Cody Johnson stopped his concert on the second night of the Leather Tour at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Saturday (Jan. 20). Overwhelmed with emotion, he broke down in tears after meeting a young fan in the audience who shared that she survived a bone marrow transplant just to attend Johnson’s live concert.
Johnson Shared A Poignant Moment With Young Bone Marrow Transplant Survivor
The country superstar was in the midst of his headlining performance when he noticed a young fan in the audience holding up a sign that read, “I survived a bone marrow transplant, so I could see CoJo,” according to a concertgoer named Steven McFadin.
“I usually don’t do this, but this sign says ‘I survive my bone marrow transplant to see CoJo, your biggest fan…” Johnson began to tell the crowd before quickly being overcome with emotion. Cody Johnson then stepped off the stage, took off his signature cowboy hat, and hugged the young girl while sharing words of encouragement with her.
As he embraced the young fan in a hug, the crowd cheered and applauded the “Dirt Cheap” singer. He also gifted her his guitar pick before returning to the stage with tears running down his face.
The Texas Native Was Brought To Tears Before Performing “‘Til You Can’t”
The 36-year-old Texan was so overwhelmed with emotion that tears couldn’t be held back. “Y’all might have to give me a minute,” Johnson confessed, stepping away from his microphone stand and wiping away tears as the instrumental for “‘Til You Can’t” played in the background of this poignant moment.
“Now, I’m gonna actually need your help singing this,” Johnson told the sold-out crowd. He went on to address the young fan, who survived the bone marrow transplant, saying, “You don’t ever give up, you understand. Don’t you ever give up, keep fighting strong.”
Johnson then took a moment away from the microphone to compose himself before going on to perform his chart-topping hit, “‘Til You Can’t.”
Fan Also Gifted The Young Girl A Cowboy Hat, Autographed by Cody Johnson
One concertgoer, named Steven McFadin, was so moved by the touching moment that he took the Resistol cowboy hat (which was previously autographed by Johnson) he was wearing off his head to gift it to the young fan.
“I don’t know her name, but this brave girl survived a bone marrow transplant so she could see #cojo in person. My hat was already signed by Cody Johnson, so now my beloved Resistol is hers. Stay cowboy tough,” he shared on his Instagram alongside a photo with the little girl.
McFadin also revealed to Music Mayhem that Cody Johnson came by to see the young fan in the crowd again at the end of the show and autographed the hat again. Johnson’s drummer also stopped by to gift the young fan one of his drumsticks.
The Leather Tour 2024
The show at Honda Center in Anaheim, California, marked the second show of his headlining Leather Tour, which kicked off on January 19 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.
Joining Johnson as support on select dates of the trek are Justin Moore, Dillon Carmichael, Chris Janson and Drake Milligan. The trek currently runs until September, with numerous sold-out dates, including a performance at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on February 2. This will mark Johnson’s first-ever headlining concert at the Nashville arena. The preceding night, Cody is set to grace the stage at the Grand Ole Opry.
See photos that Johnson shared from the tour’s opening night below.
New Album, Leather
The tour comes in support of his latest album, Leather, which arrived in November 2023. The 12-track project features his current single “The Painter,” which currently sits in the Top 10 at Country radio, as well as fan-favorite tunes such as “Dirt Cheap,” “Make Me A Mop,” “Whiskey Beat (feat. Jelly Roll),” “Love Live Country Music (feat. Brooks & Dunn)” and more.
Earlier this year, Cody Johnson told us that there will be a deluxe version of the album coming in the near future, which will feature 12 more new songs in addition to the project’s original 12 tracks. “I would like to release twelve to give people a chance to digest, to really go through these twelve songs and figure out what their favorites are, what their least favorites are, and live with it for a little while, then they can have the next twelve,” he revealed, describing the release as “kind of an appetizer-entree situation.” One song that we know will appear on the forthcoming deluxe edition of the album is his highly-anticipated collaboration with Carrie Underwood.
For more information on Cody Johnson’s new music and upcoming tour dates, visit his official website, at codyjohnsonmusic.com.
