Jon Pardi Invited — with Help from Guy Fieri and Alan Jackson — to Join Grand Ole Opry During Stagecoach Set

Jon Pardi got the surprise of a lifetime on Friday!

During the "Dirt on My Boots" singer's set at the opening night of Stagecoach festival in Indio, California, Pardi's friend, restaurateur Guy Fieri, came on stage and directed everyone's attention to a screen behind them, stating that their "good friend Alan Jackson" had a message to deliver.

When Jackson appeared on the screen, he addressed Pardi: "I've been appreciating your music ever since you've been touring with me, a few years ago."

"And so I get the honor to invite you, in front of all your Stagecoach friends out there, to be the first native of California to become an official member of the Grand Ole Opry."

Pardi, 37, is a native of Dixon, California, a city about 20 miles away from the state capitol Sacramento, which he called home until he graduated school and made the decision to pursue a music career.

"I moved to Nashville chasing a dream at 22 years old and now I'm here," a teary-eyed Pardi addressed the cheering crowd. "I love you guys and I love country music. Thank you, everybody. This is an amazing night. I'll never forget it."

"There is no better representation of Northern California than you, man," said Fieri — who himself grew up in California's Humboldt County — backstage after the big moment.

Later that night, Pardi noted that he'd thought in the past about how a potential Opry invitation might go, should he ever be asked. "I always wondered how this might happen if it was going to," he said.

"I never imagined anything this great. That was incredible."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Pardi is currently nominated for the 2023 ACM Awards' album of the year honor, for his latest, Mr. Saturday Night. He was also up for the same award two other times, in 2018 and 2020.

He most recently was up for musical event of the year and music video of the year for his Midland collaboration "Longneck Way to Go" at the 2022 CMA Awards, held last November in Nashville.