Musician Oliver Anthony fired up the crowd by quoting the Bible at his first live concert after his song “Rich Men North of Richmond” conquered the Internet seemingly overnight.
The Virginia folk singer performed a free concert in Barco, North Carolina, Sunday afternoon, taking note of the crowd growing slightly since his last time at the venue.
“It’s crazy for me because I remember back in June I played here for about 20 people. That’s the beautiful part of this country because, even an idiot like me can make something. Before we start singing, and I mean we, because I hope you all are going to be singing too, I just had something I felt compelled to share with you,” he said.
Anthony then quoted from Psalm 37: 12-20, which reads as follows:
The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
and their inheritance will endure forever.
In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.But the wicked will perish:
Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke
Anthony audibly choked up as he read the passage, with his newfound fans going wild.
STOP what you’re doing and watch @AintGottaDollar’s first message on stage since his viral song…
With all the labels watching. POWERFUL 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/O2AFHxifr4
— Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) August 13, 2023
According to a PR representative, Anthony drew a crowd of thousands and signed autographs for hours after the concert. Country star Jamey Johnson made a surprise appearance during the show, performing his 2008 hit “In Color” with Anthony.
I’m not sure I’ll ever top this moment where @jamey_johnson surprised me to sing his all-time classic with me on stage.
What a legend. pic.twitter.com/msbpPHlk5E
— Oliver Anthony (@AintGottaDollar) August 14, 2023
As Breitbart News reported, Anthony’s song “Rich Men North of Richmond” skyrocketed to number 1 on iTunes and became a viral sensation overnight. In the wake of that success, Rolling Stone put out a smear piece by marginalizing his song as some kind of MAGA anthem without strictly speaking about its artistic merits.
“Anthony rails against high taxes and the value of the dollar, but also wades into some Reagan-era talking points about welfare,” wrote senior Rolling Stone editor Joseph Hudak. The piece also balks at Anthony’s reference to the late Jeffrey Epstein’s private island. No patrons of the reported sex trafficking on Little Saint James have been prosecuted since Epstein’s mysterious death in prison.
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.