Kenny Chesney brought his Here And Now Tour to Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday (April 30) and surprised the sold-out crowd with an on-stage collaboration with Carly Pearce.
“We’re at the beginning of the tour, we opened the tour last Saturday in Tampa. This is our second night, you know, we’re starting to learn how to walk again, it feels incredible,” Chesney shared from the stage.
He went on to reveal that his duet with Pearce came after a request from his mom, Karen.
“We’re changing stuff with the set list and we didn’t do this last week, but my mama is here tonight from Knoxville and she wanted to meet Carly Pearce,” the superstar explained. “So, Carly came up on the bus and my mom goes ‘are you going to sing with Kenny tonight?’ and I went ‘you know, probably be a good idea.’”
Welcoming Pearce to the stage, Chesney said, “So, if you don’t mind, Carly please come out.”
Pearce entered the stage, barefoot and wearing a Chesney shirt, to perform “You and Tequila” with the East Tennessee native.
The performance marked the first time Chesney has played “You And Tequila” on the road in quite some time.
SO special. @carlypearce surprised the crowed last night and sang “You and Tequila” in a STADIUM with @kennychesney!! pic.twitter.com/Xp2zPOWaXE
— Carly P Connect – FAN ACCOUNT (@CarlyP_Connect) May 1, 2022
Co-written by Matraca Berg and Deana Carter, “You And Tequila” originally features Grace Potter and appears as the fourth single on Chesney’s 2010 album, Hemingway’s Whiskey.
Ahead of their on stage duet, while talking with Country Now on the 2022 CMT Music Awards red carpet, Pearce teased the potential for a collaboration with Chesney.
At the time she remained right light-tipped, but teased, “It might be coming.” She also shared that the tour is a “dream come true” for her.
“I feel like he is the ultimate artist to be a part of a tour and I feel like I’m gonna learn so much from him,” Pearce gushed of the “Knowing You” singer.
Pearce previously opened up about her friendship with Chesney and shared her excitement over the chance to watch his show every night.
“I’ve loved Kenny Chesney forever, and he’s become a friend of mine over the last year,” Pearce told Everything Nash. “He’s honestly been a mentor, and I’m so excited to get to watch his show every night, and hopefully learn something every night. I feel like he’s the King of Country Music for touring.”
Pearce, who accompanies the eight-time Entertainer of the Year on all 41 dates of the tour, is also joined by Dan + Shay and Old Dominion on the 21 stadium dates.
The Here And Now Tour 2022 kicked off on Saturday, April 23 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The tour will continue through August 27, where the trek will wrap up with back-to-back nights at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
Tickets are available HERE.
