Carrie Underwood delivered a moving performance with one of her biggest fans during a recent stop on her huge “Cry Pretty 360 Tour.” In a new clip captured by a fan who saw the country star perform during a recent stop in Las Vegas, Underwood can be seen inviting a wheelchair-bound fan who is battling spina bifida on stage to perform with her.
Per 97.3 The Eagle FM , Underwood invited the fan named Steven to rap Ludacris’ part in her empowering hit “The Champion,” which she initially wrote for the NBC Sports’ coverage of Super Bowl LII and was also used as the theme for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
In a video captured by a concertgoer, Steven — who has undergone 47 surgeries in his life — could be seen joining the American Idol Season 4 winner on her huge center stage partway through the song before reciting the rap as the crowd cheered.
After they performed the hit together, Steven and Carrie shared a big hug and even snapped a selfie in front of the thousands-strong crowd at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Sin City.
The “Southbound” singer — who The Inquisitr reported is sharing sweet, rare family photos with her fans on her latest tour — was heard praising the brave fan and calling him “amazing.” Carrie also posted a snap of the twosome together on stage on her Instagram account after the show.
“My ‘Champion’ tonight! Steven, you were amazing!!!” Underwood told him via social media before she then praised the crowd for their enthusiasm during the concert.
“Thanks, Las Vegas, for showing us all so much love!” the mom-of-two then wrote following the show. “You were an incredible crowd! #CryPrettyTour360 #Vegas.”
As reported by USA Today , Carrie is inviting fans on each stop of her latest tour to join her on stage to perform her 2018 single with Ludacris. She started the campaign earlier this year and encouraged fans across the country to submit videos of themselves performing the rap portion of the hit.
As The Inquisitr reported back in February, “The Champion” was officially certified platinum for selling more than 1 million copies.
Carrie previously explained that she wanted the inspiring track — which she co-wrote alongside Ludacris, Chris DeStefano, and Brett James — to be an anthem for everyone to feel empowered and inspired no matter what they’re going through.
“We wanted it to be something that people could listen to when they’re in the gym, or before they watch the Super Bowl,” Underwood explained of the song to UMG Nashville , “or something that would work for this but also work for people in their everyday lives and just inspire and make them feel like they were ready for anything.”