Toby Keith‘s daughter, Krystal Keith, was listed as a performer for the taping of Toby Keith: American Icon, but the song she selected stunned the audience.

The Country Music Hall of Fame inductee’s youngest daughter took the stage to sing “Don’t Let the Old Man In.” The crowd fell silent during her patient, personal performance.

• Carrie Underwood, Jelly Roll, Luke Bryan, Eric Church and Brantley Gilbert were five of the guest performers on Monday night (July 29).
• Proceeds from the show went in part to Toby Keith’s OK Kids Korral Foundation, which supports children battling cancer in Oklahoma.
• Keith died at 62 in February, after a long battle with cancer.

Related: 13 Stunning Toby Keith Facts

“Don’t Let the Old Man In” is the last song that Keith performed on television when he took the stage at the People’s Choice Country Awards on NBC last September. He penned the lyrics for Clint Eastwood’s The Mule film, but before he died, he admitted the fight-off-death message took on new meaning as he battled cancer.

“When I wrote it, I didn’t know that in the next few years that I was going to have to be looking those words square in the face,” Keith said during his final Taste of Country interview.

“As much as they’re words to live by when you’re old, they’re just as much words to live by when you’re battling a disease that can be fatal. I never knew that I was gonna have to do that.”

Krystal Keith sat alongside brother Stelen, sister Shelley and mother Tricia Covel for most of the show. Cameras found them singing, pumping their fists and wiping away tears throughout the night.

During “Don’t Let the Old Man In,” nobody could hold their emotions in.

Toby Keith: American Icon will air on NBC on Aug. 28 at 9PM ET. Over two dozen country hitmakers took the stage to sing Keith’s hit songs before an all-call finish of “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” Here are some of the highlights:

Best Toby Keith Tributes:

Ashley McBryde‘s vocals on “Wish I Didn’t Know Now” were an epiphany. The arrangement was true to the original, but she owned the breakup ballad in a way that made the song an original.

Jelly Roll’s personal rendition of “My List” and Trace Adkins singing “American Soldier” are two more must-watch moments. Adkins nearly cracked a tear reflecting on his friendship with Keith. Every artist to take the stage wanted to be there, but one truly felt he needed to be there.

Best Collaboration:

There were a few unexpected pairings (Lainey Wilson and Jamey Johnson, for example) and some you’re not likely to see again (Jordan Davis passing the mic to Clay Walker for “I Love this Bar”).

Riley Green and Ella Langley continue to prove to be the most interesting vocal partners in country music at the moment. Their version of “Who’s Your Daddy?” was so fresh it was easy to miss the strange title selection for a male-female pairing. If you’ve not heard “You Look Like You Love Me” yet, give it a listen.

Best Recovery:

There were a couple sound issues and stumbles that NBC will surely make right in the edit, but Tyler Hubbard proved to be a professional when he asked the band to re-start the second verse of “Red Solo Cup.” Saying something like “Toby deserves better,” he rejoined the band without any kind of embarrassing pause, and soon everyone had forgotten.

Most Surprising Moment:

Wilson began “Beer for My Horses” on horseback, and rode to the stage where Johnson was waiting for her. Once on stage, their energies were polar opposites, and they stuck to the Toby and Willie original.

Highlights from the Toby Keith: American Icon red carpet and more from the show will come closer to the Aug. 28 airing.