On Wednesday, May 1, Waxahatchee brought her Tigers Blood Tour to Nashville, Tenn.’s iconic Ryman Auditorium and properly honored the venue’s legacy with a thrilling show. Within the hallowed halls of the former home of the Grand Ole Opry, Katie Crutchfield welcomed stars from all corners of the country scene, matching chart-topping stars with bold new voices for a fitting tribute to a dynamic and endlessly-renewing genre on a stage well-known as its chapel. Through her set, Crutchfield tapped Lucinda Williams, Wynonna Judd and MJ Lenderman, each of whom delivered stirring collaborations after previously crossing paths.

Waxahatchee opened her set with “3 Sisters,” the first cut from her 2024 album, followed by the next two tracks from Tigers Blood in sequence. The singer-songwriter then switched gears to “Can’t Do Much” from her 2020 album Saint Cloud and “Problem With It” from her 2022 Plains project I Walked with You a Ways, establishing a trend of running through her most recent full-length from top to bottom with periodic diversions to older favorites. Crutchfield returned to her latest release with “Right Back to It,” calling rising singer-songwriter and instrumental ace Lenderman to the stage to complete the treatment. Lenderman, who tracked guitar for every track on Tigers Blood, remained onstage for “Burns Out at Midnight,” complementing Crutchfield’s delivery with the harmony vocals that bring the cut to shine on the record.

Crutchfield wrapped the main portion of her performance with album closer “Tigers Blood,” then returned to the stage for an encore alongside Wynonna, shocking the crowd at the surprise appearance of a certified country icon. Together, the duo shared a powerfully emotive rendition of The Judds’ “Love Is Alive.” This marks the second collaboration between Crtchfield and Wynonna, who teamed up for the single “Other Side” in 2022. On the song, Crutchfield shared, “Wynonna is an icon and a fountain of wisdom. Sharing space with her to create something new was really nothing but a joy and an honor. Her spirit inspires me daily and her continued encouragement has meant the world.”

After this rousing duet, the artist dropped another bombshell by welcoming the legendary Williams to the stage for a treatment of her 1988 classic “Abandoned.” The iconic track has figured into Crutchfield’s repertoire since 2022, and Wednesday’s staging reaffirmed her regular testimony to Williams’ influence on her work. “As a musician, a woman from Alabama, a lover of poetry and literature, a believer in the dark, effervescent magic of the deep South, Lucinda Williams’s songs mean everything to me,” Crutchfield wrote to preface a conversation for Interview in 2020. “She tells the stories of my life… and she does it with such consistent singularity that I can confidently say I think she’s sitting at the table with the greatest songwriters of all time.” In their first-ever shared stage, the pair amazed, demonstrating a clear and loving lineage between their styles.

Waxahatchee will perform again tomorrow, May 3, at St. Petersburg, Fla.’s Jannus Live, then continue on her North American Tigers Blood Tour through May 23 before starting up again on a European run. For tickets and more information on the artist’s upcoming concerts, visit waxahatchee.com/shows.