Country artist Shaboozey delivered a fiery two-part performance at the 2026 MTV VMA Awards.
The "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" hit maker first turned the stage in Los Angeles on Sept. 27 into an Old-West saloon named “Cherie Lee’s,” in honor of his latest album "The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales." Wearing leather chaps and gunslinger's belt, he worked through a rowdy crowd who were busy dancing, fighting and playing cards. All the while Shaboozey sang lines from his song "Cowgirl," using a microphone with a sheriff's badge attached.
Soon, the action stopped as a man entered the saloon and slapped a "Wanted: Dead or Alive" poster in front of Shaboozey, launching the performance's second part.
Stepping out onto the VMAs main stage, the modern country-rap
outlaw slipped on a floor-length slicker and was joined by rapper Gunna for their collaboration on "High Noon." As they traded lines and worked the crowd, Cherie Lee’s erupted in flames.
Both tracks appear on Shaboozey's latest album, "The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales," and mirrored the style of show he has been delivering throughout the Outlaws Never Die Tour, including his Nashville show on Sept. 18.
"I kind of want it to feel like a theatrical experience, like a play," he told The Tennessean before his Nashville concert. "I hope people really just get invested in the story and leave feeling like they were in the world of the Wild West."
Shaboozey entered the night nominated for best cinematography for the "Cowgirl" music video. He joined a list of Nashville-based nominees across several categories, including Taylor Swift and Morgan Wallen, who were both nominated for artist of the year alongside Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter.
Country artists with Nashville ties made up six of the seven nominees for best country: Ella Langley for "Choosin' Texas," Kacey Musgraves for "Dry Spell," Lainey Wilson for "Somewhere Over Laredo," Luke Combs for "Back in the Saddle," Shaboozey for "Cowgirl" and Tucker Wetmore for "Brunette." Stella Lefty's "Boston" rounded out the category.
Swift was nominated for video of the year, artist of the year, best pop, best album (The Life of a Showgirl) and song of the summer ("I Knew It, I Knew You"). Langley was up for song of the year ("Choosin' Texas"), best album ("Dandelion"), best long form video ("Choosin' Texas") and song of the summer ("Choosin' Texas"). Wallen earned nominations for artist of the year and song of the summer ("Been By Now").
The MTV Video Music Awards, which celebrate the year's biggest music videos and artists, returned to the Los Angeles area for the first time since 2017 with the 2026 ceremony at the Peacock Theater.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Shaboozey lights up MTV VMAs with performance of 'Cowgirl' and 'High Noon'
