Orville Peck Dedicates Performance to ‘All the Gay Cowboys’: ‘We Exist, We Walk Among You’

On Friday evening, Orville Peck took the stage as a headliner at the Hollywood Bowl for the first time, though the venue was not new to him. Back in 2023, the openly gay country artist had appeared at the same Los Angeles amphitheater as part of Willie Nelson's 90th birthday bash. Since opening in 1922, the Bowl has hosted everyone from The Beatles to Judy Garland and holds over 17,000 people.

Roughly a year following that earlier gig, Peck and Nelson released a joint rendition of "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other," a 1981 tune by Latin country performer Ned Sublette that examines same-sex attraction within cowboy culture. The track appears on Peck's 2024 duets project, "Stampede." Nelson, a country icon born in 1933, has collected numerous Grammys and is best known for hits like "On the Road Again." Notably, the original Sublette song had long been a cult favorite in queer country circles before Nelson's own 2006 version brought it wider attention.

Before performing the Nelson collaboration, Peck shared some heartfelt remarks. "It's a song that's very pertinent to my interests," he said, drawing applause and cheers. "It's about gay cowboys. I don't know if you notice, but I'm a gay cowboy." He went on, "We exist. We walk among you. There's probably some here. I think I see a bunch." Lifting his arm, Peck added, "Let's dedicate this one to the incredible, incredible Mr. Willie Nelson. I'm sure he's enjoying an edible somewhere." Just before starting the song, he declared, "This is for all the gay cowboys." The track features Nelson singing lines about the feminine inside every man and the manly voice inside every lady, plus the observation that cowboys who brag loudest about women are most likely queer. Together they sing about cowboys being secretly fond of each other and what all those saddles and boots were really about. A music video for the duet was shot at Nelson's Luke Ranch in Spicewood, Texas.

The night delivered other memorable moments too, including a surprise guest spot from Noah Cyrus, who came out for "Atchafalaya." Cyrus, Miley Cyrus's younger sibling, has established her own career with songs like "July." A video for Peck and Cyrus's duet "How Far Will We Take It?" starred François Arnaud—before his role in "Heated Rivalry"—in a love-triangle plot. For his encore, Peck covered Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You." Parton, a legendary country singer-songwriter, first released the song in 1973, and it became a massive hit. Opening support came from Lucius and Deloyd Elze. Lucius is an indie pop act known for their vocal harmonies, while Deloyd Elze is a rising country artist.

Friday also saw the arrival of Peck's fourth studio album, "Mule," which delves into his struggles with addiction prior to getting sober in 2023. "These are very deep wounds," Peck said in a Wednesday interview. "What better therapy is there than getting up and being able to express these songs? Then there are people listening and relating, and they're sharing their pain. It's a spiritual experience." On the track "Ring the Bell," Peck references kissing an unnamed professional football player from the Raiders. "I did receive permission to sing that lyric from the subject in question, and he was very thrilled," Peck explained. "I told him, 'Look, I'm gonna keep it sort of ambiguous and mysterious, but I would like to include this in this song.' He was very, very honored." He added, "I would never have done it if it were somebody who was hiding or fearful of it coming out. This person would have probably allowed me to say their name if I wanted, but I didn't think it was necessary. People can use their own common sense and discovery to try to figure out who it may be, but that's all I'll say."