Brad Paisley played before a mostly sold-out show at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on Saturday night, March 16. But there were at least two empty seats during his show, which he reserved for former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, who both passed away in 2018.
“Every year at @rodeohouston I would have lunch with 2 of my very, very dear friends before they would go to the big event,” Paisley shared on social media. “My heart was heavy this year thinking they wouldn’t be there. Turns out, I guess they were,” he wrote, along with the hashtags #georgeandbarbarabush #missyou.”
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The former First Lady passed away on April 17, 2018, with her husband, President Bush, passing away on Nov. 30 of the same year. The couple had been married for 73 years at the time of Barbara’s death.
“They had a very special relationship with some of the entertainers, Reba McEntire and Brad Paisley in particular,” Rodeo Houston President Joel Cowley told KTRK. “And when Reba or Brad would play, they’d usually come in advance of the show and sit down and visit with them. And then they would enjoy seats right beside the bucking chute.”
Paisley just released another touching tribute, this time in his latest single, “My Miracle,” honoring his own wife of more than 15 years, Kimberly Williams-Paisley.
“I can be a little ornery when it comes to writing love songs,” Paisley said in a statement of the song, which he co-wrote with well-known songwriters, Gary Nicholson. “I don’t typically put it all out there, but in this one I did. This is the most powerful statement I think I can make. The one I wrote it for, she is my worst critic typically, but in this case I think I got it right.”
“My Miracle” is from an upcoming new album. Paisley will embark on his World Tour on May 30, with Chris Lane and Riley Green serving as his opening acts. Find dates at BradPaisley.com.
Photo Credit: Getty images/Mat Hayward
