Source: Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Big Machine Label Group / Getty
Riley Green has joined the ongoing Bud Light debate by changing the lyrics to one of his best-known songs during a recent performance. The 34-year-old artist took the stage at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday and remixed the lyrics to his hit song, “I Wish Grandpas Never Died.”
The controversy surrounding Bud Light started when the brand partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who received a personalized can of beer with her face on it to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her gender transition. This move sparked backlash from conservative groups, with some prominent conservatives calling for a boycott of Bud Light.
In response, during his performance, instead of singing the original lyrics, “I wish coolers never run out of cold Bud Light,” Green changed the beer brand to Coors Light. A video of the moment was shared on Twitter by lawyer Rogan O’Handley and quickly went viral, garnering almost one million views over the weekend.
Green is not the only country music star to express dissatisfaction with Bud Light’s partnership with Mulvaney. Travis Tritt and Kid Rock are among the other artists who have criticized Bud Light, with Tritt even vowing to remove all beverage brands owned by Anheuser-Busch from his summer tour rider. However, it’s worth noting that Tritt still performed at the Two Step Inn festival, which included Busch Light, another Anheuser-Busch brand, as a major partner. Kid Rock took a more extreme approach, shooting up multiple cases of Bud Light in a video posted on social media.
Interestingly, Kid Rock has also been seen posing with cans of Happy Dad seltzer at a recent event, despite the brand’s past partnerships with transgender reality star Caitlyn Jenner. This highlights the complex nature of the issue, with artists making different choices in how they express their opinions on the matter.
As for Riley Green, he has upcoming performances at festivals that have partnerships with Anheuser-Busch’s brands, such as Rock The South and The Country Fest 2023. It’s worth noting that the stadium where he performed the changed song, Nissan Stadium, sells Bud Light at its concession stands. Even Green’s chosen replacement of beer, Coors Light, has a long-standing history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community. As the debate continues, it raises important questions about inclusivity and representation in corporate partnerships, and how artists can use their platform to express their beliefs on social issues.
