fawning, heavy-handed affairs, the celebration of Keith, who died in February at 62 after battling stomach cancer, was as even-keeled as its honoree. There were the requisite segments devoted to his patriotism, charity work — all proceeds from the concert benefited Keith’s OK Kids Korral and Monroe Carell Jr.’s Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt — and place in country history, but they steered clear of painting Keith as a saint. Rather, the evening acknowledged a man who was as complex as he was compassionate, often by letting the songs he wrote peel back the layers.
Underwood’s show-opening performance of “A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action” summed up the Big Dog Daddy’s innate swagger. Church’s smirking rendition of “As Good As I Once Was” revealed Keith’s knack for self-deprecation. And Ashley McBryde’s gorgeous “Wish I Didn’t Know Now” underscored the late Country Music Hall of Fame member’s keen ability to pair vulnerability with heartbreak. (McBryde has consistently proved herself to possess one of the genre’s most affecting voices, on par with greats like Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton.)
Some of the tribute’s most entertaining moments came via duets. Riley Green and newcomer Ella Langley paired up for “Who’s Your Daddy,” transforming a boastful Keith hit into a sultry come-on. Langley was the night’s revelation, rocking a Jessi Colter meets Linda Ronstadt hairstyle and owning the stage. Her chemistry with Green was palpable, too — a duets project between these two wouldn’t be a bad idea.
In the evening’s biggest “wow” moment, Wilson entered the back of the arena atop a horse and rode all the way to the stage, where Jamey Johnson met her to re-create “Beer for My Horses,” Keith’s revenge fantasy with Willie Nelson. Johnson, in a departure from his Wildman of Nashville look, even wore a crushed straw cowboy hat à la Keith.
Bryan brought along a cowboy hat as well for his performance of “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” reminding fans that there’s still a superb country singer hiding inside the American Idol judge. He prefaced the song by donning a black hat that he said his late sister bought for him early in his career and that he hadn’t worn since her death in 2007. “I’m gonna be a cowboy tonight,” Bryan said in one of the show’s many emotional highlights.
The peak, however, came near the show’s final act, when the house band played along to a video of Keith singing Joe Diffie’s “Ships That Don’t Come In,” in what was billed as his last studio recording. Keith, in the midst of his fight with cancer, sang with intensity and grace, and the artists who saluted him earlier in the night watched in reverence. In a unique, informal twist, all of the performers, along with friends of Keith, were assembled at an onstage bar, toasting each performance with red plastic cups.
But it was the involvement of Keith’s family that made Toby Keith: American Icon such a genuinely heartfelt homage. Seated stage right, his widow, Tricia, and their three children dabbed at their eyes after every song and speech — it’s only been six months since their husband and father died. Keith’s daughter Krystal, once an aspiring country singer herself, performed a stunning “Don’t Let the Old Man In,” her father’s 2018 ballad about mortality.
The show concluded by circling back to Keith’s unrelenting patriotism, the through-line of the evening. Retired Gen. James L. Jones spoke of Keith’s multiple USO tours, an honor guard presented the colors, and members of the U.S. Army band played “America the Beautiful,” while service members watched from a platform onstage.
Trace Adkins shared an anecdote about Keith’s commitment to his country before his rendition of “American Soldier.” “Don’t ever apologize for being patriotic,” he said Keith once told him, prompting the crowd to let loose one of the evening’s many “U-S-A!” chants.
It wasn’t meant as a political statement, but just like the life of the man who originally said it, it could be taken in many ways.
Set List:
“A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action,” Carrie Underwood
“As Good As I Once Was,” Eric Church
“How Do You Like Me Now?!,” Brantley Gilbert and Hardy
“God Love Her,” Darius Rucker
“Who’s Your Daddy,” Riley Green and Ella Langley
“Wish I Didn’t Know Now,” Ashley McBryde
“Beer for My Horses,” Lainey Wilson and Jamey Johnson
“Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” Luke Bryan
“My List,” Jelly Roll
“I Love This Bar,” Jordan Davis with Clay Walker
“Red Solo Cup,” Tyler Hubbard with Jordan Davis, Hardy, and Jelly Roll
“Ships That Don’t Come In,” Toby Keith (video)
“Don’t Let the Old Man In,” Krystal Keith
“American Soldier,” Trace Adkins
“Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” Parker McCollum and all
