Miranda Lambert showed incredible strength on Saturday as she returned to the stage for the first time since the heartbreaking loss of her dear friend and longtime bandmate, Scotty Wray.
The country superstar lit up the NHL Stadium Series in Nashville, TN, dazzling the packed Nissan Stadium crowd in a sparkling silver sequin top, skinny jeans, a studded belt, and a fringed jacket. With her signature energy and charm, Miranda delivered powerful performances of “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” and “Kerosene.”
She later joined Dierks Bentley for a crowd-pleasing duet of ZZ Top’s “Gimme All Your Lovin’” during the game’s intermission. Even after the Nashville Predators’ tough loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Miranda kept spirits high, wrapping up in a cozy floor-length coat as she enjoyed the rest of the evening with fans.
A few days later, she shared some fun snapshots on Instagram with the simple caption: “Weekend fun.” Fans couldn’t stop gushing over her look and presence:
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“Loving this lip color and makeup on you, lady… just beautiful,” wrote one admirer.
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“You looked gorgeous, and the performance was amazing,” added another.
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“Queen energy! You’re truly in your prime,” cheered a fan.
But beneath the glitter and smiles, Miranda is still carrying the weight of her loss. Just days earlier, she paid a heartfelt tribute to Scotty on Instagram, sharing photos from their 20+ years of friendship and music together.
“Last night I lost one of my most treasured friends, bandmates, and road family members, Scotty Wray,” she wrote. “We met in 2001 when I was just 17, and that was the beginning of our journey. We played countless gigs, wrote songs, fought, laughed, cried, and even got matching arrow tattoos after making it through tough times together.”
Calling him one of the most talented guitar players she’d ever known, Miranda added: “Heaven is lucky, because that honky-tonk band up there just gained another guitar-pickin’ angel.”
Through her grief, Miranda continues to honor Scotty’s memory the best way she knows how—by pouring her heart into her music and connecting with fans who have loved her through every high and low.
