Carrie Underwood Kicks Off NBC Concert Special Honoring Toby Keith

Carrie Underwood speaks onstage for the “Toby Keith: American Icon tribute” at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., on July 29, 2024. Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Universal Music Group

Country music performer Carrie Underwood kicked off the Toby Keith concert special, premiering on Wednesday.

Recorded on July 29 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, NBC’s “Toby Keith: American Icon” is a two-hour concert special in tribute to the late country star.

Underwood, 41, was the first to perform during the event, singing a rendition of “A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action.”

“Nashville! We’re all here for one reason: this incredible man,” she told the audience, pointing to a giant photo of Keith behind her during the performance as a preview for the concert shows.

The hit single, featured on Keith’s 1993 debut album, peaked at the number two spot on the “Billboard” Hot Country Songs chart.

In February, Keith died of gastric cancer at 62 years of age. Underwood expressed her appreciation for the late singer in an Instagram post displaying pictures of them together.

“Saddle up the horses, Jesus, ‘cause a true blue COWBOY just made his ride up to heaven!!!, Underwood captioned the post. “Introduce him to all the Okies and sign that boy up for the choir! We’re gonna miss you, Toby, but my heart has no doubt that you are standing in the presence of our King right now!!! See you again someday, friend.”

In May, Underwood sang in honor of Keith again through a rendition of his breakthrough hit “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” performed at the historic Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

The “Before He Cheats” singer is one of several stars joining in to pay tribute to Keith’s legacy.

Luke Bryan, Eric Church, HARDY, Riley Green, Lainey Wilson, and Jelly Roll are only a few of the many performers viewers can expect to see appear during the concert special on Wednesday.

“This hat has been hanging in my closet for probably 15 years,” Bryan said before his performance of “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” at the NBC special.

“My sister down in Georgia bought me this hat when I was playing bars and doing about 10 Toby Keith songs a night. I used to wear this hat every night. Ever since I lost my sister I haven’t put this hat on onstage in a lot of years,” he said.

“I was walking out the house, and I said, ‘You know what? I’m just an old country boy from Georgia. Toby Keith certainly made me wanna be a cowboy. I’m gonna be a cowboy tonight.’”

Keith’s daughter, Krystal, also performed in honor of her dad, as reported by People Magazine.

Toby Keith performs onstage during the 2021 iHeartCountry Festival at The Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 30, 2021. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

Toby Keith’s Legacy

By his death, Keith’s legacy included 20 No.1 hits and over 40 million albums sold.

His list of chart-topping singles includes 1999’s “How Do You Like Me Now”, 2002’s “Beer For My Horses” with Willie Nelson, 2003’s “I Love This Bar”, 2005’s “As Good As I Once Was”, and his post 9/11 song “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).”

As a passionate supporter of the United Service Organizations, Keith performed for over 250,000 troops across 18 USO tours.

Keith was born on July 8, 1961, in Clinton, Oklahoma. His interest in pursuing music was ignited during his childhood when he spent a summer with his grandmother in Arkansas. While he was there, he would visit her dining establishment and was in awe of the atmosphere.

“I wanted to be the guitarist in a band,” he told The Herald. “I didn’t know that I was going to write songs, but I’d watch the people coming into the nightclub part out back, all dressed up for a good time, and then see the band strike up and I’d think, I want to be part of this.”

In Sept. 2023, Keith was honored with the inaugural Country Icon Award at the People’s Choice Country Awards.

“I want to thank the Almighty for allowing me to be here tonight,” he said during his acceptance speech. “He’s been riding shotgun with me for a little while now. I want to thank my beautiful family that’s here. A lot of people go into making a career like this of 30 years.”

Following his speech, he performed on television for the last time at the Opry House, singing 2018’s “Don’t Let the Old Man In.”