Brantley Gilbert undoubtedly opened some eyes over the past couple of summers — and likely ruffled the feathers of some country purists — by teaming up for tours with the heavy-metal band Five Finger Death Punch in 2022 and hard rockers Nickelback last summer.
Now, Gilbert is starting a headlining tour that once again blends genres, as his opening acts Demun Jones and Adam Calhoun both mix rap and country in their music.
But Gilbert assures fans that these cross-genre tours aren’t a signal that he’s shifting his career path away from country.
“I am who I am,” he said in a recent phone interview. “I write songs about my life. I don’t know anything but small-town country stuff, so at the end of the day, whatever it is that we do, that will still be a part of it. We’re not doing anything crazy. We’re not leaving country music and trying to become a rock band. We’re doing the same thing we’ve been doing and building for the last 20 years. We’re just kind of adding experiences to the résumé.”
The co-headlining run with Five Finger Death Punch came about in part because Gilbert and Five Finger frontman Ivan Moody are longtime friends.