During the all-star Toby Keith: American Icon tribute show, Luke Bryan made a very special wardrobe decision to honor the late icon.

Bryan typically performs wearing a baseball cap, but during appearance at the tribute — which was taped in Nashville last month, and will air Wednesday night (Aug. 28) — Bryan brought out his black cowboy hat in honor of the late, great icon.

The Keith hit he sang was “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” so it’s only fitting that Bryan would don his best cowboy attire for the occasion. But the hat had another meaning, too. He chose it in honor of his late sister, he explained to the crowd during his performance.

“This hat has been hanging in my closet for probably 15 years,” Bryan explained, according to Billboard, which previewed a sneak peek of his performance.

“I used to wear this hat every night, and ever since I lost my sister, I hadn’t put this hat [on] onstage in a lot of years,” he continues. “I was walkin’ out the house, and I said, ‘You know what? I’m just an old country boy from Georgia, but Toby Keith certainly made me want to be a cowboy.’ I’m gonna be a cowboy tonight. This is for you, Toby.”

Taste of Country attended the July taping of the benefit show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and previously reported on a few more can’t-miss moments. One highlight is sure to be a performance from Krystal Keith, the late singer’s daughter, who delivered a haunting rendition of his “Don’t Let the Old Man In.”

Earlier this week, NBC shared another sneak peek of the show: A clip of Carrie Underwood‘s performance of “A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action.”

• Keith died at age 62 in February, following a battle with stomach cancer.
• He was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
• Partial proceeds from the tribute show will benefit Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and the Toby Keith Foundation’s OK Kids Korral.

Toby Keith: American Icon will air on NBC on Wednesday night at 9PM ET/ 8PM CT.

Carena Liptak is an Associate Editor and staff writer at Taste of Country. She specializes in breaking country music news, interviews and lists. In particular, she’s got a soft spot for sad songs — check out her roundup of the 50 Saddest Country Songs of All Time!