Guests in attendance to see Todd Tilghman perform at Ole Red Gatlinburg, got a big surprise: a video of Blake Shelton! Shelton was Tilghman’s coach on Season 18 of The Voice, which Tilghman won in 2020.
“I figured your old coach better call in and say hi to you since you’re playing Ole Red,” Shelton said to Tilghman.
“Well, thank you, ’cause I’ve played Ole Red like 57 times. This is the first time you called in and said ‘hey,’ so I sure appreciate it,” Tilghman retorted with a laugh.
All kidding aside, Shelton had a lot of praise for Tilghman and his monumental win on The Voice, which happened just as the coronavirus pandemic was shutting the entire world down.
Folks around here call him boss man, but I just know him as my friend. Thanks for calling in tonight Blake! Ole Red Gatlinburg The Voice Blake Shelton
Posted by Todd Tilghman on Friday, April 28, 2023
“You’re the reason I’m quitting the show,” Shelton said with a laugh. “It’s never been the same since you and I had that epic run that we had. I don’t know if people out there remember or not, but the year that you won the show was the COVID-lockdown sucky year. You were filming yourself from your house, and the church down there. I was filming myself from here in Oklahoma.
“That in a lot of ways was the hardest season that I’ve ever been a part of,” he continued. “It was hard for a lot of people doing a lot of things. But it’s just more of a testament to you and your talent, and breaking through, and just your overall message. I just feel really proud of you, and blown away by that season.”
Tilghman also thanked Shelton for inviting him to make his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2022.
“I know I told you in person, but I sure do appreciate you inviting me on the Opry,” Tilghman said. “That was just a dream fulfilled, a dream of a lifetime fulfilled, so thank you for that.”
“Better late than never,” Shelton said. “I was surprised to hear that you hadn’t been on, but we’re definitely proud that you got to come out there and sing. Hopefully, we’ll see you back there again soon.”
“You know me, everything besides my wife and my kids, and possibly my wife, I’ll just drop to come on back out,” Tilghman quipped.
Shelton recently surprised guests at another Ole Red location, when he appeared at the Ole Red in the Nashville airport to perform a few songs.
Tilghman, who recently teased a collaboration with Jake Hoot and The Swon Brothers, has been teasing new music on social media. Keep track of updates at ToddTOfficial.com