(USNewsMag.com) – Jason Aldean defended his “Try That in a Small Town” song, comparing it to the unity of Bostonians after the Boston Marathon bombings, during his July 29 concert in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Aldean said he thought the song, which has sparked controversy over the music video and lyrics, was “a really cool song” with a message that is being overshadowed by the controversy.
Aldean told those in attendance at the concert that they would understand the song’s message better than anyone else. He said the Boston Marathon bombings didn’t just bring a small town together, but a big town, “no matter your color, no matter anything.”
He stated that this is what his song is about: “acting right, acting like you’ve got some common sense,” saying it is not about race. Aldean thanked his fans for the support they have shown him over the song.
Mansfield is located less than 40 miles south of Boston, where the April 15, 2013, terrorist attack occurred that killed three and injured 260. An MIT police officer was also killed during the manhunt to apprehend Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who planted bombs made from pressure cookers at the Boston Marathon finish line.
While some in Massachusetts were critical of Aldean’s comparison, others understood his message.
On July 31, Peter Norden said he was not offended by Aldean’s use of the Boston Marathon bombing to make the comparison of a community rallying together. Two of Norden’s nephews lost legs in the terrorist attack.
Though the song was released in May, the controversy began when Country Music Television pulled the video from its lineup shortly after it was released in early July. Some have said the song is racist, while others have criticized the video that was filmed in front of the Maury County courthouse, the site of a long-ago lynching. The video shows news footage from protests and riots that occurred over the last few years, though six seconds of news clips have been pulled from the video due to copyright issues.
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