<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Country star </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jason-aldean"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jason Aldean</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> says he feels “a little vindicated” in his support of President Donald Trump over the last four, six years after being part of Trump’s second inauguration.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking to “</span><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/jason-aldean-reflects-inauguration-sees-celebs-attitudes-toward-trump-shifting"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fox and Friends</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">,” the 47-year-old country singer said “it just kind of feels electric” to be part of the inauguration festivities and said that “everybody’s just excited for this new chapter of where we’re headed.&#8221; </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Every time I think I&#8217;ve done it all — like I&#8217;ve done a lot of different things and I&#8217;ve seen a lot of things — this was a whole different ballgame for me,&#8221; Aldean said. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;So, just a huge honor to be here and to be a part of that night and all the people that were there to support President Trump.&#8221;</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The “Dirt Road Anthem” star also talked about the challenges he&#8217;s faced over the last few years for being a vocal supporter of Trump and said he does “</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">feel a little vindicated” now.</span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">MIC DROP: Country superstar <a href="https://twitter.com/Jason_Aldean?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jason_Aldean</a> reflects on &#8220;taking a lot of heat&#8221; over the last four years for his support of President Trump, and what it meant to perform at the Liberty Inauguration Ball to cap a historic day for the 47th president. <a href="https://t.co/yexBcjXIvh">pic.twitter.com/yexBcjXIvh</a></p>
<p>— Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/1881763789294510461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You know, my wife [Brittany Aldean] and I talk about this all the time,&#8221; Aldean said. &#8220;It&#8217;s like for the last, you know, six years, four years especially, it&#8217;s just been &#8230; you know, taking a lot of heat for stepping out and kind of telling people how we feel about the state of the country and that regime that had been in office.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“And, you know, and so it&#8217;s been a little odd at times,” he added. &#8220;But it&#8217;s cool to look here this week and see all the celebrities and people that are showing up that didn&#8217;t really speak out before. So — but it, you know, it&#8217;s a good thing. You know, I think it just means that hopefully it&#8217;s getting everything back on track and people we’re all getting on the same page.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><a href="https://store.dailywire.com/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-862665 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/INAUG_MERCHBANNER-6-2-1024x391.png" alt="" width="1024" height="391" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/INAUG_MERCHBANNER-6-2-1024x391.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/INAUG_MERCHBANNER-6-2-300x115.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/INAUG_MERCHBANNER-6-2-768x293.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/INAUG_MERCHBANNER-6-2-1536x587.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/INAUG_MERCHBANNER-6-2-2048x782.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;I think for the last few years, as much as a lot of the media has tried to make it seem like everything&#8217;s been so great, it hasn’t,&#8221; Aldean continued. &#8220;A lot of us knew that for a long time. And I think a lot of other people are starting to see it now. To have President Trump back in office, I just think it gives everybody a sense of relief and for a lot of people … to feel like we&#8217;re headed in the right direction.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aldean was one of the many singers who performed at the various inauguration events marking Trump becoming the 47th President of the United States. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On Monday when Trump was sworn in to office, </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/carrie-underwood"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Carrie Underwood</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> called on politicians, dignitaries, and guests to join her in singing “America the Beautiful” a cappella when the instrumental music failed to play, as previously </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/carrie-underwood-performs-america-the-beautiful-a-cappella-when-music-fails-at-trump-inauguration"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/here-are-all-the-celebrities-reportedly-planning-to-attend-trumps-second-inauguration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Here Are All The Celebrities Reportedly Planning To Attend Trump’s Second Inauguration</a></strong></p>


2014 CMT Music Awards – Red Carpet

Jason Aldean Says He Feels ‘Vindicated’ In His Support For Trump Over The Last Few Years

Carrie Underwood

Celebrities

Country Music

Country singer

Donald Trump

Entertainment

Jason Aldean

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Country star </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/luke-combs"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Luke Combs</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> announced he and other stars are coming together for a benefit concert in Charlotte to help those in the southeastern states affected by Hurricane Helene.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a </span><a href="https://x.com/lukecombs/status/1843294077757902916"><span style="font-weight: 400;">post</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on Monday, the 34-year-old country singer wrote that he “</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">had something big planned for Carolina. One of the ways we’re helping is a benefit concert at Bank of America Stadium on Oct. 26th!&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This concert took so much planning, work, and coordination from so many people,” he added. “I’m so thankful to everyone who helped make this a possibility on such short notice. Tickets will go on sale this Thursday and 100% of all proceeds will be going directly to those who need it most.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Combs named Eric Church, James Taylor, and Billy Strings as joining him for the concert with all proceeds from the show to be split 50/50 between Combs and Church&#8217;s Chief Cares Foundation to help those in the Carolinas affected, <a href="https://www.wcnc.com/article/weather/hurricane/helene/hurricane-helene-benefit-concert-luke-combs-eric-church-james-taylor-billy-strings/275-e7bcfbfc-1d38-4312-9f47-60656ea00a73">WCNC </a></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">noted.</span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I told y’all I had something big planned for Carolina. One of the ways we’re helping is a benefit concert at Bank of America Stadium on Oct. 26th! This concert took so much planning, work, and coordination from so many people. I’m so thankful to everyone who helped make this a… <a href="https://t.co/b6bHwcGfZq">pic.twitter.com/b6bHwcGfZq</a></p>
<p>— Luke Combs 🎤 (@lukecombs) <a href="https://twitter.com/lukecombs/status/1843294077757902916?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Church and Combs also spoke to </span><a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/country/luke-combs-eric-church-hurricane-helene-relief-concert-interview-1235796031/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Billboard </span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">about the conversation the two singers had after the hurricane that led to the concert.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Combs — who went to Appalachian State University — said the morning after the hurricane hit both of them “were just inundated with calls and texts and pictures and images from the areas.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I called Eric and was like, ‘Hey, let’s figure out how to do a show. I don’t know when, I don’t know where. We’ll worry about that later, but let’s just pool our resources,'&#8221; Combs said. &#8220;</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let’s do what we do best and help in the way that is best suited to my abilities and Eric’s abilities’ and I think we’re doing that.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It was disbelief,” Church said. “These are areas that I knew and then I saw the photos and I didn’t recognize these areas. My family spends half the year in Banner Elk.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“That’s as much home as Nashville is,” he added. “It was just this shock of I know what I’m supposed to be looking at, but that doesn’t look anything like what it looked like a week ago. I don’t think I’ve come to grips with it yet.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The concert follows massive donations from country superstars like </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dolly-parton"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dolly Parton</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jason-aldean"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jason Aldean</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/morgan-wallen"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Morgan Wallen</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to aid with hurricane relief efforts. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The heavy metal rock band </span><a href="https://x.com/Metallica/status/1842292459558289888"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Metallica</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> also announced they were contributing $100,000 to help those in the area.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Over the past week, Hurricane Helene has left a 500-mile path of destruction throughout Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee in its wake,” the band <a href="https://x.com/Metallica/status/1842292459558289888">wrote</a> on X. “It is an unmitigated tragedy, with over 215 lives lost and hundreds of people still unaccounted for. Historic water levels and widespread flooding across the Appalachians have left hundreds of roads inaccessible, hindering rescue efforts.”</span></p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/05/us/helene-death-toll-rises-saturday/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">death toll</a> was up to at least 232 as of Monday across Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia in the wake of the hurricane.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For information about the “Concert for Carolina,” visit their </span><a href="https://www.concertforcarolina.com/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">website</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> for tickets, updates, details, and more.</span></p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jason-aldean-makes-huge-donation-to-help-hurricane-victims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jason Aldean Makes Huge Donation To Help Hurricane Victims</a></strong></p>


CMA Fest 2022 – Day 3

Country Stars Unite For Benefit Concert For Hurricane Victims

concert

Dolly Parton

Hurricane Helene

Luke Combs

Morgan Wallen

North Carolina

<p><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jason-aldean"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jason Aldean</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> stepped up to make a huge donation to help the victims of Hurricane Helene after it devastated the southeastern states of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On Friday night, the 47-year-old country singer and Georgia native closed out his 2024 Highway Desperado Tour in Macon, GA, when he presented a check for $500,000 to </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones (R-GA) to help the recovery efforts for those affected by the hurricane, </span><a href="https://tasteofcountry.com/jason-aldean-donation-hurricane-helene-donald-trump-gofundme/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Taste of Country</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> reported.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aldean also presented a check for more than $6.9 million for Samaritan’s Purse from the </span><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-hurricane-helene-victims-with-president-trump"><span style="font-weight: 400;">GoFundMe</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> launched by former President Donald Trump to help with hurricane relief donations. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trump even popped up on the screen behind Aldean at the concert with a video message for the crowd, who went wild watching the </span><a href="https://x.com/alexbruesewitz/status/1842913826951573731"><span style="font-weight: 400;">video</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;We&#8217;re gonna make America great again. You&#8217;re all gonna be very happy,&#8221; Trump said. </span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jason Aldean Donates $500,000 To Hurricane Helene Relief, Presents Check For Over $6.5 Million Raised By Donald Trump&#8217;s Go Fund Me<a href="https://twitter.com/Jason_Aldean?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jason_Aldean</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/burtjonesforga?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@burtjonesforga</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DonaldTrump</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HurricaneHelene?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HurricaneHelene</a> <a href="https://t.co/x1GF7q6H5o">https://t.co/x1GF7q6H5o</a><a href="https://t.co/x1GF7q6H5o">https://t.co/x1GF7q6H5o</a></p>
<p>— Whiskey Riff (@WhiskeyRiff) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiskeyRiff/status/1843120398998860211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Superstar Dolly Parton announced at a </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CLV6GETecI&amp;t=1153s"><span style="font-weight: 400;">press conference</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on Friday and said — just as during the 2016 wildfires when she and others stepped up — this is another time to do the same, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">as previously </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/these-are-my-people-dolly-parton-announces-massive-donation-to-help-hurricane-victims"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We all have seen the devastation,” Parton said. “I mean, who knew in our little part of the country here, where I was born, raised just right down the road, that we would have this kind of devastation?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“And I look around, and I think these are my mountains, these are my valleys,” she added. “These are my rivers flowing like a stream. These are my people, these mountain-colored rainbows. These are my people. And this is my home.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Today, I wanted to announce that from myself personally, just from my own bank account, I’m donating $1 million dollars today. But also with my Dollywood companies and all the people I’m involved with … [Dollywood Foundation, etc] and we’ve added another $1 million to that,” the country singer continued, saying it’s going to take a lot of money and a long time.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Country star </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/morgan-wallen-makes-huge-donation-to-help-victims-of-hurricane-helene"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Morgan Wallen</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> also donated to the hurricane victims and wrote that his “family in East Tennessee are safe but I know many are absolutely devastated there and in multiple states.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It is going to take a monumental effort and I am in contact with my team and others working on ways I can help,” he added.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Red Cross’ National President for Humanitarian Services, Trevor Riggin, later shared a thank you to Wallen for his $500,000 donation — made through his Morgan Wallen Foundation — &#8220;</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">to impact help on the ground now in the areas affected by Hurricane Helene, including his beloved East Tennessee.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The death toll continued to rise over the weekend, with the </span><a href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-helene-death-toll-asheville-north-carolina-34d1226bb31f79dfb2ff6827e40587fc"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Associated Press</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> reporting on Sunday that the confirmed death toll </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">across Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia had climbed</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to 227. Hundreds of thousands </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">remained without power a week later, </span><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/10/04/hurricane-helene-death-toll-aftermath-live-updates/75509868007/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">USA Today</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> noted.</span></p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-not-government-its-us-chris-pratt-issues-plea-for-hurricane-victims-following-donation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘It’s Not Government, It’s Us’: Chris Pratt Issues Plea For Hurricane Victims Following Donation</a></strong></p>


Jason Aldean Makes Huge Donation To Help Hurricane Victims

Georgia

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Country star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jason-aldean" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jason Aldean</a> and others took time out to remember the victims killed in the Las Vegas shooting at a country music festival on the seventh anniversary of the tragedy.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a post on Tuesday on </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DAkdnMiAfNv/?igsh=MTBlZjE4YzMxOA%3D%3D"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instagram</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Aldean shared an image of the original poster used to promote the Route 91 Harvest music festival in 2017 with Aldean, Eric Church, and Sam Hunt headlining the multi-day concerts. On the last night, Aldean was on stage when a gunman on opened fire on the crowd, killing nearly 60 people and wounding hundreds more.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">7 years later and this day never gets easier,” the 47-year-old country singer wrote. “Sending love out to everybody in the Route 91 family today. We love yall!”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Las Vegas Review-Journal posted a picture on X of all those whose lives were lost in the deadly shooting. “</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today marks seven years since the Route 91 Harvest festival shooting on Oct. 1, 2017. May those who lost their lives never be forgotten,” the post </span><a href="https://x.com/reviewjournal/status/1841089435493970188"><span style="font-weight: 400;">read</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
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<p><a href="https://x.com/ClarkCountyNV/status/1841172157017280718"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A post</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> from the Clark County Nevada X account shared, “Emotional words from Michael Duarte on this 7th Remembrance of the tragedy at the Route 91 Harvest Festival on the Las</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> #Vegas</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Strip. Michael&#8217;s sister Christiana was one of the victims that night in 2017.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a></b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another post from Nevada read, “Seven years have passed since the tragic events of</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> #1 October</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Today, we honor the memory of those who lost their lives, support the survivors, and thank the brave first responders who were there. Forever in our hearts.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> #VegasStrong</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> #LasVegas</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the night of October 1, 2017, a 64-year-old gunman</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> opened fire on the country music fans while Aldean was performing, The </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Daily Wire</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/las-vegas-shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Firing from a hotel room on the 32</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">nd</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and using multiple rifles, the shooter fired hundreds of rounds for several minutes, resulting in 58 dead and nearly 500 wounded. It was the most deadly mass shooting in modern U.S. history.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The shooter took his own life as security personnel and the SWAT team converged on his hotel room. He had carried 23 guns and thousands of rounds into his hotel room and had fitted twelve of the guns with “bump stocks,” a device which allows semi-automatic weapons to fire more rapidly.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The shooter had no prior criminal record and appears to have purchased the weapons legally. In addition to the cache of weapons, he had set up security cameras in the hotel room and the hallway. The</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> motive for the mass shooting remains a mystery.</span></p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-las-vegas-shooter-had-no-motive-only-desire-emily-zanotti" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI: Las Vegas Shooter Had No Motive, Only A Desire For ‘Infamy’</a></strong></p>


58th Academy Of Country Music Awards – Show

Jason Aldean And Others Take Time To Remember Victims Of Vegas Music Festival Shooting

Las Vegas Shooting

U.S.

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Country star </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jason-aldean"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jason Aldean</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> told young fans at his concert that if they don’t like “s**t” happening in the country they have to get out and vote in the 2024 election.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During the 47-year-old singer’s recent </span><a href="https://x.com/kimmagagal2/status/1830298407057207456"><span style="font-weight: 400;">concert</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Aldean took time out of his show to talk to those old enough to vote about their civic duty, admitting when he was younger worrying about voting was the last thing on his mind.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s a crazy a** time when the media makes me out to be the a**hole for calling out people doing stupid s**t. &#8230; This country is crazy,” </span><a href="https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2024/09/02/jason-aldean-tells-youth-at-concert-to-get-out-and-vote-november-is-a-huge-month-for-our-country/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aldean</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> said. “It’s gotten really weird over the last few years and I will say this: November is a huge month for our country. Huge month.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s not my place to stand up here and tell you who to vote for and who not to vote for,” he added. “That ain’t my business. It ain’t my place to tell you that. But what I will say is, I see a lot of &#8230; younger people out here … People that can actually vote now – you’re of age to vote.”</span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jason Aldean is right! If you don&#8217;t get out and vote, you have no excuse for complaining about the outcome! Vote, vote, vote❤️❤️🇺🇸🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/oyAqBgiJHw">pic.twitter.com/oyAqBgiJHw</a></p>
<p>— 🇺🇸Kimmie🇺🇸 (@kimmagagal2) <a href="https://twitter.com/kimmagagal2/status/1830298407057207456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m telling you, it’s a big deal,” Aldean continued. “It’s a really big deal and I see a lot of people b***hing about the state of the country. They don’t like what’s going on. That kind of thing. If you don’t get out and vote, you got no right to b***h about the outcome of the election. If you want to see some s**t change, then get out. It takes 30 minutes out of your day.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aldean, who’s made it clear he supports former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, closed out his monologue by saying, “I know who I hope wins and I hope they’re jamming this song when my man walks into the White House.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Following the attempted assassination in July of Trump at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the country star took the stage in Nashville and </span><a href="https://x.com/GrahamAllen_1/status/1812666859851842032"><span style="font-weight: 400;">dedicated</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> his song “Try That In A Small Town” to Trump.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“President Trump’s a friend of mine so I want to send this next song out to him. We all know what’s going to happen come November, so it’s all good,” Aldean said.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Just goes to show you there’s a lot of bulls**t in the world, and that’s kind of what this song right here was about, so this one goes out to the prez,” he added.</span></p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-are-in-trouble-country-star-says-we-are-in-scary-times-following-trump-guilty-verdict" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘We Are In Trouble’: Country Star Says We Are In ‘Scary Times’ Following Trump Guilty Verdict</a></strong></p>


Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival – Day 3

Country Star Jason Aldean Tells Young Fans Get Out And Vote If You Don’t Like ‘S**t’ Happening In Country

2024 Election

Joe Biden

Kamala Harris

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Country star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jason-aldean-reveals-advice-late-country-star-taught-him-about-unapologetically-speaking-his-mind" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jason Aldean</a> said we are living in “scary times” following news that a New York jury found former President Donald Trump guilty.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a post on Thursday on </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C7m8PCAs8uv/?igsh=MTBlZjE4YzMxOA%3D%3D"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instagram</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the 47-year-old country singer posted an image of an inverted U.S flag [a symbol of dire distress] on his social media after a </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">jury returned a guilty verdict on all 34 counts against Trump in the hush-money trial.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Scary times in our country right now, man,” Aldean’s post read. “When a former POTUS gets treated like this by our justice system, what does that mean for the rest of us???”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If there was ever a time to speak up, IT’S NOW!” he added. “Make no mistake…. We are in trouble.”</span></p>
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</blockquote>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aldean’s post followed similar comments from other </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hollywood-celebrities-react-to-trump-verdict-tears-of-joy"><span style="font-weight: 400;">celebrities</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> like Megyn Kelly, Piers Morgan, and more warning about the dangers of the guilty verdict.</span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/they-will-rue-the-day-megyn-kelly-says-country-disgraced-with-trump-guilty-verdict"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Megyn Kelly</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> wrote on X, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Guilty on all counts. The country is disgraced. Alvin Bragg should be disbarred. They will rue the day they unleashed this lawfare to corrupt a presidential election.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Talk show host Piers Morgan </span><a href="https://x.com/piersmorgan/status/1796301496528814217"><span style="font-weight: 400;">wrote</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, “This is a sad, shameful and ridiculous day for America. To drag a former President, who is running for President again, through criminal courts over something so trivial feels a massive overreach &amp; an incredibly divisive and obviously politically partisan action.”</span></p>
<p><b><a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1716990157394000&amp;usg=AOvVaw33qQydjIo8bet419amChif">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a></b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The guilty verdict in Trump’s New York trial marks the first time a former U.S. president has been convicted of a crime, as previously </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/verdict-trump-found-guilty-on-all-charges-in-hush-money-case"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the heart of the case brought by Manhattan District Attorney </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alvin-bragg"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alvin Bragg</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> were </span><a href="https://manhattanda.org/district-attorney-bragg-announces-34-count-felony-indictment-of-former-president-donald-j-trump/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">34 felony counts</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of falsifying business records to conceal damaging information around the 2016 election as part of a “catch-and-kill” scheme.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prosecutors accused Trump of improperly masking reimbursements to repay his former lawyer, </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/michael-cohen"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Michael Cohen</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, for a $130,000 payment to </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/stormy-daniels"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stormy Daniels</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in exchange for her silence on an alleged extramarital affair by classifying them as legal expenses.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trump has denied that the affair with Stormy Daniels ever happened and pleaded not guilty to the charges. His lawyers </span><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ny-v-trump-defense-says-prosecutors-did-not-meet-burden-proof-former-president-innocent"><span style="font-weight: 400;">argued</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> there was no intent to defraud or influence the 2016 election.</span></p>
<p><em>Daniel Chaitin contributed to this piece.</em></p>


‘We Are In Trouble’: Country Star Says We Are In ‘Scary Times’ Following Trump Guilty Verdict

'We Are In Trouble': Jason Aldean Says We Are In 'Scary Times' Following Trump Guilty Verdict

<p><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jason-aldean-reveals-advice-late-country-star-taught-him-about-unapologetically-speaking-his-mind"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jason Aldean</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> paid tribute to country legend </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/toby-keith"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Toby Keith</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> at the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday, with the late star’s family praising it as “wonderfully touching.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During the ACM Awards, held at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, the 47-year-old country singer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B4nR-CgMVA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took the stage</a> to sing his version of one of Keith’s biggest hits, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Should’ve Been A Cowboy.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sitting on a stool with his guitar, Aldean sang a slowed-down acoustic version of Keith’s 1993 hit, which got an emotional reaction from Keith&#8217;s family and many viewers</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://tasteofcountry.com/jason-aldean-stirring-acm-awards-tribute-honors-toby-keith-watch/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Taste of Country</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> noted.</span></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Jason Aldean – Should&#039;ve Been A Cowboy [Toby Keith Tribute] (Live from the 59th ACM Awards)" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-B4nR-CgMVA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After the performance, the host of this year&#8217;s ACM Awards, country star Reba McEntire, reacted to Aldean’s tribute.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Toby, we’ll never forget you and I kind of feel like you’re here with us tonight anyway,” McEntire told the audience.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The Covel family would like to thank Jason Aldean for the wonderfully touching performance at the ACM Awards tonight,” a message from </span><a href="https://x.com/tobykeith/status/1791292480240968065"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Keith’s family</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> posted on X read. “It was the perfect tribute to Toby Keith.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Jason Aldean just sang ‘Should’ve Been a Cowboy’ in an incredible and touching tribute to Toby Keith at the ACM Awards. So epic,” </span><a href="https://x.com/greg_price11/status/1791297113504067797"><span style="font-weight: 400;">one person</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> wrote, along with a TikTok clip someone made that read, “Who else is crying at home! Miss You Toby Keith.”</span></p>
<p><a href="https://x.com/TheyCallMeNans/status/1791300238411481275"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another added</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, “Jason Aldean doi</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">ng a tribute to Toby Keith. It got a little dusty in here.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While a third wrote, “What an amazing tribute to Toby!! Jason Aldean.”</span></p>
<p>Later, Aldean shared the video of his tribute <a href="https://x.com/Jason_Aldean/status/1791344145241448519" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on X</a>, writing, &#8220;Such an honor to get to pay tribute to my friend, [tobykeith], tonite [sic] on the #ACMawards. Toby was a big influence for a lot of us, including me, so it&#8217;s a full circle moment getting to play for him and honor his legacy. We miss you Toby!&#8221;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Before the “Try That In A Small Town” star took the stage, fellow country star </span><a href="https://x.com/ACMawards/status/1791280212426060138"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Blake Shelton</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> introduced the tribute segment talking about his late pal, saying he was both “heartbroken and honored” to pay tribute to Keith as he highlighted the singer’s incredible career and praised his role as a father.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Keith died earlier this year following a lengthy battle with stomach cancer. He was 62. Following his death, the “Red Solo Cup” hitmaker was announced as one of the new inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame.</span></p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jason-aldean-reveals-advice-late-country-star-taught-him-about-unapologetically-speaking-his-mind" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jason Aldean Reveals Advice Late Country Star Taught Him About Unapologetically Speaking His Mind</a></strong></p>


ACM Presents: An All-Star Salute To The Troops – Roaming Show

‘Wonderfully Touching’: Jason Aldean’s Tribute To Toby Keith At ACM Awards Lights Up Social Media

'Wonderfully Touching': Jason Aldean's Tribute To Toby Keith At ACM Awards Lights Up Social Media

Toby Keith

<p><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jason-aldean"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jason Aldean</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> revealed the advice late-country star </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/toby-keith"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Toby Keith</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> taught him about unapologetically speaking his mind when it comes to what he believes, even when it’s not “the popular opinion.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking to </span><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/jason-aldean-toby-keith-taught-him-unapologetic-about-speaking-mind"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fox News</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> ahead of his appearance on the 2024 </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday, the 47-year-old country singer had nothing but praise for Keith and said he was a “guy that a lot of us looked up to.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;For me personally, he was a guy that I feel like &#8230; just always spoke his mind,&#8221; Aldean said. &#8220;He said what he thought, whether it was the popular opinion or not. And it wasn&#8217;t, you know, it didn&#8217;t always go well for him, and he didn&#8217;t care.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I mean, it was something that if he felt strongly about it and felt like it was something he believed in, he was going to speak his mind,” he added. “To me, from a personal level, that was something to me that was always inspiring, as far as like, &#8216;Hey, you can still be an artist and be true to who you are and go out and not be afraid to speak out.&#8217; And I think that was something that always kind of stood with me.&#8221;</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aldean continued and said what he learned from the late singer was to &#8220;never apologize for being patriotic. Just being not afraid to speak your mind, stand up for what you believe in. Whether other people agree with it or not, be who you are and be unapologetic about it. And I think that&#8217;s pretty good advice.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On Thursday, the “Try That In A Small Town” star will be performing a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C685ML4IsGu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tribute to Keith</a> at the annual ACM Awards, the outlet noted.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Keith died earlier this year following a lengthy battle with stomach cancer. He was 62. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Following his death, the “Red Solo Cup” hitmaker was announced as one of the new inductees into the Country Hall of Fame. He died the day before he would’ve learned about his inclusion in the hall, as previously </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fans-react-to-toby-keiths-upcoming-induction-into-country-music-hall-of-fame-hes-in-heaven-singing-his-heart-out"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After his death, the “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” hitmaker’s catalog of music filled the country charts, </span><a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/toby-keith-makes-history-country-digital-song-sales-chart-1235606479/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Billboard</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> previously noted.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Following </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cancers-a-rollercoaster-toby-keith-said-faith-got-him-through-health-battle-in-intv-before-his-death"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Keith’</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">s diagnosis in 2021, he talked about his incredible country singing career.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Just seeing how enormous the career I amassed over 30 years when they show the video,” he told </span><a href="https://people.com/toby-keith-reflected-on-30-year-career-in-final-people-interview-exclusive-8559418"><span style="font-weight: 400;">People magazine</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> at the time. “You know where you were when you wrote all those songs, you hear those numbers and you’re just like, you looked up one day and all of a sudden 30 years went by.”</span></p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toby-keiths-daughter-said-he-told-her-never-apologize-for-being-patriotic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Toby Keith’s Daughter Said He Told Her, ‘Never Apologize For Being Patriotic’</a></strong></p>


Jason Aldean Reveals Advice Late Country Star Taught Him About Unapologetically Speaking His Mind

Jason Aldean Reveals Advice Toby Keith Taught Him About Unapologetically Speaking His Mind

Patriotism

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Country superstars <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jason-aldean-lands-in-number-one-spot-as-country-artists-dominate-music-chart-for-first-time-ever" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jason Aldean</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/american-idol-judge-luke-bryan-defends-katy-perry-following-backlash-filled-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Luke Bryan</a> revealed that the plane they were flying in after a duck hunting trip was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday due to equipment issues.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a live-stream video </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C2BjIRsLksV/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again"><span style="font-weight: 400;">posted</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> by Bryan on Instagram, the country music singers can be seen sitting in a Dairy Queen drive-thru as they </span><a href="https://www.whiskeyriff.com/2024/01/15/plane-carrying-luke-bryan-jason-aldean-forced-to-make-emergency-landing-after-equipment-issues/#:~:text=And%20the%20two%20seemed%20to,t%20trust%20you%20to%20drive.%E2%80%9D"><span style="font-weight: 400;">revealed</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that things went sideways on Sunday when they were flying back home from St. Louis.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;We duck hunted this morning,&#8221; Bryan said. &#8220;We flew to St. Louis. We landed. We did the ATA Show with Buck Commander.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;And we were supposed to get back on the plane, fly back, it was gonna be a 30-minute flight,&#8221; Aldean interjected. &#8220;Easy, easy.&#8221;</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite Bryan&#8217;s jovial attitude he admitted things got &#8220;tense&#8221; up in the air.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Well we took off and it was so cold,&#8221; the “American Idol&#8221; judge said. &#8220;In St. Louis it&#8217;s like, 16 degrees, wind was blowing 40 miles an hour. Some of the instruments on the plane were not (working)…so we had to turn and land. And yeah, it was a little tense.&#8221;</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aldean described just how scary the situation became.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Our plane, we thought, was gonna fall out of the sky,&#8221; Aldean said, as the two revealed the forced landing resulted in them renting a car to get back.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Now we&#8217;re on I-55, at a Dairy Queen, we&#8217;re getting some chicken fingers, I just peed beside the road, and Jason&#8217;s the driver,&#8221; Bryan said. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aldean replied, &#8220;Because I don&#8217;t trust you to drive.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The two concluded the video with sharing how they still had about an hour-and-a-half drive back and seemed noticeably relieved to be out of that plane.</span></p>
<p>Luckily, the country singers flight was able to land with no one being injured and the problem seemed to not be as serious as others have experienced recently in midflight. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-going-to-die-alaska-airlines-makes-emergency-landing-after-chunk-of-plane-blown-out-on-nightmare-flight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alaska Airlines</a> made headlines recently when the wall of the plane flew off shortly after takeoff, forcing it to make an emergency landing.</p>
<p>&#8220;AS1282 from Portland to Ontario, CA experienced an incident this evening soon after departure,&#8221; a post on X from the airline read. &#8220;The aircraft landed safely back at Portland International Airport with 171 guests and 6 crew members. We are investigating what happened and will share more as it becomes available.&#8221;</p>


Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan

Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan’s Plane Forced To Make Emergency Landing

Luke Bryan

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Country singer </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jason-aldean" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jason Aldean</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is reflecting on the massive popularity of his </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/country-singer" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">song</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, “Try That in a Small Town.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The single made waves when the </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/country-music" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">music video</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was released in July, with many legacy outlets <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jason-aldeans-try-that-in-a-small-town-shoots-to-number-one-amid-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calling</a> the song “racist” and “pro-lynching,” among other complaints. The video showed clips of violent riots and looting which took place during the summer of 2020. But at the same time, it shot up the charts and became extremely popular.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now Aldean is thinking about the potential reasons for the song being such a success. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;I just think there&#8217;s a lot of people out there that just want to go to work and come home, raise their kids, feel comfortable about sending their kids to school and knowing that they&#8217;re going to come home,&#8221; the 46-year-old Georgia native said in a recent </span><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/jason-aldean-small-town-controversy-says-country-fans-tired-living-wild-west" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">interview</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> with Fox News Digital. &#8220;Or let their kids go to a movie on a weekend and not worry about something crazy happening to them in the parking lot or inside a movie theater.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;It&#8217;s just we&#8217;re kind of living in the Wild West right now, and I think people are just kind of tired of it,” he continued. “There&#8217;s just constant chaos and something going on. Somebody is always pissed off about something, and it&#8217;s just one of those songs where there&#8217;s a lot of people that could relate to that because they&#8217;re just sick of it.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aldean told the outlet how the lyrics reflect his own experience growing up, saying this kind of “chaos” won’t “fly” in a typical small town.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;You just happen to see more, in my opinion, in larger towns where it&#8217;s a little more lawless and I don&#8217;t know, it&#8217;s the Wild West to me,” the country star added.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;I think there&#8217;s a lot of people out there that kind of felt the same way and I don&#8217;t know that I feel like that&#8217;s the reason, but I truly don&#8217;t. I don&#8217;t really know,&#8221; he said of the single’s success.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aldean speculated that many people may be scared to speak up for fear of retribution. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;People are kind of scared to say something a lot of times out of fear or losing a job or losing friends or losing. Maybe they&#8217;re not going to get work again or whatever it is,” he said. “People tend to hop on the side that&#8217;s just politically correct, and it may be politically correct, but it&#8217;s not right. Like, it&#8217;s just not, you know what I&#8217;m saying?&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The singer mentioned how he expresses his views on social issues through his music, which is where he connects with fans, too. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aldean’s new album, &#8220;Highway Desperado,&#8221; which includes “Try That in a Small Town” as one of the featured tracks, is scheduled to be released November 3.</span></p>


Jason Aldean Discusses Success Of ‘Try That In A Small Town’: ‘We’re Kind Of Living In The Wild West Right Now’

Jason Aldean Discusses Success Of 'Try That In A Small Town': 'We're Kind Of Living In The Wild West Right Now'

Music

Riots

Social Issues

<p>Artists from the country and Christian music genres came together to perform in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nashville" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nashville</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tennessee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tennessee</a>, on Monday evening for a benefit event for The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/the-covenant-school" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Covenant School</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;A Covenant Knight&#8221; at the Grand Ole Opry featured performances by Jason Aldean, Morgan Wallen, Old Dominion, Anne Wilson, and others several months after a deadly mass shooting at the local Christian school.</p>
<p>&#8220;I am so grateful for the way music impacts our lives and can bring us together, and I’m hoping this event will help everyone feel Jesus’ presence,&#8221; Wilson <a href="https://twitter.com/Annewilsonmusic/status/1674048785603870721" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post to X ahead of the event.</p>
<p>All proceeds from the show are being directed to The Covenant School Community Fund to &#8220;continue mental health support for healing, ease the transition back into the building and equip the school for a safe, successful new year together,&#8221; according to the <a href="https://www.opry.com/show/2023-08-07-covenant-benefit-at-7-30-pm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">event page on Opry&#8217;s website</a>. The event was put together with the help of two parents of students who attend the school, Houston Phillips and Chad Schultz, who are also music industry veterans.</p>
<p>The shooting at The Covenant School in late March killed three children and three adults. The victims have been identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9; Hallie Scruggs, 9; William Kinney, 9; Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61.</p>
<p>Authorities released body camera video <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/graphic-bodycam-footage-shows-heroic-police-response-to-nashville-shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showing</a> police officers responding to the shooting and taking out the shooter, who allegedly was a 28-year-old transgender-identifying woman. The Daily Wire is not naming the suspect to avoid giving notoriety to mass killers.</p>
<p>People who missed the benefit can expect the show to air for six consecutive nights on the Circle Network starting on August 19, the Opry event page said. A smattering of posts and clips from the show made their way to social media that offered a glimpse of the performances and remarks given by some of the artists.</p>
<p>&#8220;I want to give a shout-out to the first responders here in Nashville who did such an amazing job,&#8221; Aldean told people in attendance, as shown in a clip posted to Instagram by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/98wsix/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">local radio station The Big 98</a>.</p>
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<p>&#8220;Glad to be here, glad to help out, and I think about you guys — have been for a long time,&#8221; Aldean added.</p>
<p>One TikTok account <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@hannaheatsnashville/video/7264813293833997614?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted a video</a> showing Wallen addressing the audience.</p>
<p>&#8220;Nobody should ever have to go through what you went through,&#8221; Wallen said. &#8220;But I just wanted to let you know that me and my family have been praying for you and that we&#8217;re here for you and we&#8217;ve just been thinking about you.&#8221;</p>
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<p>&#8220;You know, I&#8217;ve got a 3-year-old boy, and he&#8217;s not at school yet, but whenever I heard this news my mind couldn&#8217;t help but go straight to him and think about what you guys are going through,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;It&#8217;s just an honor to be here, to try to give you guys some hope, to try to hopefully have a little bit of fun as well tonight.&#8221;</p>
<p>The benefit event took place as children across the country begin to return to classrooms for the new school year.</p>
<p>As of press time, The Covenant School Community Fund website <a href="https://factsmgtadmin.com/give/appeal/iWSuCKbG7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said it had raised</a> more than $570,000 across 279 donations.</p>


Jason Aldean, Morgan Wallen, And Other Music Artists Unite For The Covenant School Benefit

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Tennessee

The Covenant School

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Country music is having a moment, but it’s more significant than it looks.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Three country stars sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the first days of August. That marked a first for the Heartland-friendly genre, according to the music charting company which began tallying such figures in 1958.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jason Aldean (“Try That in a Small Town”), Morgan Wallen (“Last Night”), and Luke Combs (“Fast Car”) held the first three spots, beating back pop superstars like Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and The Weeknd.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Those achievements matter more than just for historical purposes. Each artist ran headfirst into the woke mob and not only survived but thrived. And, by extension, the public stood behind the trio and sent a message with their purses and wallets.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can’t cancel country stars without our permission.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aldean’s right-leaning politics emerged during the Trump years. The singer says he couldn’t stay silent on political matters any longer, and he began addressing issues like vaccine mandates and President Joe Biden’s wobbly first term.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That may have raised some eyebrows in Left-leaning Country, Inc. but Aldean enraged the woke Left by uncorking his ode to patriotic small towns. His “Try That in a Small Town” came out in the spring, but the music video behind the song gave it a promotional booster shot in recent weeks.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The video and the song’s lyrics address the BLM/Antifa riots that engulfed the country following the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020:</span></p>
<blockquote><p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Got a gun that my granddad gave me</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">They say one day they&#8217;re gonna round up</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Well, that s*** might fly in the city, good luck</span></i></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Try that in a small town</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">See how far ya make it down the road</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Around here, we take care of our own</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">You cross that line, it won&#8217;t take long</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">For you to find out, I recommend you don&#8217;t</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Try that in a small town</span></i></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The song’s pugnacious lyrics took no prisoners, but musicians have told violent stories for years without blowback. Tell that to the media and the Left. They joined forces against Aldean. CMT pulled the music video from its lineup. Critics lambasted its lyrics as reminiscent of a &#8220;</span><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/jason-aldean-courthouse-black-teen-lynched-try-that-small-town-rcna95080" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">pro-lynching&#8221;</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">mindset</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span><a href="https://variety.com/2023/music/opinion/jason-aldean-try-that-in-a-small-town-worst-country-song-video-column-1235673177/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Variety dubbed it</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, “the most contemptible country song of the decade.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It didn’t matter that Aldean’s song doesn’t mention race, or that the BLM/Antifa riots were multicultural to the core. Nor that Aldean could have been writing from the perspective of a fed-up soul, sick of seeing his country burning.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Songwriters embrace the creative license to spin tales from any number of vantage points.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The fix was in, and in cases like this, the artist quickly grovels for forgiveness. </span><a href="https://people.com/movies/stephen-king-admits-stepped-over-line-oscars-diversity-comments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stephen King</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> did</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> just that. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">So did </span><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/video/scarlett-johansson-apologizes-accepting-transgender-185916559.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Scarlett Johansson</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Not Aldean. Here’s what </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">he said to a </span><a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/22/jason-aldean-stands-by-try-that-in-a-small-town-amid-backlash/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cincinnati crowd</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in reference to the controversy:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s been a long week, and I’ve seen a lot of stuff suggesting I’m this, suggesting I’m that … I feel like everybody’s entitled to their opinions. You can think something all you want to it doesn’t mean it’s true.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“What I am is a proud American. I’m proud to be from here. I love our country. I want to see it restored to what it once was before all this bulls*** started happening to us. I love my country, I love my family, and I will do anything to protect that, I can tell you that right now.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">No apology. No backpedal.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Soon enough, the song started making serious noise on various charts before hitting number one via <a href="https://www.billboard.com/charts/country-songs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Billboard</a>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aldean stood up to the Cancel Culture mob and won. He still may suffer professional consequences, but it’s clear his fans have his back.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wallen’s Cancel Culture fight proved far more insidious.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2021, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">TMZ released a</span> <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2021/02/02/morgan-wallen-n-word-nashville-neighbors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">privately shot video</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in which Wallen used the “n-word.” He didn’t say it in a public venue, nor did he hurl it at a black person (he later indicated he directed the word at a good friend, and he was inebriated at the time.) He apologized immediately, but it wasn’t accepted by many in his industry. </span><a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/country/morgan-wallen-timeline-racial-slur-video-9587738/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wallen’s music got pulled</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> from radio and streaming platforms</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> the very next day, the latter including Spotify, iTunes, and Amazon Music. The ACM Awards said he was ineligible to win that year and his label suspended him “indefinently.” His booking agent also dropped him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He later publicly apologized, met with black leaders, suspended his touring schedule, and checked into a rehab facility.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His fans stood by him. In fact, Wallen’s record sales soared following the cancellation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The singer slowly re-entered the music marketplace, returning to live performances and releasing fresh material to build his career back.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It worked. His sales continued to climb and fans packed his appearances. Meanwhile, the press recoiled at his recovery efforts, suggesting </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">he should </span><a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/morgan-wallen-banned-country-radio-1227035/amp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">remain canceled</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, indefinitely.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The public made the final call. Again.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Combs’ woke battle happened in a much smaller fashion, but it’s still indicative of the press’ disdain for the genre. The singer uncorked a respectful cover of the 1988 Tracy Chapman smash “Fast Car,” and the song quickly connected with a new generation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That makes for a great story – one of the more unlikely crossover hits in recent memory. The Washington Post saw the story and decided to make Chapman, who is black and gay, </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2023/07/13/tracy-chapman-luke-combs-fast-car-cover/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">a victim</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Although many are thrilled to see ‘Fast Car’ back in the spotlight and a new generation discovering Chapman’s work, it’s clouded by the fact that, as a Black queer woman, Chapman, 59, would have almost zero chance of that achievement herself in country music.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The article got roasted, and rightly so, on social media. Chapman hardly seemed upset by the turn of events. The cover version </span><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/luke-combs-fast-car-success-marred-complicated-racial-debate-washington-post" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">earned her a small fortune</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and she praised Combs for putting her back atop the music charts.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there. I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car.’&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Three country smashes. Three woke fails.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The far-Left can throw its weight around all it wants, but when the American public unites it remains a far more powerful force.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just ask any Bud Light executive, assuming he or she is still gainfully employed.</span></p>
<p><em>Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en">@HollywoodInToto</a>. </em></p>
<p><em>The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.</em></p>


2023 Country Thunder Wisconsin – Day 3

Three Country Stars Crush Billboard Charts, Defy The Woke Mob

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