Luke Bryan And Carrie Underwood Pay Moving Tributes To Toby Keith During New TV Special

Ahead of NBC’s broadcast of Toby Keith: American Icon on August 28, two performances from the special tribute show have been shared. Luke Bryan dons a cowboy hat his sister gave him, “Back 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. 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.’” Bryan then played a rousing version of Keith’s hit “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.”

Carrie Underwood led off the evening with a spirited performance of Keith’s song, “A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action.” Underwood set the emotional tone when she stepped on stage at the Bridgestone Arena, saying “Nashville! We are all here for one reason — this incredible man,” as a giant photo of Keith appeared behind her. Toby Keith: American Icon airs on NBC on Wednesday, August 28 at 9 p.m. ET, and will stream the next day on Peacock. (NBC)