Gwen Stefani joins Blake Shelton's Oklahoma stop on his 'Back to the Honky Tonk Tour'

On St. Patrick's Day, Blake Shelton played a home-state show at Paycom Center, making good on his vow to turn the Oklahoma City arena into "the biggest honky tonk in the state of Oklahoma — for one night only."

Draping a single strand of green beads over his black button-down shirt with the rolled sleeves, the Tishomingo resident got plenty of assistance turning Friday's stop on his "Back to the Honky Tonk Tour" into a down-home celebration worthy of an Irish blessing, or at least a hearty toast.

The raucous sold-out crowd, chart-topping opening acts Carly Pearce and Jackson Dean, Shelton's stalwart band and, yes, even his pop icon wife, Gwen Stefani, whose appearance midway through her spouse's set galvanized the already rowdy arena, all helped to make it a homecoming for the country music superstar to get anyone's eyes and ears — Irish or not — smiling.

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Here are five highlights from Shelton's March 17 OKC show:

1. Blake Shelton backs Gwen Stefani on a No Doubt classic

A famously funny and self-deprecating celebrity, Shelton said he was a bit intimidated to play his first OKC show since 2019, when the Ada native opened his “Friends & Heroes Tour” at the downtown arena.

"I've been nervous ever since I saw how many people are up here, man. Look at that," Shelton said, gesturing into the packed upper tiers of Paycom Center. "It's already nerve-racking when you come out in front of your hometown crowd. It is: They already know all the bad sh-- about you, man. When you come out, they're like, 'Oh man, he owes me $20. It's $25 now.' ... And I hadn't even toured in two years ... so it's been a long time."

But the eight-time Grammy nominee told the unabashedly loyal audience he used his time off during the COVID-19 pandemic to practice on his guitar, playfully showing off his strumming skills on snippets of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" ("Keith Urban can kiss my a--," he teased, jokingly referencing the country music guitar ace) and fellow Oklahoman Garth Brooks' "Friends in Low Places" ("Garth gets pissed at me when I sing his songs," Shelton quipped).

"I've been working on this stuff, and I'm really proud of myself. I'm messing with this one right here: watch this," he said, playing the moody acoustic opening to "Don't Speak," the 1990s pop smash for his wife's former rock band No Doubt.

As Stefani strolled out crooning the familiar lyrics, the already thunderous crowd turned absolutely ear-splitting. Wearing a short spangly dress and matching boots topped with a big plaid jacket, Stefani commanded the massive stage with her smoky voice and superstar presence, as the grinning Shelton stepped back into the shadows with his band to back his wife on guitar and vocals.

As her last refrain of "Hush, hush darling" faded, the smiling Shelton flirtatiously bowed to his spouse and introduced the cheering crowd to "your new home-towner, Gwen Stefani; I mean, Gwen Shelton."

Although they've been married almost two years, newlywed vibes still sparked between the music power couple as they crooned their hit duets "Nobody But You" and "Happy Anywhere." Their long embrace at the end delighted the all-ages audience, which showered Mrs. Shelton with whistles, screams and shouts of affection as she exited the stage.

2. Country music superstar seems right at 'Home' with solo acoustic set

Declaring that Stefani's crowd-pleasing appearance called for a reset of his show, Shelton hauled his guitar to the end of a long catwalk, which culminated in an actual working bar emblazoned with the logo of his Ole Red chain.

Perched on a stool, the country hitmaker delivered a three-song acoustic solo set that he said was reminiscent of his early days making music.

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"Y'all may or may not know this, but I grew up down in Ada, Oklahoma ... But then I got a big head, I guess, and I moved on down to Tishomingo, Oklahoma, from there. You know, a big metropolitan area," he said drily.

"I think about it all time. And it's fun to be here tonight and see some old friends out in the crowd ... because that's how I got started in this business, man, is literally sitting around playing my guitar with my buddies back home in Ada. And I still love doing that in my shows, if that's OK with y'all."

Along with the spirited fan favorite "Playboys of the Southwestern World" and the twangy cautionary tale "The More I Drink," Shelton, 46, delivered one of the night's most emotional moments with his fervent rendition of the Michael Buble ballad "Home."

"Look at that, man," Shelton said, as his home-state faithful illuminated their cellphones and wailed along.

3. Blake Shelton shows off his 'old stuff' and humor for the OKC crowd

Accepting a fan's offering of a bag of beef jerky on his way back to the main stage — "That's a first," Shelton said with a chuckle — the chart-topping singer rejoined his band but continued to play some of his "old stuff" for his home-state devotees.

"My buddies, they never really cut me any slack: I can have some brand-new album or whatever come out, and they're still like, 'Hey, man, don't play any of that new sh--, man. That stuff sucks. Play some of that old stuff.' ... So, I figured since I'm here tonight, I'd play a few of them old songs I had way back in the day," he said.

Those hoping that the popular television personality, who is in his final season as a coach on the hit NBC singing series "The Voice, would show off his comedic prowess in concert would not go home disappointed. He set up his early 2000s crowd-pleasers "Some Beach," "Ol' Red" and "Austin" with a giggle-inducing running gag in which he and his bandmates allegedly used to the high-tech LED screen backing the stage to laud the New England Patriots' Super Bowl dominance (prompting plenty of good-natured boos), promote fellow Oklahoma country stars Toby Keith and Carrie Underwood and show off vintage photos of Shelton's time as a long-haired, fresh-faced newcomer to the music business.

Shelton even donned a black cowboy hat with a built-in mullet to belt his latest single, "No Body," a toe-tapping tribute to the '90s country music he and many of his fans grew up on.

4. 'The Voice' coach serves up drinking songs for St. Patrick's Day

The headliner's strand of green beads wasn't the only sign it was St. Patrick's Day during the concert: Green lights from hundreds of novelty cups winked throughout the arena, and after the show, Shelton posted to social media a video showing off the holiday-themed murals of himself, Stefani and his openers that were displayed backstage at Paycom Center.

"It's St. Patrick's Day, this is a Friday night, and we're here in an arena that y'all have turned into a bar," Shelton declared from the stage. "But I don't think it'd be legal for me to call this the biggest honky-tonk in the state of Oklahoma unless I play some drinking songs."

The Smithworks Vodka spokesman served up boozy party anthems like "Neon Light," "All About Tonight" and "Boys 'Round Here," along with boot-stomping tunes worthy of the tour's "Back to the Honky Tonk" title, including the show opener "Come Back as a Country Boy" and the brash  "Hillbilly Bone."

5. Ada native serenades fellow Oklahomans with ballads

Shelton is as beloved for his skills as a balladeer as for his penchant for drawling drinking songs, and he didn't disappoint on either count Friday night. Whether he was channeling heartbreak on my personal favorite "Mine Would Be You," keeping it country on the cutesy "I'll Name the Dogs" or seemingly singing about his marriage to a music icon on "A Guy with a Girl," he definitely knows how to deliver romance. Pearce proved a worthy duet partner on the achingly beautiful "Lonely Tonight."

The Tishomingo denizen closed his set with the thundering ode to the Heartland "God's Country," as stunning images of his Oklahoma spread almost seemed to spill right off huge video screen and onto his home-state stage.

After a brief pause, Shelton and his bandmates returned for an encore that was just one song but provided a fitting finale to his heartfelt homecoming: The emotional ballad "God Gave Me You."

“I love you, Oklahoma,” Shelton said in parting. “I love playing for a hometown crowd. I’ll see y’all around.”

Blake Shelton OKC concert 2023 setlist

1. "Come Back as a Country Boy"

2. "All About Tonight"

3. " A Guy with a Girl"

4. "Neon Light"

5. "Gonna"

6. "I'll Name the Dogs"

7. "Mine Would Be You"

8. "Lonely Tonight," with Carly Pearce

Appearance by Gwen Stefani 

9. "Don't Speak," Stefani sings No Doubt with Shelton on guitar and backup vocals

10. "Nobody But You," Shelton and Stefani duet

11. "Happy Anywhere," Shelton and Stefani duet

Shelton solo acoustic set 

12. "Playboys of the Southwestern World"

13. "The More I Drink"

14. "Home"

Full-band show resumes 

15. "Some Beach"

16. "Ol' Red"

17. "Austin"

18. "No Body"

19. "Sure Be Cool If You Did"

20. "Honey Bee"

21. "Hillbilly Bone"

22. "Boys 'Round Here"

23. "God's Country"

Encore 

24. "God Gave Me You"

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Gwen Stefani serenades Blake Shelton fans at OKC stop, more highlights