Jason Aldean blasts cancel culture after ‘long week’ of controversy: ‘I am a proud American’

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Jason Aldean hit back at critics of his fiery anthem Try That in a Small Town during his first concert since the controversial video for the hit song went viral this week.

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The Grammy-nominated country star, who survived a deadly mass shooting at the Route 91 music festival in 2017, came under fire for the track with critics claiming that it promotes vigilantism and gun violence. After it was revealed that the video was filmed outside the same Tennessee courthouse where a Black man was lynched in 1927, others labelled the single as “pro-lynching” with one detractor accusing the singer of blowing “racist dog whistle.”

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As the firestorm swelled, Aldean’s video was dropped by Country Music Television and famous names waded into the fray, including Sheryl Crow, who branded the song as “lame.”

Mississippi Free Press news editor Ashton Pittman detailed the horrific history of the location that Aldean filmed the video at.

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“Jason Aldean shot this at the site where a white lynch mob strung Henry Choate up at the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tenn., after dragging his body through the streets with a car in 1927. That’s where Aldean chose to sing about murdering people who don’t respect police,” Pittman wrote.

The production company behind the video, Tacklebox, said in a statement to the Associated Press that it picked a ”popular filming location” that had been used on numerous productions, including holiday films starring Tanya Tucker and one starring Mario Lopez and Jana Kramer.

On Twitter, Aldean fired back at attackers accusing him of racism, saying that the song “refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief.”

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At a concert in Cincinnati Friday night, Aldean thanked fans for their unwavering support as he promised not to back down.

“I gotta tell you guys, it’s been a long-ass week,” Aldean told the crowd at the Riverbend Music Center. “It’s been a long week and I seen a lot of stuff, I seen a lot of stuff suggesting I’m this, suggesting I’m that. Hey, here’s one thing I feel: I feel everyone’s entitled to their opinion. You can think something all you want to, it doesn’t mean it’s true, right?”

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Aldean continued, “What I am is a proud American … 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 right now.” As chants of “U.S.A.” erupted from his supportive fans, he said he wasn’t going to apologize for the song.

“Here’s what I want to say … cancel culture is a thing, it’s something where if people don’t like what you say, they try and make sure they can cancel you, which means try to ruin your life, ruin everything,” Aldean said. “One thing I saw this week was a bunch of country music fans that can see through a lot of the bulls—, alright? I saw country music fans rally like I never seen before, and that was pretty badass, I gotta say. Thank you guys so much.”

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As Try That in a Small Town continues to rack up views on YouTube, Aldean said one of the biggest questions he’s gotten is whether he’ll keep playing the song live.

“People that come to my shows, you guys know what I’m about. You know what I stand for and I’ve never shied away away from that at all,” he said. “I know a lot of you guys grew up like I did. You kind of have the same values, the same principles that I have, which is, we want to take our kids to a movie and not worry about some a–hole coming in there shooting up the theatre. So when somebody asks me, ‘Hey man, you think your going to play this song tonight?’ The answer was simple. The people have spoken, and you guys spoke very, very loudly this week.”

Slashing guitars then ushered in the start of the song as the crowd cheered.

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On social media, Try That in a Small Town has garnered a wave of support, with former president Donald Trump calling Aldean “a fantastic guy who just came out with a great new song,” while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tweeted, “When the media attacks you, you’re doing something right.”

On YouTube, where the video has been viewed more than 14 million times, fans have been effusive in their praise for the sentiment of the lyrics and its imagery, which includes news footage of a flag burning, rampagers confronting police, Black Lives Matter protests and stores being robbed

“Best country song out there right now. It speaks the truth,” one person wrote. “It stands up against all the riots and violence that went on in the big cities. He’s saying if you try that stuff in a small town you won’t get by with it.”

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“Love the message in this song,” another shared. “We know its not about race, like the media are trying to spin it. Its about standing up for family, community, and patriotism.”

Aldean’s wife, Brittany, backed her hubby, sharing a smiling photo of the couple with her 2.4 million Instagram followers and captioning it: “Never apologize for speaking the truth.”

Later, she returned to the platform to thank her husband’s followers for their support.

“Man do we love y’all,” Brittany wrote. “Free thinkers, lions not sheep … thankful for the support, always!”

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On Instagram, fans pushed the Aldeans not to cave in to the “leftist mob.”

“You know you’re doing something right when the left ‘tries’ to cancel you!!” one person wrote, with political commentator Candace Owens adding, “Turns out small town folks have a big influence.”

A third supporter suggested the singer run for office, writing, “Trump/Aldean ‘24. Keep the liberal tears flowing.”

mdaniell@postmedia.com

Twitter: @markhdaniell

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