I told you guys earlier we put out a brand new album last year calledHighway Desperado, right?
Aldean says, pausing for a moment to wipe his face with his hand.
The entire venue erupts into applause, and a sea of phones goes up.
Jason Aldean onstage in May. The singer recently wrapped up his Highway Desperado Tour, which featured a nightly performance of his polarizing hit “Try That in a Small Town.“Gary Miller/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
… fucking up our cities and acting like a bunch of idiots!
It aint my job to stand up here and tell you guys who to vote for come November.
That is not my place to do that.
Just shut your ass up.
That song is, of course, Try That in a Small Town.
Low 90s is, I am told, blessedly cool for this time of year.
Patti doesnt mince words about the songs detractors.
I just thought they were idiots, she says, appearing vaguely annoyed by my line of questioning.
Theyre idiots that obviously did not grow up in a small town.
And wed all be a lot better off if the media would keep their damn noses out of stuff.
As a conservative, you get to hear a lot.
You dont get to say a lot.
And the writers have every reason to celebrate.
At the same ceremony, Alan Jackson accepted the organizationsKris KristoffersonLifetime Achievement Award.
Hes wearing a plaid shirt and is one of maybe four Black people Ive seen all night.
He voted for Trump in 2020 but says hes undecided this time around because they both make valid points.
He adds that he wanted to buy his own Try That shirt, but they didnt have his size.
Oh, yeah, Larry says, smiling.
It saysALL LIVES MATTER.
JESUS DIED FOR ALL OF US.
For them to make out that its racist is just stupid.
For me, the song is an unfortunate reminder of the Aldeans ongoingcrusadeagainst trans children.
In this light, the song becomes a remarkably mutable political object, capable of taking on numerous meanings.
BACK AT THE TROPICANA after the show, the revelry continues.
Of course its a song about shooting people!
she half-yells, clearly having a good time.
Ill fucking shoot you.
My house is riddled with guns.
Karens frankness is refreshing, in a way, after a night marked by equivocation.
But it doesnt stop there.
She says shes Trump all day long and I ask what drew her to him.
Politics, money, all of the above, she says.
You do what you want with your body and just dont tell us what to do with ours.
I think were all tired of woke, I think were all tired of they/them, Brian sighs.
If I call you sir, its just because Im being polite.
