‘Been a Long-Ass Week!’ Defiant Jason Aldean Slams ‘Bullsh*t’, ‘Cancel Culture’ Over Song Outrage As Crowd Roars ‘USA! USA! USA!’
Country music star Jason Aldean responded to the enormous controversy over his song “Try That in a Small Town” at his concert in Cincinnati, characterizing the backlash as “cancel culture” and “bullshit” as fans cheered and broke into shouts of USA! USA! USA!” on Friday.
Aldean’s song, released in May, became the subject of major controversy this week after the music video began airing on MTV-owned CMT. The country music channel quickly pulled the video and stated it was “”no longer in rotation,” which prompted a separate backlash from fans and conservative media, as well as from Republican candidates.
At Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center on Friday night as part of his Highway Desperado Tour, Aldean addressed the roiling controversy and saying that “cancel culture is a thing.”
“I love our country. I want to see it restored to what it once was before all this bullshit started happening to us,” he said as the crowd roared. “I love my country. I love my family, and I will do anything to protect that, I can tell you that right now.”
Members of the audience shared various videos on social media, with one user’s clip on Twitter going viral and garnering over half a million views in less than 12 hours.
ALDEAN: Well, I got to tell you guys, man, it’s been a long-ass week. It’s been a long week. And I’ve seen a lot of stuff. I’ve seen a lot of stuff suggesting I’m this, suggesting I’m that. Here’s the thing. Here’s the thing. Here’s one thing I feel. I feel like everybody’s entitled to their opinion. You can think – you can think something all you want to, it doesn’t mean it’s true. Right? So. What I am is a proud American, I’m proud to be —. I love our country. I want to see it restored to what it once was before all this bullshit 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.
CROWD:: USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!
ALDEAN: And here’s what I want to say. A lot of things out there. And one thing I love, you guys know how it is this day and age, cancel culture is a thing. That’s something that, if people don’t like what you say, they try and make sure that they can cancel you, which means try and ruin your life, ruin everything. One thing I saw this week was a bunch of country music fans that can see through a lot of the bullshit. All right?
On Thursday, Tennessee State Rep. Justin Pearson described the song and video as a “lynching anthem” when speaking with Kaitlan Collins.
Aldean has fired back at critics, saying that such accusations are “not only meritless, but dangerous.”
In 2017, Aldean was performing on stage when an horrific mass shooting took place at a music festival in Las Vegas, after which the singer appealed to Americans to “come together and stop the hate.”
Watch the video above, via @TheChiefNerd on Twitter and Jason Aldean.
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com
