WATCH: Chase Rice Honors Morgan Wallen With Heartfelt Performance Of ‘Sand In My Boots’

Chase Rice delivered a special performance of “Sand In My Boots” in honor of Morgan Wallen at Gulf Coast Jam in Panama City Beach, Florida on Saturday evening (June 3).  

While on the beachside stage, Rice surprised the crowd with the beloved country song, which appears on Wallen’s record-breaking sophomore project, Dangerous: The Double Album. The North Carolina native was inspired to cover the song as Wallen was originally set to headline that nice of the festival, however, was forced to postpone his appearance until 2024 due to being on a six-week doctor-ordered vocal rest. 

“Since he couldn’t be here, I’m just going to give you my best impression. I’m not going to do it justice, I promise you that. If I forget the words, y’all sing ’em back to me because I have a feeling most of you guys are going to know this one. This one’s for you guys and for our boy back at home,” Rice said.

He went on to perform Wallen’s chart-topping hit.

“Yeah, but now I’m dodging potholes in my sunburnt Silverado / Like a heart-broke Desperado, headed right back to my roots / Somethin’ bout the way she kissed me tells me she’d love Eastern Tennessee / Yeah, but all I brought back with me was some sand in my boots,” Rice sang on the tune’s chorus. 

His performance of “Sand In My Boots” ended as the sold-out crowd sang every word back to him while illuminating their cell phone lights. 

Watch Chase Rice’s tribute to Morgan Wallen below.

Following the event, Chase Rice took to social media to commemorate his performance with a carousel of images on Instagram. 

“Trip back home to Florida went well I’d say🤘🏼 @gulfcoastjam,” Rice captioned a series of snapshots.

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Chase Rice recently opened up about his friendship with Wallen, which formed over the course of the global health crisis, during an interview with The Sports Objective.

“Morgan Wallen and I have gotten really close, and that was through COVID a little bit. We’ve always been kind of buddies, but not really. And then COVID happened,” Rice recalled. “He started exploding during COVID, which was a tough thing for him to handle because your only view of success or ‘how successful am I right now?’ was through the internet, which is a very dangerous place to be.”

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He also revealed how Morgan Wallen’s sobriety motivated him to become sober.

“He would say all the drinking problems he had, stuff like that. And now he’s completely sober,” Rice continued. “Through the history of him and I becoming buddies through COVID to becoming sober together, because I don’t even hardly drink anymore, it’s just like, [alcohol was] a thing that was taking me down and stopping me from becoming the best version that I can be of myself and those people like that – like I golfed with Morgan yesterday. When you’re around people like that, that motivates you to be better, it really helps me focus on, ‘All right, here’s a good influence over here doing this. Absolutely killing it in life. Killing it with his music. How can I take that sobriety into my life to help me become better?’”

Rice later recalled attending the Kentucky Derby with Wallen and shared how they stuck together during the event and didn’t give into the temptation of alcohol while at Churchill Downs.  

“Four days into that was a Kentucky Derby, and I’m sitting here going, ‘how am I not going to drink at the Kentucky Derby?’” he continued. “But Morgan was there, and he and I stayed together, hung together, and it just makes you closer as a person. So being around people, that’s been helpful.”

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Chase Rice recently released his new album, I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell, a 13-track album that features the fan-favorite tunes “Bench Seat” and “Way Down Yonder.” 

This fall, Rice will join Old Dominion on their No Bad Vibes Tour, which kicks off on October 26 in Glendale, Arizona, and runs through December 15, with its final stop in Nashville, Tennessee.

Meanwhile, Morgan Wallen unleashed his third studio album, One Thing At A Time, which arrived on March 3. One Thing At A Time showcases Wallen’s wide range of musical influences as well as combines his love for country, rock and hip-hop. 

The project features 36 tracks, including duets with Eric Church, HARDY and ERNEST. Wallen’s sister Ashlyne also makes an appearance on the project, singing harmonies on the song titled “Outlook.” He also pays tribute to his son, Indigo (Indie) Wilder Wallen, on the project with the tune “Dying Man,” which he often dedicates to Indie during his live concerts.

Additionally, Wallen is set to resume his One Night At A Time World Tour later this month. The country superstar is set to perform back-to-back nights at Wrigley Field in Chicago on June 22 and June 23. Wrigley Field is an iconic Major League Baseball (MLB) ballpark, which is home to the Chicago Cubs.