At every stop of Hilary Duff's "Lucky Me Tour," she opens a pink mini fridge stocked with a food or drink tied to the city she's visiting.
During her July 30 stop at Ascend Amphitheater, Duff read the note on top of the door: "Nash Hill Hot Chicken," a pun of her name and Music City.
She smiled and swung open the fridge but found the inside completely empty.
"What?" Duff laughed and called to her production helper. "Jacob."
Seconds later, Kelsea Ballerini appeared on stage holding a container of Hattie B's hot chicken before kicking off her silver sequined boots and hopping onto Duff's lime green couch.
@bryanwesttv Hot chicken in Nashville with @Kelsea Ballerini and @hilaryduff. #luckymetour #hilaryduff
♬ Soaking in His Presence - Golden Ratio MACO
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"We've gotten to put a 'Hole in the Bottle' in your neck of the woods, but we've never got to have Nashville chicken in our neck of the woods," Ballerini said. "It felt like it was time. Welcome to your second home."
Duff opened the container to find hot chicken tenders, mac and cheese, banana pudding and pickles before joking, "Kelsea delivers hot chicken in Nashville. I'm never leaving."
The pair traded compliments — Duff admired Ballerini's "legs for days," while the country star praised Duff's abs — before digging into the meal. Ballerini also confessed she had lost one of her nails during Duff's performance of "Roommates" earlier in the night.
"It's my favorite," Ballerini admitted.
The playful surprise continued one of the tour's most popular traditions. Previous stops featured Skyline Chili in Cincinnati and a light beer in Franklin, but Nashville elevated the bit by bringing one of the city's biggest stars onstage with one of its signature dishes.
The tasty Music City welcome capped a memorable and historic stop for Duff. The night before, Live Nation honored the pop star as the first artist to sell out FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin and Ascend Amphitheater in back-to-back nights.
Bryan West is a music reporter at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why not? Kelsea Ballerini surprises Hilary Duff at show with hot chicken
