Those of us in the crowd during Kenny Chesney's "I Go Back Tour" stop at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana were treated to an incredible show by Kenny Chesney and Kelsea Ballerini Saturday night (May 20th, 2023), that included a few surprise guests Kenny himself apparently didn't even know were stopping by.

Old Dominion Make Surprise Appearance During Kenny Chesney Show

Saturday's surprise appearance happened four months and a day after Old Dominion's last stop in Evansville. They kicked off the first leg of their "No Bad Vibes Tour" (a name Kenny came up with) at the Ford Center back on January 19th.

READ MORE: Old Dominion's No Bad Vibes Tour Was Named by Kenny Chesney

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The surprise appearance took place roughly halfway through Chesney's two-hour headlining set. After making small talk with the crowd following a song, Kenny turned to the band for a quick countdown and the first few notes of "Save It for a Rainy Day." As he turned around to make his way back to the microphone stand, his eyes caught Matthew Ramsey, Brad Tursi, and Trevor Rosen standing in the shadows on the side of the stage. He turned back to the band, waving his hands in the air and telling them to stop playing, before stepping up to the mic to tell the crowd what was happening. The sold-out crowd erupted as Ramsey, Tursi, and Rosen made their way on stage, guitars in hand, and ready to join their friend for a song or two.

After a few hugs, Kenny said he was truly surprised and had no idea the guys were going to be there. However, he apparently was the only one as he acknowledged the band "pulled a fast one" on him. I didn't get my phone out quick enough to catch the initial introduction, but I did manage to catch the entire duet of "Save It for a Rainy Day." A song co-written by Ramsey and Tursi.

The trio remained on stage for another song, and after a little center-stage pow-wow with Kenny, they decided to go with a cover of "Take It Easy" by The Eagles.

Because the internet, and people in general, have eroded my trust in practically everything I see, hear, or read, I was hesitant to believe that Kenny had no idea his friends were coming by to see him. However, based on a video Old Dominion shared on Twitter and a post Kenny shared on Facebook on Sunday, very few people knew this was going to happen, so it seems he really had no clue.

Why Old Dominion decided to bring the bus up to Evansville is unknown. Their next set of tour dates don't start until May 27th with a couple of shows in Colorado. Evansville is only about two hours north of Nashville, so the only thing I can come up with is that they planned on getting to Colorado a few days early for whatever reason and decided to take a little detour knowing their buddy Kenny was in town. Whatever the reason, it was a great addition to an already incredible show for those of us who were there to see it.

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