Tim McGraw and Cole Swindell teamed up for an epic duet of a McGraw classic during a recent festival in Michigan.
In the midst of McGraw’s headlining set at Faster Horses Festival on Sunday (July 24), the country superstar surprised the audience with a special performance of “I Like It, I Love It” alongside Swindell.
Lucky for fans, a videographer captured the unforgettable moment and Swindell took to social media to share the clip just over a week later.
The clip begins with Swindell, 39, wearing a vintage Tim McGraw t-shirt, joining the 55-year-old Louisiana native on stage at the festival. “One of the coolest moments of my career is about to happen… singing ‘I Like It, I Love It’ w/ the man himself…” Swindell wrote in the subtitles.
As the video continues, Swindell and McGraw are seen singing the iconic tune, which prompted a massive sing-along with the crowd.
“They never sang it back this loud when I covered it in college,” Swindell jokes, before admitting, ”Glad someone captured this because I mayyyy have blacked out up there!!!” Swindell concluded his post by graciously thanking McGraw ”for everything you’ve done in Country music and inspiring me to do what I love.”
Prior to the performance, Swindell shared a post on Twitter about the exciting evening that was ahead of him as he played a show alongside his musical hero for the first time.
“Today is the day..first time we’ve ever done a show with one of my biggest influences & all-time favorites @TheTimMcGraw. Leave it to @faster_horses for memories like tonight. Let’s close it down in style, Michigan!”
Today is the day..first time we’ve ever done a show with one of my biggest influences & all-time favorites @TheTimMcGraw. Leave it to @faster_horses for memories like tonight. Let’s close it down in style, Michigan!
🤝🍻— Cole Swindell (@coleswindell) July 24, 2022
Swindell later thanked McGraw for inviting him to sing with him during his set.
“Sunday Funday 🇺🇸 @faster_horses Edition 🐎 Thanks to all of you closing it out on Day 3 with us…crowd was insane!” Swindell wrote. ”Thanks @TheTimMcGraw for letting me share the stage w/ you…one of my favorite moments of my career. To @boccountry and the rest of the gang, thanks for having us. 🤝”
Sunday Funday 🇺🇸 @faster_horses Edition 🐎 Thanks to all of you closing it out on Day 3 with us..crowd was insane! Thanks @TheTimMcGraw for letting me share the stage w/ you..one of my favorite moments of my career. To @boccountry and the rest of the gang, thanks for having us🤝 pic.twitter.com/rrGf63y5ix
— Cole Swindell (@coleswindell) July 27, 2022
Co-written by Jeb Stuart Anderson, Steve Dukes, and Mark Hall, “I Like It, I Love It” appears on McGraw’s third studio album, All I Want. The song went on to become his third No. 1 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart.
Cole Swindell Recalled Being Starstruck The First-Time He Met Tim McGraw
Swindell previously shared that McGraw is one of his musical heroes and during an interview with Outsider, he recalled being “starstruck” the first time he met the “7500 OBO” singer.
“I remember [being starstruck] the first time I met Tim McGraw. It’s almost funny…” Swindell recalled to the outlet. “It was probably 2014, [at the ACM Awards] I’m guessing and back then, not sure if they still do it, they always used to have a TV special that they recorded on a Monday night after the Sunday ACMs.”
After telling his manager, Kerri Edwards, that he is a huge fan of McGraw and used to cover his songs all the time in college at the time, he made his way down a backstage hallway to meet the hitmaker for the first time.
“He kind of turns and sticks his hand out,” Swindell continued to explain. “And he says, ‘Hey Cole, Tim, nice to meet you.’ He knew my name. He said, ‘I sing your song ‘Chillin’ It’ when I’m picking up my daughters in the school line every day.’” Swindell then added, “I’m not kidding you, my eyes watered, I couldn’t even speak. I patted him on the shoulder… and I walked off about twenty yards and had to come back and apologize.”
The “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” singer then praised McGraw for being such a genuine and humble person.
“That was probably one of the most starstruck moments,” Swindell concluded. ”He has always been cool to me, and that’s what I love about meeting your heroes are the ones that exceed expectations, and Tim is as cool as it gets.”
