The R&B vocal group had the desert fest crowd swaying to their 1994 chart-topping hit

During his headlining set at Stagecoach on Friday, Cody Johnson began to sing a cover of “On Bended Knee,” the 1994 hit song by Boyz II Men for the Motown label. As he launched into the lovelorn song, the Philly soul greats surprised the crowd by appearing alongside the country singer.

Nathan Morris, Wanyá Morris, and Shawn Stockman joined on stage and got the massive crowd swaying to the ballad. The group recently made a surprise appearance at another crossover-event, performing at the 20th anniversary concert of Nashville’s songwriters haven the Listening Room last month. Boyz II Men joined Brett Young, who offered, “In Case You Didn’t Know,” for the occasion.

Earlier this month, Johnson announced his 10th studio album, Banks Of The Trinity, due June 26. “On this album, I wanted to tell the story about my childhood,” Johnson said in a statement. “When I heard the song ‘Banks of the Trinity’ for the first time, it was like this portrait showed in my head of memories that I had honestly forgotten. It just took me back home to Sebastopol, Texas, where I grew up on the Trinity River. I had tears in my eyes when I heard it for the first time.”

Johnson is in the midst of his 2026 tour across the U.S. and Canada, which will make stops in St. Louis, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Knoxville, Tennessee, and more before heading across the pond. Last fall, the singer was forced to cancel his remaining 2025 shows due to a burst eardrum, which he said required surgery and “many weeks” of recovery.

In a 2024 intereview, he told Rolling Stone about his approach to touring. “I take a very athletic standpoint toward my tours. You always want to outdo the last one, and outdo the last one after that,” he said. “But there have been so many big, significant things that have happened for us this year that it is clear the wave is starting to roll,” he says. “Now, we’ve gotta stay ahead of the wave.”