Thomas Rhett and Niall Horan Cover “Choosin’ Texas,” Team up To Perform a One Direction Hit During First-Ever Co-Headlining Show

Thomas Rhett and Niall Horan just gave thousands of Nashvillians a night to remember. On July 9, the longtime pals put on the first of two planned co-headlining shows, performing for 20,000 people at Nashville’s Geodis Park.

The highlight of the night came at the end of the show. After completing their individual sets, Rhett and Horan took the stage together to sing five songs side-by-side.

They started out by singing Horan’s 2023 track “Heaven.” Next, the guys performed “Old Tricks.”

The latter song is one that Rhett originally recorded with Blake Shelton, and later released with Horan. The men recently gave their first-ever live performance of the track during Horan’s Grand Ole Opry debut.

Things got really interesting next, when Rhett told the crowd that they’d decided to perform a cover. After debating between songs by the likes of Tom Petty and Reba McEntire, Horan threw an idea out there. “Why don’t we do the biggest song on the planet?”

With that, Rhett told concertgoers, “We are Ella’s Fellas up here on stage.” The guys then dove into their own version of Ella Langley’s hit track, “Choosin’ Texas.”

The good vibes continued with the pair performing Horan’s favorite of Rhett’s tracks, “Die a Happy Man.”

The crowd had been rapt throughout the entirety of the joint set, and only got more excited when Rhett began teasing the next tune. The country star revealed that he had to convince Horan to perform the final song of the night.

Since One Direction was completely absent from Horan’s solo set, eager fans had a sense of what was coming. Their hunch was confirmed when the opening notes of “Steal My Girl,” a hit One Direction track from 2014, began playing.

The guys sang and danced along happily throughout the bop. The crowd responded in kind, and the night ended on the highest of high notes.

Niall Horan Caps Off the “Most Amazing Week” of His Life With Nashville Concert

Before the night came to an end in epic fashion, Emily Ann Roberts and Kashus Culpepper got the crowd going with unforgettable opening sets.

Horan was next up, and captivated the audience with performances of “Heartbreak Weather,” “Nice to Meet Ya,” and “Meltdown,” before addressing the concertgoers directly.

“I can’t believe we get to do this,” Horan marveled of himself and Rhett. He went on to note that the night is particularly special for him, since Nashville is one of his “favorite cities in the whole wide world.”

What followed were back-to-back can’t miss performances, with a break here and there for Horan to good-naturedly complain about the Nashville heat. “This Irish body is not used to this,” he quipped at one point.

Fans got to hear Horan sing tracks including “Dinner Party,” “This Town,” and “Slow Hands,” before Horan acknowledged the exceptional time he’s had in Music City.

“This week has been the most amazing week of my whole life,” he said. “I got to play a stadium with Thomas Rhett and I got to make my Grand Ole Opry debut.”

Thomas Rhett Kicks Off His Tour in Nashville

After Horan’s solo set, Rhett took the stage. The night served as the kick off of Rhett’s The Soundtrack to Life Tour. If Thursday night is any indication, fans slated to attend future shows have a lot to look forward to.

He began his time on stage with “Make Me Wanna,” before transitioning into “Look What God Gave Her,” “Gone Country,” and “T-Shirt,” the latter of which featured a fireworks show.

“Holy crap, Nashville, Tennessee,” Rhett said. “If I talk now I’m going to cry, so we’re just going to play some more songs.”

Fans danced and sang along to songs like “Ain’t a Bad Life” and “Half of Me.” They were also treated to a performance of a brand new, unreleased song: “Sky Fall.”

In between songs, Rhett said the night was “one of the coolest” of his life, gushed over his friendship with Horan, and celebrated the fact that his sister-in-law just finished chemotherapy.

Rhett began wrapping up his solo time on stage with performances of “It Goes Like This” and “After All the Bars Are Closed.” He capped off the night with “Crash and Burn” as fireworks exploded in the sky above him.

Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images

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