When Garth Brooks Surprised Justin Timberlake For A “Friends in Low Places” Duet
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- Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
- Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
- Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.
You will definitely see “Friends in Low Places” differently after reading this story.
In 2014, just days before Christmas, Justine Timberlake and the massive audience at his sold-out show at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville got the surprise of a lifetime.
“This is the country music capital of the world, right?” Timberlake asked the crowd as a way of introduction before he started strumming to the first line to Garth Brooks’ mega-hit single, “Friends In Low Places.” As though to answer his question, the whole audience launched into the verse. They sang along with Timberlake and his massive backup band — the Tennessee Kids — all the way until after a few verses, Timberlake said, “Something don’t feel right.”
And then the Prince of Pop was all, “Garth?”
Brooks was then seen walking onstage and launched into a duet with Timberlake – spending the next six minutes trading lyrics. The crowd definitely went wild with what they’ve just witnessed. When the two talented singers were done singing, Timberlake was so shocked and overwhelmed with excitement that he collapsed – well, he playfully pretended to do so!
But that collaboration could not have happened if Timberlake did not attend one of the country icon’s concerts in St. Louis, Missouri.
“We’re in St. Louis, and Chuck comes, and he goes, ‘Justin Timberlake’s here,’ and I went, ‘Hahaha! Yeah, right!’ and he goes, ‘No, dude. He’s here.’ My first question was, ‘Why?’” Brooks jokingly said. “So I come to find out, he grew up on our stuff. He’s right over stage right, and this kid’s singing every word, and I’m like, ‘Holy cow!’”
Timberlake dropped by backstage after the show and invited Brooks to come to his concert in Nashville. Though Brooks hesitated a bit, his wife Trisha Yearwood was all in. She told her husband matter-of-factly, “We’re going to that concert.”
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