Toby Keith surprised his audience with two “rehearsals” that were actually two shows over the weekend at his venue, Hollywood Corners. The artist, who has been battling stomach cancer for the past 18 months, used the shows as a test run.
Keith hinted to the practice runs in a previous interview, stating he planned to test his ability to play a full set before hitting the road again, something he wanted to do by the end of the year.
On Friday and Saturday, Keith played two complete 2 1/2-hour performances to a crowded house. He sang various cover songs for the audience, including “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers, as well as all of his greatest hits. Just in time for Independence Day, his performance of “Made in America” really captivated the crowd.
“Made In America” was a single made available in 2011, from Toby’s 15th studio album, Clancy’s Tavern.
Keith hesitantly admitted to Billboard Magazine that he only made the decision to record it as a result of his sound staff and other studio musicians who made a big deal out of what a terrific tune it was when he was recording the scratch vocals. He had already made up his mind that “Made in America” wouldn’t be on the album, but he eventually gave in and added it to the tracklist because he didn’t want to disappoint anyone.
“I was in the booth singing the scratch vocal, and everyone was going, ‘God, what a smash. That is awesome, pal!’ he recalled. “Everyone was high-fiving and carrying on. I wasn’t about to pop everyone’s bubble and say, ‘I ain’t putting it on the album.’ So I said, ‘Alright, y’all win. Put it on there.’”
He now has 20 chart-topping songs after “Made in America” swiftly garnered popularity and peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs list.
Watch the following video to hear Toby Keith performing “Made in America” on his triumphant return to the stage last weekend: