Addressing concertgoers during the Cincinnati leg of his Highway Desperado Tour Friday, Aldean maintained that despite the dialogue surrounding the song and the labels affixed to him amid the controversy, what he is, is a proud American.
He continued, “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 bullsh*t 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.” “You guys know how it is in this day and age, cancel culture is a thing,” Aldean said. “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 to 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 bulls**t. I saw country music fans rally like I’ve never seen before, and it was pretty bada** to watch, I gotta say. Thank you guys so much.
The song — which was released in May — really sparked controversy with its music video, which was released last week. The video was filmed in front of the massive American flag displayed on the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee — the site of the 1927 lynching of Henry Choate.