Toby Keith's legacy as a hitmaker, songwriter and philanthropist highlighted by Jelly Roll, Eric Church and others during NBC Taping

The late Toby Keith will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame later this year, but on Monday night (July 29) at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, nearly two dozen Oklahoma artists delivered a rocking party that celebrated life as loud as it was tender. and patriotic — just like Keith's own hits. The event honoring Keith was held for the taping of NBC's two-hour concert special Toby Keith: American Iconwhich will air on August 28 from 9 p.m. – 11 p.m. ET/PT.

A cavalcade of fellow artists including Eric Church, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Darius Rucker, Luke Bryan, Priscilla Block and Keith's fellow Sooner State Carrie Underwood gathered to honor the versatile entertainer's career and his huge legacy as a songwriter. , singer, leader, performer, entrepreneur, staunch military supporter and philanthropist.

Keith died in February aged 62 after a battle with stomach cancer. Keith worked in the oil fields before starting the Easy Money Band and played bars in Oklahoma and Texas. After moving to Nashville and landing a record deal in 1993, while in his 30s, he forged a career that spanned more than three decades, becoming one of country music's most successful artists — and finally doing it on his own terms, recording his own his song constructions that made the most of his oversized persona.

He was known for his burly baritone, for writing or co-writing most of his hits, and for being as adept at crafting a stirring ballad as he was at the clever wordplay that filled many of his up-tempo hits such as .x. “I Love This Bar” and “As Good As I Once Was.” He amassed 20 Billboard Country Airplay hits, sold 44 million albums and earned 10 billion streams. He was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2015.

Underwood opened the show with Keith's 1994 hit “A Little Less Talk (And a Lot More Action).”

“We're all here for one reason – this man, the big daddy dog. His music, his heart, his life. Everyone in this scene loves Toby. Tonight, we're going to throw a party he'd be proud of,” Underwood said.

And from there, those who filled the Bridgestone Arena really went on to party, with the stage full of revelers and audience alike. A giant bar was set up in one corner of the stage, while the other – topped with an American flag set – gave many members of the military some of the best seats in the house.

Church recalled how Toby Keith invited him to play some shows with him, at a time when Church's career was still in its early stages. “There's no way I'd be here today without Toby Keith,” Church said, before belting out Keith's “As Good as He Used to Be.” He added, “We help each other out, that's what country music does.”

Wilson knew how to make an entrance, riding a horse through the Bridgestone crowd to the main stage before Jamey Johnson to sing “Beer For My Horses,” a 2003 hit for Keith and Willie Nelson.

Meanwhile, Rucker delivered a full, joyful rendition of “God Love Her,” recalling the support he received from Keith when Rucker prepared to release his first country record in 2008. “He was one of the first people to they reached out and let me know how welcome I am,” Rucker said.

Keith's catalog was full of up-tempo party songs, but especially early in his career, he was known for ballads, both heartbreaking and soulful entries. Performing his 1994 hit “Wish I Didn't Know Now,” Ashley McBryde said, “You believed everything he sang because he only wrote what he believed.”

Among the performances were video tributes from fellow artists Nelson, Blake Shelton, Reba McEntire and George Strait, as well as other celebrities with whom Keith had developed close ties, such as comedian Carrot Top and The Late Show host Stephen Colbert.

“There will never be another Toby Keith,” Shelton said in a video clip.

During the evening, Jordan Davis performed 'I Love This Bar', assisted by Clay Walker, while Riley Green teamed up with Ella Langley for 'Who's Your Daddy'. Luke Bryan wore a cowboy hat given to him by his sister (who later died in 2007) as he performed Keith's first hit, “Should've Been a Cowboy.” Tyler Hubbard was joined by songwriters Warren Brothers and Jim and Brett Beavers, as well as Davis and Jelly Roll, bringing out the party vibe and trading lines on the tailoring anthem “Red Solo Cup” (one of Keith's rare hits that was Keith 'ta writer on), while HARDY and Brantley Gilbert teamed up for the provocative, blistering “How Do You Like Me Now?”

Alongside his work as a musician, Keith's support of the military was a cause close to his heart. Over the years, he did 16 USO Tours, visited 18 countries and performed for approximately 250,000 troops. A military band marched on stage during the concert to honor Keith, while chants of “USA” went up from the audience. During the tribute concert, Trace Adkins performed Keith's heartfelt ballad “American Soldier” and told the crowd, “Never apologize for being a patriot,” which prompted another round of “USA” chants.

The evening also highlighted Keith's work supporting children battling cancer through the OK Kids Korral, which began in 2014 and provides a free place to stay for families of pediatric cancer patients while patients receive treatment at Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center. The Bridgestone Arena concert benefited OK Kids Korral, as well as Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital. of Nashville at Vanderbilt.

In addition, the night also made it clear that Keith's first priority was his family, including his wife Tricia, son Stelen, and daughters Krystal and Shelley, who were all in attendance that night.

Jelly Roll dedicated his performance of Keith's “My List” to the late singer's family, singing the tender song as photos of Keith with his family flashed on the screen. Jelly Roll noted, “Toby inspired me to be a better American man and songwriter, and he inspired me to be a better father.”

Keith's daughter Shelley took to the stage to pay tribute to her father, saying: “My dad knew that your worth is not measured by what you have, but by what you give,” before Krystal performed ” Don't Let the Old' by Keith Man In', which Toby had performed at the 2023 inaugural People's Choice Awards.

Later, one of the highlights of the evening was provided by Keith himself, as he played footage of his last recording session, belting out the vocals on a version of the late Joe Diffie's “Ships that Don't Come In”, which Keith recorded as part of HARDY's Hixtape to honor Diffie.

“What an amazing tip of the hat and such a patriotic person and to see such a song sung so beautifully with such emotion and meaning, I'm so grateful to be such a small part of such a beautiful moment. Hardy noted.

The night ended as “Pretty Heart” hitmaker Parker McCollum took center stage.

McCollum called Keith “one of the greatest country music singers and songwriters who ever lived,” before welcoming the top line-up of artists back to the stage to sing another of Keith's signature songs, the defiant hit that captured the ire . many felt after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, “Courtesy of Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).”