Alex Carson
One of country music’s living legends, Garth Brooks, made waves when he performed Amazing Grace at Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony on January 20th. After he performed the classic hymn he shook hands and embraced the President, Vice President, and all of the former presidents of first ladies that were in attendance.
While he no doubt did so with good intentions, his actions were met with intense criticism for various reasons.
Some thought that it was an endearing moment that embraced the idea of unity that is so lacking in this world today, others saw the move as being particularly risky and in bad taste – especially since he wasn’t wearing a face mask.
During a time when many people can’t even hug their loved ones, it was especially bothersome for some viewers to see a celebrity blatantly disregarding social distancing recommendations in the company of current and former world leaders.
Brooks Staff Come To His Defense
His people issued a statement after the event attesting to the fact that Brooks had tested negative for COVID-19 for three days in a row leading up to the inauguration, but even so, many argue that he was setting a bad example for others during the pandemic. But really, it’s impossible to please everyone. No one can spend their entire lives walking on eggshells just to appease everyone.
Brooks has previously performed at every inauguration -except for Trumps – since Jimmy Carter. but no one can deny that we are currently living in unprecedented times. As much as you might hate hearing the phrase ‘the new normal’, there’s no denying that the era we are living in currently is markedly different than the ones we – or Brooks – have previously lived through. Zoom meetings, face masks, and staying six feet away from each other at all times seems to be here to stay for quite some time.
Part of living in our modern era is having all of your actions, choices, and behavior critiqued by the many conflicting voices of the social media peanut gallery. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, social media is going to have something negative to say about you if you’re in the spotlight.
Fan reactions to Garth Brook’s presidential hugs were mixed. One tweeted support for the country star saying that this was the ‘energy that I’m taking into this new era.” while another wrote ‘Can Garth Brooks please stop hugging everyone without a mask?”
But it wasn’t just his lack of mask-wearing that some took offense to. We’ll touch on those other reasons in just a minute, but first why not take a second to give this video a like and subscribe to our channel. Tap the bell icon while you’re at it to turn on notifications. That way you’ll be able to keep up with all of our upcoming videos.
One Of Countries Finest
Garth Brooks has some serious credentials under his belt. He’s actually the only musical artist in history to release nine albums that have all achieved certified diamond in the US. He beat out the prior record holders, The Beatles, who had previously accomplished the feat for six of their records.
In total, Brooks has released 23 albums. 13 of which were studio albums, two are live releases, three are compilations, three are Christmas albums and four are box sets. Additionally, he has put out 77 singles since 1989.
His music has been celebrated by fans and critics alike. He has won 2 Grammys, 17 American Music Awards, and The RIAA award for best selling solo artist of the century. As of 2020, Garth Brooks has sold more than 156 million records in the United States alone.
Brooks dropped his most recent album ‘Fun’ in November of 2020. It peaked at 42 on Billboard’s top 200 US charts and number 7 on the country charts. At 58, Brooks is showing no signs of slowing down. He, along with so many other musicians negatively impacted by the pandemic, eagerly awaits the day that he can get back out on tour but for now he’s got to make do with what he can.
There are very few honors that compare to having the opportunity to perform at a presidential inauguration. Brooks made it clear that his choice to attend the event wasn’t a political move/ Rather, he has referred to his performance as an opportunity to serve and as a statement of unity.
Inauguration Day
Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States just a few days ago. Kamala Harris also made history by becoming the first woman and person of color to hold the office of Vice President. It was truly a historic day for many different reasons.
This last year has been turbulent to say the least. With the pandemic, social unrest, and one of the most contentious and divisive elections in history, what this country needs most right now is unity and healing. What better way to come together than through music?
The new administration arranged for award-winning performers like Lady Gaga Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks to provide patriotic entertainment for the historic event. Lady Gaga performed the national anthem, Lopez sang “This Land is Your Land” and as we already noted, Garth Brook’s belted out Amazing Grace. All three performances were deeply moving, but not everyone had positive things to say.
Before Brooks even stepped out on the stage he was already subject to memes, ridicule and criticism. Conservative members of the country musician’s fan base called for a boycott of Brooks. Some people accused Brooks of betraying his roots while others warmly embraced his contribution to the inauguration despite the fact that he is a Republican.
Brooks chose to play the event to help bring unity to the country. The inauguration was less than two weeks after violent politically motivated rioters stormed the nation’s capitol building. Brooks figured that attending the ceremony just might be the gesture needed to encourage others to set aside their polarized world-views as well. Brooks made it clear that his performance wasn’t a political statement. What he was there for was to help facilitate a little bit of healing that he feels the country is in dire need of.
There are many in this country that still believe that the election was stolen and that Joe Biden only won by means of some kind of elaborate fraud scheme. For those people, Brook’s performance was an act of submission to a fraudulent group of corrupt people. They saw him as a coward at best or a pawn of the so-called ‘deep state’ at worst. For people that hold those views, very little will ever change their minds.
Brooks Has Always Carried A Message Of Unity
Many Twitter users came to Brook’s defense for his performance at the inauguration. They were quick to point out that back in the 1990s, at the height of the AIDS epidemic, Brooks put out a song called “We Shall Be Free.”
The lyrics of that song celebrate the fact that anyone is free to love whomever they choose. It’s a pretty clear pro-LGBT message. Brooks also expressed his support for gay rights when he did an interview with the now-defunct George magazine back in 2001.
Brooks made his position on the matter clear when he said, “If you’re in love, you’ve got to follow your heart and trust that God will tell us why we sometimes fall in love with people of the same sex.”
That wasn’t the only time that Brooks has taken a pro-LGBT stance either. In 2000 he appeared at the Equality Rocks benefit concert to raise awareness for gay rights. While there, he sang a duet with openly gay musician, George Michael
He’s A Republican Who Believes In Unity
When Esquire asked him why he decided to accept the invite to come and perform at the inauguration, Brooks quipped that he just might be the only Republican to show up. But that wasn’t the only reason why he attended. He explained that it was an opportunity for him to reach across the aisle and to show love to one another despite the fact that we are living in some of the most divided times of our lives.
“I want the divided times to be behind us.” Brooks shared.
After his performance, Brooks went around and shook hands and hugged former vice president Mike Pence, Vice President Kamala Harris, Former President Barack Obama, Former President Bill Clinton, and his wife Hillary.
He actually almost forget to embrace Former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura. Whoops!
People Poked Fun At His Entrance And Wardrobe
Brooks showed up to the inauguration wearing a cowboy hat, boots, blue jeans, and a black button-up shirt. Everyone else at the event was decked out in designer dresses, custom-tailored suits, and high-end couture. Kamala Harris was looking dazzling in purple and Lopez was radiant in her white dress.
Lopez and Lady Gaga both gave headline-worthy performances. Gaga was wearing a gown designed by Schiaparelli accented with a large golden dove brooch. Lopez went out on stage next encouraging the audience to ‘get loud.’
Twitter users were quick to criticize Brook’s choice of attire and the way he interacted with the former presidents. Some pointed out that it seemed disrespectful for the star to attend the even wearing something as informal as jeans, while others seemed to be unphased by his wardrobe choice. After all, he is a country music star, and blue jeans are just about as American as baseball and apple pie. ‘
Brooks Is Grateful For Lady Gaga’s Hair And Makeup Team
If you are one of those folks that thought that Garth Brooks looked pretty good at the inauguration, you can thank Lady Gaga’s hair and makeup people for that.
After the inauguration on Wednesday, Brooks reached out on Twitter and thanked Gaga and her longtime makeup artist, Sarah Tanno, and stylist, Frederic Aspiras, for helping him preen before the performance.
Some might have found his attire to be a bit too comfortable, but the general consensus seems to be that Garth found the right balance between elegant and casual with his get-up. And obviously, he knows what it means to be respectful. Before he went on stage to sing Amazing Grace, he graciously removed his cowboy hat.
Regardless of what side of the political spectrum you subscribe to, there is no denying the fact that what the world needs most right now is a sense of unity. Divided we fall, but unified we can accomplish much.
Garth Brook’s performance might have been controversial, but he went out on stage with love in his heart hoping that we American’s can see through our differences and find that common ground that binds us together.
What did you think about the inauguration performances? Who did you enjoy watching the most, Garth Brooks, Lady Gaga or Jennifer Lopez? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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