Toby Keith Pays Homage to Glen Campbell Live With ‘Wichita Lineman’ [Watch]
Toby Keith took time out of his live show on Wednesday (Aug. 9) to pay musical tribute to Glen Campbell with a cover of one of his most important songs, "Wichita Lineman."
Keith performed at Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Wednesday night, one day after Campbell died at the age of 81 after a long and very public battle with Alzheimer's.
"The great Glen Campbell passed away," he told the crowd, "and we're gonna pay homage to him tonight."
Keith showed off a very different side of his musicality than his own rough-and-tumble party hits and patriotic anthems usually demonstrate, delivering a strong-but-gentle vocal performance as his band emulated Campbell's original horn-and-strings-driven arrangement nearly note for note, with his lead guitarist turning in a perfect rendition of Campbell's famous guitar solo. A career-spanning photo montage of Campbell displayed on the big screen behind the stage while Keith performed, ending with a picture of the two of them together.
More Country Singers Pay Tribute to Glen Campbell
Keith extemporized a bit at the end of the song, singing, "And the Wichita lineman is still on the line / And he's still doing fine," adding in spoken word, "Now Glen Campbell will rest in peace."
Keith is just one of the many country singers who have given tribute to Campbell. Keith Urban praised Campbell for his enormous musical influence and "humanity," and Jake Owen turned to Facebook to share his own cover of "Wichita Lineman." John Mayer surprised the crowd at his Nashville gig on Tuesday night (Aug. 8) with a jaw-dropping cover of "Gentle on My Mind," calling it "my favorite song in the world."
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