Blake Shelton and Toby Keith teamed up to perform Keith’s song, “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” back at the 2018 Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM). The performance aired as part of the ACMs’ special throwback performances. The throwback performances were…

Toby Keith, Blake Shelton; Photo Courtesy of Jason Merritt/ACMA2018/Getty Images for ACM

Blake Shelton and Toby Keith teamed up to perform Keith’s song, “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” back at the 2018 Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM).

The performance aired as part of the ACMs’ special throwback performances. The throwback performances were featured to celebrate the “25th anniversary of songs released in 1993” and paired current country artists with some of the genre’s most well-known icons, also according to the outlet.

Keith joined Shelton on stage as part of the special lineup, with Shelton introducing the mega country star. “Give it up for Toby Keith!,” Shelton said to the roar of fans in attendance. Keith appeared on stage a beat later, dressed in a black shirt, white pants, and matching cowboy hat as he raised a red Solo cup up to the cheers of the crowd.

“I bet you’ve never heard ol’ Marshal Dillon say / Miss Kitty, have you ever thought of runnin’ away? / Settlin’ down, would you marry me / If I asked you twice and begged you, pretty please? / She’d have said, “Yes”, in a New York minute / They never tied the knot, his heart wasn’t in it / He just stole a kiss as he rode away / He never hung his hat up at Kitty’s place / I should’ve been a cowboy / I should’ve learned to rope and ride / Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive / Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts / Just like Gene and Roy / Singin’ those campfire songs / Woah, I should’ve been a cowboy,” Keith and Shelton paired their vocals on the first verse and chorus of the song.

The pair continued the rest of the song, both singing and playing guitar before high-fiving each other when they’d concluded.

The performance wasn’t the first time the two singers shared the stage together. At the previous year’s ACM Honors (2017), Shelton and Keith performed as part of a medley to legendary songwriter Glen Campbell that also featured Keith Urban and Dierks Bentley.

More recently, Shelton was announced as Keith’s replacement at a Veteran’s Day concert in Coachella, California.

The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians Veteran’s Day event, dubbed A Salute To Our Heroes, marks the second country concert that Coachella Crossroads has hosted for Veterans and will take place on November 11. The first event for Veterans at the venue was headlined by “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” singer Toby Keith in 2021.

Keith was scheduled to return to headline this year’s concert but was forced to cancel his performance after he revealed he was diagnosed with stomach cancer earlier this summer.

“Last fall I was diagnosed with stomach cancer. I’ve spent the last 6 months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery. So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax,” the country hitmaker wrote on social media on June 12, revealing his diagnosis with fans.

Keith is currently “spending this time” with his family, and it remains unclear as to when Keith will return to the stage, however he promised fans that he will see them “sooner than later [and he] I can’t wait.”

Additionally, the “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” singer was forced to cancel all of his remaining performances to recover following treatment for his stomach cancer.