Brooks & Dunn, Lainey Wilson, Sammy Hagar Tribute Toby Keith at CMT Awards

Brooks & Dunn, Lainey Wilson, and Sammy Hagar Tribute Toby Keith at the CMT Awards

By
Bethy Squires,
a Vulture news blogger who covers comedy

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for CMT

Country music raised its red solo cups high in tribute to the late Toby Keith at Sunday’s CMT Awards. The country singer died of stomach cancer in February. A trio of Keith covers were performed at the show: Sammy Hagar did “I Love This Bar” (fitting since both he and Keith are themed bar owners), Brooks & Dunn covered “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” and Lainey Wilson performed “How Do You Like Me Now?” Each performance was backed with members of Keith’s longtime band, and Willie Nelson’s son Lukas. Baseball legend Roger Clemens opened and closed the set. “Toby was in Houston, off and on for three years while he was battling that damn C-word. Through it all, he always kept his humor and his wit,” he said. At the end, he asked the crowd to chant “whiskey for my men and beer for my horses,” as he thanked the Keith family for attending the tribute. You can watch each performance below.

The CMT Awards Tribute Toby Keith With 3 Performances