Known for her love of Guns N’ Roses, the country star made her dreams come true on Saturday night

Carrie Underwood and Axl Rose. Photo: Daniel DeSlover/ZUMA

Carrie Underwood brought some rock n’ roll to her headlining set at Stagecoach on Saturday.

Underwood, 39, took the stage for the second night of the Indio, California, music festival and surprised the crowd with rock legend Axl Rose.

Her band began the opening chords of “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” and what seemed like a not unusual cover for the openly Guns-N’-Roses-obsessed singer turned into a dream duet. “Welcome to the greatest night of my life,” Underwood said as she introduced Rose, 60.

Carrie Underwood and Axl Rose. Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty

Rose stayed for one more song and accompanied Underwood on “Paradise City,” arguably her most common Guns N’ Roses cover. She actually sang the song the first time she headlined Stagecoach in 2008, but it’s likely this time around was far more memorable.

In an Instagram post shared Sunday, Underwood thanked Rose for making her “lifelong dream come true.”

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Carrie Underwood and Axl Rose. Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty

The country star also made sure to honor the memory of country legend Naomi Judd, whose death was announced by her daughters Saturday. Before performing “See You Again,” Underwood shared a special shoutout to the “true legend.”

“Let’s light up this place in memory of all those that we miss,” she said. “I know all of country music will be lighting something up for Ms. Naomi Judd.”

The American Idol star has had a busy start to 2022. After winning entertainer of the year at the CMA Awards, she’s spent much of the last five months in Las Vegas for her residency show, “Reflection,” at Resorts World. She performed at the 64th Grammy Awards before picking up a prize for her LP “My Savior,” which won best roots gospel album. Underwood then took home both ACM and CMT Awards this spring for her duet “If I Didn’t Love You” with Jason aldean. She’s closing out her Vegas residency with a final run of six shows in May, and then she’s on album mode.

Her ninth studio album, Denim & Rhinestones, is set to release June 10. She described it as a “sing into your hairbrush” kind of album.

The album’s first single, “Ghost Story,” resembled her well-known revenge hits, “Blown Away” and “Before He Cheats.” It’s a “cinematic song,” she said, and that’s why she felt drawn to it.

“From the first time I heard it I knew I had to record it,” she said. “I have always loved performing songs that tell a story and inspire some kind of cinematic imagery when you hear them, and that is definitely true of ‘Ghost Story.’ It creates a mood and a vibe that is different than anything else I’ve recorded before.”