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On June 24, 2025, Taylor Swift made a surprise appearance at the Tight End University’s benefit concert in Nashville, Tennessee. Country artists like Chase Rice, Sophia Scott, Graham Barham, Jordan Davis, Luke Combs, and Kane Brown were also present. The following morning, Rice shared a post on his Instagram and TikTok, marking his impromptu collaboration with Swift.
“We wrote ‘Cruise’ 14 years ago, and Taylor tweeted about it; the rest was history. Most likely woulda been a big ole song anyway, but her recognizing it sure didn't hurt. Last night, I got to thank her all these years later. My music has changed significantly, but it's always fun to honor the roads that go us where we are. Baby, you a song...” the caption read.
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The post was accompanied by a short clip where Taylor Swift and Chase Rice appeared to share a fun moment together. While she called it a “time capsule,” he asked whether he could get a “Grammy tomorrow morning.”
In response, the Midnight songstress said, “He deserves one,” before blowing kisses to their fans. Meanwhile, Rice was seen holding a beer can and saying “cheers” to his fans.
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Apart from the light-hearted video, the post also contained a glimpse of Chase Rice performing his 2012 hit song Cruise while Taylor Swift was singing along and dancing to it from the stands.
Another moment from the charity concert showed Rice playing the guitar as Swift performed her 2014 single Shake It Off.
In the wake of Taylor Swift’s latest collaboration with Chase Rice onstage, as well as her interaction with other conservative musicians, she’s now facing backlash. Notably, Rice and Kane Brown are longtime Trump supporters.
Swift was also captured hanging out with far-right podcasters Taylor Lewan and Will Compton of Bussin' With The Boys fame, as per The Daily Mail. She and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, also visited Jason Aldean’s Kitchen and Rooftop Bar the night before the charity event. Aldean is also a supporter of Trump.
For instance, Reddit user @Informal-Yak750 commented on a snippet of Chase Rice’s reunion post with Taylor Swift, shared on the platform by Redditor @remercierfleurs on the r/Fauxmoi community page.
“She’s trash. Give the pop queen crown to Olivia already,” the user wrote.
Many others joined the conversation and shared similar reactions.
Taylor Swift hasn’t responded to the criticism yet.
Notably, in 2012, Chase Rice co-wrote Cruise for the musical duo Florida George Line, comprising Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, alongside Joey Moi and Jesse Rice. The song was part of Florida George Line’s studio album, Here’s to the Good Times.
At the time, Swift tweeted about the song and shared its link with her followers. Rice, too, returned the favor calling the gesture “pretty damn cool” via a post on X.
More about Taylor Swift’s recent performance
On Tuesday night, Taylor Swift appeared and sang at the Tight End University benefit concert, breaking the six-month hiatus after her last Eras Tour performance. The concert dubbed “Tight Engs & Friends” took place at the Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee.
One of the organizers and hosts of the event was Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Initially, the multiple-time Grammy winner was seen hanging out with Kelce and other NFL stars such as George Kittle, as well as her close friend, Abigail Anderson Berard, in the stands and enjoying the show by other artists.
However, at the end of Kane Brown’s set, he invited the Lover singer on stage. He told the audience:
“Do y’all care if I bring out a really, really, really, really special guest?”
As Taylor appeared on stage from behind me, the crowd cheered them on as she performed a rendition of her song Shake It Off. While Brown helped with the percussion, Chase Rice was seen supporting her with the guitar, as Swift herself played the acoustic guitar.
“You know, the one thing tight ends have in common with Nashville musicians is we’re all friends, right? So, you know, we’re up there and we’re having some drinks. And we were thinking, like, ‘How loud could this place get? Theoretically, how loud could the singing be in here?’” she said ahead of her set.
The pop star added, “So, I was like, I don’t have a guitar, but then Chase Rice was like, ‘You can use mine.’”
She also mentioned dedicating her performance to “our favorite players who are going to play,” while singing the lines, “players gonna play” and “these are the tight ends” from Shake It Off.
Mid-performance, she also gave a shoutout to Kane Brown for his tambourine support. He, too, returned the favor by praising Swift onstage and later sharing a post on Instagram with her and Kelce, captioned: “When you think you’re the special guest BUT you’re not.”
Taylor Swift also lauded the band that supported her for figuring out what they were going to play within “three minutes.”
The Tight End University benefit concert sees over 100 NFL tight ends meet in Nashville annually. It was founded by George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, before Travis Kelce and George Olsen joined him to lead the venture.
Before Tuesday night’s event, Swift and Kelce attended a private reception in the city’s nightclub, L.A. Jackson, before making a stop at country star Jason Aldean’s Kitchen and Rooftop Bar.
