Garth Brooks on Monday addressed the bizarre backlash to his pledge to stock many beers – including Bud Light – at his Nashville bar.
“Everybody’s got their opinions,” the country superstar said during his Inside Studio G livestream. “But inclusiveness is always going to be me.”
Last week, Brooks told Billboard that his Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk, currently under construction, will “serve every brand of beer. We just are.” He explained: “It’s not our decision to make. Our thing is this: If you come into this house, love one another. If you’re an a–hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway you can go.”
On social media, some people criticized Brooks for including Bud Light, which became the target of boycotts after it sent a customized can to a trans influencer. (Anheuser-Busch said in a statement that the personalized can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public.”)
Brooks acknowledged that his commitment to offer Bud Light caused “a little bit of a stir” and recalled the calls to boycott his music over his 1992 song “We Shall Be Free,” which included the lyrics: “When we're free to love anyone we choose / When this world's big enough for all different views.”
Brooks said “diversity is the answer to the problems that are here and the problems that are coming. So I love diversity. All-inclusive, so all are welcome. I understand that that might not be other people’s opinions, but that’s OK, man. They have their opinions, they have their beliefs; I have mine.”
The singer also said it’s basic business – if a beer brand doesn’t sell at his bar, it won’t continue to be stocked. And, he said, people can choose where they want to spend their money.
“If you want to come to Friends in Low Places, come in. Come in with love. Come in with tolerance, patience. Come in with an open mind, and it’s cool,” said Brooks.