NEED TO KNOW
- Kelsea Ballerini performed an exclusive live show for SiriusXM and Pandora at The Riviera Theatre in Chicago on Sept. 25
- The show marked her first since announcing her split from ex Chase Stokes on Sept. 14
- “Your girl needed it this week,” said Ballerini of the performance
Kelsea Ballerini is enjoying the lighthearted moments.
“I want to be very honest and tell you — I just spilled my water. Is it on me?” Ballerini, 32, told a packed room of fans with a laugh on Thursday, Sept. 25 at an exclusive live show for SiriusXM and Pandora at The Riviera Theatre in Chicago.
She joked the show is “the one thing that’s gone right in so long.”
Kelsea Ballerini in September 2025.
Kevin Mazur/Getty for SiriusXM
It was yet another dose of humility and honesty from Ballerini — the rare authenticity the Tennessee native built her career on. The off-the-cuff comment also served as a peek into how life has been for Ballerini off the stage as of late.
“I think there’s this beautiful healing connective thing that happens when I get to play music with you,” the Grammy-nominated artist told the crowd before tearing into a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 hit “Dreams.”
Kelsea Ballerini in September 2025.
Kelsea Ballerini in September 2025.
Kelsea Ballerini in September 2025.
Credit:
Kevin Mazur/Getty for SiriusXM
Kelsea Ballerini in September 2025.
Credit:
Kevin Mazur/Getty for SiriusXM
“Your girl needed it this week,” said Ballerini of the performance, which comes after her split from ex Chase Stokes earlier this month as well as her beloved dog Dibs’ ongoing medical challenges.
“Baby boy has a [surprise] surgery today. we would appreciate all of the big love and prayers and healing energy you can send his way. it’s gotten him this far,” the “Cowboys Cry Too” singer shared in a post to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
Ballerini previously revealed Dibs has an “inoperable cancer in his heart.” So, it’s no surprise the love-filled Chicago crowd sang the lyric “I bought the house with a fence, enough room for some kids, a backyard for Dibs” especially loudly as Ballerini returned to the stage on Thursday for a subdued encore of her “Healed Version” of “Penthouse.”
“I may need a little extra help with this one tonight if you don’t mind,” said Ballerini with her hair in a ponytail, standing in a single spotlight at the front of a stripped-down stage.
Kelsea Ballerini in September 2025.
Kevin Mazur/Getty for SiriusXM
It was a touching conclusion to a joy-filled night, as Ballerini found a way to take in Chicago with a smile on her face and hope in her heart for better days ahead.
“I want to tell you that we have not gotten to play a show for you guys since tour ended a couple months ago, and we’ve been so looking forward to this night with you — on the perfect fall day,” gushed Ballerini, who is scheduled to perform a series of dates in Australia later this year. “I loved it. [I] got some coffee and get to end it here with you guys. I missed you so dearly.”
Kelsea Ballerini in September 2025.
Kevin Mazur/Getty
Throughout the 15-song set, Ballerini tore into songs from her most recent album Patterns including “Baggage” and “We Broke Up,” while also taking fans back a bit to earlier hits such as “Love Me Like You Mean It” and “Hole in the Bottle.”
“I don’t mind being honest,” Ballerini told PEOPLE earlier this year. “I have nothing to hide, and when it comes to my real life, I’m learning boundaries. But when it comes to songwriting, if I ever close the door to being an open book, it’s not my music anymore.”
Ballerini’s Chicago performance will air in its entirety on SiriusXM’s The Highway (ch. 56) on Friday, Oct. 3 at 11 a.m. ET and will also be available to stream anytime on the SiriusXM app.