After promoting his new bar in Nashville, Tennessee, Garth Brooks announced that “every brand of beer” will be available.
The country music star is opening his new bar, Friends in Low Places, in the South Broadway District of Nashville. In a statement Wednesday at Billboard Country Live, he said that the bar will serve all brands of beer, likely including Bud Light. In anticipation of backlash, the singer told Billboard’s Melinda Newman, “[w]e’re going to serve every brand of beer. We just are. It’s not our decision to make. Our thing is this, if you [are let] into this house, love one another. If you’re an a**hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway,” Newsweek reported.
Hot off the presses!! Spring colors available starting NOW! Available in store and online!
-Team FILP
Shop: https://t.co/o6kh6xId1h pic.twitter.com/c8sbcxw3Lk
— FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES BAR & HONKY-TONK (@FriendsBarNash) April 28, 2023
Brooks’ comments appear to allude to the scrutiny Bud Light is currently under. Back in April, Bud Light collaborated with transgender TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The company sent the influencer customized beer cans depicting his face in celebration of “365 days of girlhood.” Since then, Bud Light’s parent company Anheuser-Busch has lost billions in stock from boycotts over the company’s partnership with the influencer. (RELATED: Bud Light Breaks Silence On Partnership With Dylan Mulvaney)
Following the Dylan Mulvaney controversy, Bud Light faced further backlash when their vice president of marketing, Alissa Gordon Heinerscheid, deemed Bud Light’s image “fratty” and “out of touch.” The Daily Caller reported photos of Heinerscheid previously engaging in similar behavior. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Leaked Social Media Pics From Bud Light Ad Exec Who Slammed ‘Fratty’ Culture Seem Pretty Fratty)
Support from Brooks follows the trend of other popular country artists in favor of LGBTQ issues and other progressive policies. Brooks is not a stranger to political events and controversy. The singer performed at both former President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden’s presidential inaugurations, yet declined to perform at former President Donald Trump’s inaugural ceremony reportedly due to a scheduling conflict, Newsweek reported.
Friends in Low Places is currently under construction but is expected to open soon.