More than a month since Brantley Gilbert took to the stage for performances of Real American and Dirt Road Anthem at Kid Rock’s All-American Halftime Show, the musician says anyone hoping for an apology relating to his inclusion will be left waiting.
Taking place at the same time as the Super Bowl LX halftime show, the Turning Point USA event was an example of counter-programming which attempted to steal the audience from its rival event.
Described as a celebration of “faith, family, and freedom”, the show featured Kid Rock and Glibert alongside the likes of Gabby Barrett and Lee Bice.
“Turning Point read the room,” Kid Rock told Fox News ahead of the show. “They realised there's a big portion of this country who is underserved entertainment-wise.
“We’re just [going to] go play for our base. You know, people who love America, love football, love Jesus.”
Ultimately, the response was negative, with many focusing on Kid Rock’s shambolic performance, and criticising some of the other acts for appearing.
However, in a new interview with Us Weekly, Gilbert has spoken out, noting he didn’t take part in the affair “to be divisive,” stressing that “It was a weird place for me. Hate is not my thing.”
“I’m a husband and a dad, and protecting my kids is something I’m concerned with always,” he explained. “But this wasn’t something I’ve felt like I need to protect anybody from.”
“This was something that was pitched to us as a patriotic event,” he continued. “I didn’t know if the other show was going to give a shout-out to veterans or active duty guys and girls, but I know if we played this one, we’d have the opportunity to do that.
“We played a patriotic song and two other songs that I’m really proud of and have had a lot of fun with, and as a dad, I thought it was cool that my kids got to watch a couple quarters of football and then watch their dad play some songs.”
Noting that the Super Bowl typically overlooks country artists (pointing out it has been 23 years since Shania Twain appeared), Gilbert explained that he simply took the chance to represent country music while also shining a light on active duty servicemen in the US military.
“It gave me an opportunity to further share my spotlight and my platform with people that deserve it, and those are the men and women that have selflessly served our country and endured sacrifices and losses that we’ll never understand,” Gilbert added.
“If somebody’s waiting on me to be apologetic for that, they’re going to be waiting a while.”
Countrytown brings you Australia’s best country music news, interviews, charts and more every week! This post was authored by Countrytown and originally published on the Countrytown website. It has been re-published with permission.
