How Kelsea Ballerini saved the day when Tigirlily Gold’s family cat died

Sister duo Tigirlily Gold has already made some of their country music dreams come true, winning ACM new duo of the year on the strength of their hits “Shoot Tequila” and “I Tried a Ring On.” 

Back in October, Kelsea Ballerini helped the North Dakota natives check another item off their bucket list. 

“You kinda joke about playing those venues — Madison Square Garden, Red Rocks,” Krista Slaubaugh tells ABC Audio. “No matter where you grow up in the United States, you know how iconic Madison Square Garden is.”

As it happened, the call from their manager couldn’t have come at a better time.

“We actually were having a sad day because our family cat died. R.I.P. Paul,” Krista recalls. “He’s like, ‘I know you need some good news. So do you guys want to play Madison Square Garden?’ And we’re like, ‘What?'”

“We’re screaming, crying,” Kendra Slaubaugh chimes in.

Finding out they’d be opening for Kelsea made it even better.

“She’s been so kind to us and gracious to us,” Krista says. “And I mean, the show was so fun for us. Her fans were so good to us.”

The two admit they had to battle their own disbelief, even in the moment. 

“It’s really hard to soak it all in while you’re there,” Kendra observes. “But the next morning we had to fly to Birmingham, Alabama, to play a show. And just on the plane ride, like, looking back through all the photos, I’m like, ‘Did that happen?’ It’s so surreal. … There was a picture of us holding hands walking down the catwalk and I was like, ‘Krista, this is so cool!'”  

In the months ahead, Tigirlily Gold’s opening for Justin Moore, Carly Pearce and Chris Janson as they promote their new single, “Forever from Here.”