Jason Aldean paid tribute to his late friend Charlie Kirk during his Detroit concert on Thursday evening, dedicating his performance of “Try That In A Small Town” to the Conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder.
Taking the stage at the sold-out Pine Knob Music Theatre, Aldean paused the show to share a few words with the audience, explaining that he needed to take a moment to acknowledge what had happened the day before.
@biancakajy Thank you Jason for doing this. May #CharlieKirk ♬ original sound – bianca kajy
“I couldn’t get through tonight without addressing something that happened yesterday, as you guys well know,” Aldean began. “An amazing person by the name of Charlie Kirk was murdered yesterday in Utah. This was a guy that I knew for a few years, had a chance to meet him on quite a few occasions, talk to him, one of the best people ever. I mean, this is not the guy you go after is what I’m trying to say.”
The Georgia native went on to reflect on the current state of the USA, admitting, “it’s a weird country that we live in. When you start taking people out because you disagree with their opinions, that’s not what we’re about here.”
@milan.crossfit #jasonaldean #charliekirk ♬ original sound – Milan CrossFit
Before launching into his first-ever Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit, Aldean reflected on how Kirk had been one of the song’s earliest supporters, then dedicated that night’s performance to him..
“I remember when we put this song out, people like Charlie Kirk were some of the first ones to come up and go, ‘that’s what it’s about, this country coming together, calling out the bullsh** when we see it, trying to get everything back on track.’ This guy wanted nothing more than what was best for all of us and our kids and everything moving forward,” he continued. “Charlie’s a guy that’s going to be very, very much missed, and this is something that his legacy is going to live on forever with Turning Point and what he’s done with only 31 years on this planet. It’s amazing. So just a really tragic loss for everybody. I know you guys have been feeling it as well, so tonight, since he was one of the ones that stuck out for the song, let’s play this one for Charlie.”
Loud U-S-A chants ran throughout the crowd and people began to sing along as Aldean performed the song.
@thefamilytraditionband Jason Aldean honors Charlie Kirk during show intro ❤️🩹💯🇺🇸 #fy #charliekirk #USA ♬ original sound – Thefamilytraditionband
According to videos posted to TikTok, before Aldean’s set began, the big screens lit up with a “Rest in Peace” tribute photo of Kirk, as well as a “Never Forget” message in honor of the 24th anniversary of 9/11. As these messages were displayed, Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” played throughout the arena.