After a year of battling cancer, country music star Toby Keith took the stage at a well-known restaurant based in Cincinnati.
On Friday, Nov. 4, Keith surprised patrons with an impromptu performance at Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse in Lexington.
It's a celebration:Kool & the Gang member visits local restaurant
Ruby himself joined Keith on stage, where the musician said, "I’ve been knowing this guy for a long, long time, and I just told him back there, I just come from London and France for 14 days to get back to Breeders’ cup. I just ate the finest (expletive) meal I've had in 14 days. Jeff Ruby’s has the baddest a-- steak in the freaking planet, y'all."
After his speech, Keith and Ruby performed a duet of the song "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding, which the musician said was a favorite of Ruby's.
For subscribers:Lookin' for good soup? 3 bowls of beauty from Cincinnati (and NKY) restaurants
On Friday night, Keith also performed his 2003 chart-topper, “I Love This Bar," Lynyrd Skynard’s “Sweet Home Alabama” and more.
The Oklahoma native was in Lexington for the 2022 Breeders’ Cup, which took place on Friday and Saturday at Keeneland. Earlier in the day, Ruby shared a photo with Keith from Keeneland.
“If I lose a fortune at @keeneland today I will still have had a great day. Seeing @tobykeith alive, well,being Toby and looking great ( and trim too) was an incredible thing to see,” he wrote. “See ya tonight pal. Millions of your fans are happy as well.”
Toby Keith's cancer diagnosis
In June 2022, Keith announced that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer at the end of 2021, having undergone chemotherapy, radiation and surgery for the past six months.
More:Want to pick where our food writer eats next? Here's how
“I am looking forward to spending this time with my family. But I will see the fans sooner than later. I can’t wait," he wrote on Instagram.
Since his diagnosis, Keith has remained in the public eye. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame last November and played the Heroes Honor Festival at Daytona International Speedway in May.
