The good old days.
Sadly, country legend Toby Keith passed away at the age of 62 after a long battle with stomach cancer in February, and I’m still sad about it… I know his friends and family will continue to miss him forever, and there will never be another one like him, that’s for sure.
Keith had charted 61 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts throughout his career, including an impressive 20 number one hits and 22 additional top 10 hits. His longest-lasting number one hits are “Beer for My Horses” (with Willie Nelson) and “As Good as I Once Was” in 2005.
He was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, and though unfortunately, he never won one, which is a crying shame and a story for a whole different post.
And with Thanksgiving happening tomorrow, which means plenty of food and football, I’ve been looking back on some of the greatest Dallas Cowboys halftime performances from over the years, which most recently includes Dolly Parton’s iconic show last year, which she did dressed as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and stunned the world.
In case you live under a rock… do yourself the favor:
Dolly Parton FULL Thanksgiving Halftime Show#NFL #AmericanFootball pic.twitter.com/hC6v38fa2v
— Crypto.Man (@hoangcrab_) November 24, 2023
Other country artists like Reba, Randy Travis, Clint Black, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Luke Combs and more have also done the honors of performing at the Cowboys halftime show, and this year, Miss Lainey Wilson will headline it, which I’m sure will be great too.
But Toby’s all-American halftime performance in Dallas back in 2003 is truly one of the best. Of course it was as patriotic as possible, with American flags everywhere, and all the DCC girls dancing along with each song. Toby had a full band out there, tons of production and some pyro, as well as many light up stars and a neat stage setup that unfolded into a Dallas Cowboy star at the beginning.
From that standpoint alone, it was fun to watch, and he sang fan-favorite hits including “Beer For My Horses,” “How Do You Like Me Now!,” and “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American),” which are classics to this day.
He also had plenty of servicemen and women there, and made sure to play part of the National Anthem during the mini concert to honor all of them and this great country.
But the big finale was easily the best part for me, when a massive eagle was raised up to the stage during the line in the chorus of “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue ” that says “And the eagle will fly it’s gonna be hell…”
It was really fun to watch this in 2024, because they truly just don’t do it like this anymore… and they certainly don’t do it like Toby Keith, that’s for sure. While it’s obviously really sad that he’s no longer here on earth, making music and being the all-around bada** that he was, we’ll always have this, and that’s pretty special too.
Check this out, you won’t regret it: