Kane Brown, Gwen Stefani Pop Up During Blake Shelton’s Pre-Super Bowl Benefit Show [Watch]
Blake Shelton kicked off Super Bowl weekend on Friday (Feb. 10) with a private benefit concert in the Phoenix, Ariz. area -- and he brought a couple superstar friends along for the occasion.
The event -- held at a private residence in Scottsdale, Ariz. -- was hosted by former pro NFL quarterback Kurt Warner and his wife Brenda, and benefited Treasure House, a living community for young adults with developmental disabilities that the Warners founded. According to the organization's website, about 300 guests attended the exclusive pre-Super Bowl party, and the guest list included elite athletes, PGA players, coaches and more greats from the sports world. In addition to Shelton's acoustic set, magician Jon Dorenbos performed, and the event was billed as Smoke & Strings: A Night of Magic and Music.
After the opening magic show from Dorenbos, Shelton proved that he had some tricks up his sleeve, too: He invited a couple of musical A-Listers to sing with him, beginning with his wife, pop superstar Gwen Stefani. Stefani joined him for a performance of "Happy Anywhere," the couple's No. 1 hit from 2020.
"Oh my God. Wow. This is my wife. We met on our reality show. This is Gwen Stefani, everybody," the singer told the crowd, before correcting himself and introducing her as "Gwen Shelton." The pair then launched into an acoustic performance of their hit, which captivated the crowd despite some blustering winds in the background.
But Stefani's appearance wasn't the only special surprise that Shelton had planned. He also invited Kane Brown to the stage for a rendition of "Ol' Red," an early-career hit that Shelton released in 2002. Brown is part of a younger set of country stars, and before they began to sing together, Shelton joked that this particular song might be a little before Brown's time.
"Were you born yet when I put this song out? 2002?" Shelton inquired. "Yeah, I was born," the younger star assured him. (Brown was born in October 1993, making him eight years old when "Ol' Red" hit country radio.)
Just then, the wind picked up, and the stage backdrop threatened to blow over onto the two performers. "We're hoping that we survive, because I don't know how much money y'all are raising tonight, but that's a very expensive injury," Shelton joked.
"It's okay," Brown said, calmly reaching out to steady the backdrop. "It looks pretty in the videos."
Super Bowl LVII will take place in Phoenix, Ariz. on Sunday evening (Feb. 12), with the Kansas City Chiefs facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles. Chris Stapleton is performing the national anthem before the game begins.
It's not clear whether Shelton, Stefani or Brown intend to stick around for the big game, or if they'll be moving on to the next stop on their respective tour calendars. Both Shelton and Brown are booked solid this year: Shelton is preparing to launch his Back to the Honky Tonk Tour on Feb. 16, while Brown will pick up his Drunk or Dreaming trek with a U.S. leg starting March 16.
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