Miranda Lambert and Riley Green Surprise Fans with ‘I Wish Grandpas Never Died’ Performance at Music for Mutts Benefit Concert

During Miranda Lambert's MuttNation benefit concert at Nashville's Ascend Amphitheater, which raises funds for Miranda's charity, MuttNation, Riley Green teamed up with Miranda for a stripped-back, tear-jerking performance of ‘I Wish Grandpas Never Died’.

Although not originally on the line-up, Riley Green's set at the inaugural Field & Stream Music Fest in Winnsboro, South Carolina, got cancelled due to Hurricane Helene, with the Alabama hitmaker asking Miranda if he could help at the benefit show.

The choice of song felt particularly apt, given the fact that the Music for Mutts concert was geared towards promoting dog adoption, support shelters and more. Prior to the music starting, there was a public adoption event featuring Crossroads Campus, Nashville Humane, Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary and Wags and Walks.

During Riley Green's triple-Platinum hit, ‘I Wish Grandpas Never Died’, he delivers the aching lyric, “I wish good dogs never got grey and old”, which drew a loud cheer from the audience.

Taking to her socials after the event, Miranda Lambert shared the heartwarming story of how Riley Green ended up performing as a last-minute addition to the star-studded line-up. The ‘In Your Arms’ singer-songwriter explained, “Riley Green's show on Saturday got cancelled due to Hurricane Helene, so he called me up and asked if he could come sing to help pups at my MuttNation concert”.

Elsewhere during the Music for Mutts showcase, Miranda Lambert was joined by Jake Worthington to perform their new collaboration, ‘Hello Shitty Day’, as well as Lukas Nelson, Little Big Town, Dan + Shay, Gwen Sebastian, Natalie Hemby, Ashley Monroe and HARDY. The latter emerged for an emotional rendition of ‘Dog Years’, a new unreleased track that we're hoping will be made available in the weeks to come.

MuttNation was founded by Miranda Lambert and her mother, Bev, in 2009, with the organisation having raised over $9 million to help contribute towards its mission of promoting the adoption of shelter pets and advance spay and neuter, along with the education of the public about the benefits of doing so. MuttNation also aids in the relocation of animals during natural disasters, something it has been working on recently in light of the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.

Donations can be made to MuttNation below:

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