Your cart is currently empty!
Riley Green Puts Rivalry Aside With Lyric Change to “Hell of a Way To Go” for Tennessee Vols Fans During Sold-Out Bridgestone Show
When performing in Nashville, a singer can always energize the crowd by simply mentioning the Tennessee Volunteers. Although having a massive fanbase, the team last won a national championship in 1998, when beating Florida State 23-16. But even with the drought hitting nearly three decades, fans are loyal. Yet for Riley Green, he struggled to change the lyrics to “Hell of a Way to Go” after explaining to the crowd his love for Auburn and Alabama.
Videos by American Songwriter
In the world of college football, rivalries run deep. And crossing those lines, even for a moment, can feel like a betrayal to die-hard fans. Looking over the crowd as he performed at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Green explained, “If my granddaddy could’ve left this world while he was either watchin Alabama play football, fishin on Weiss lake or just sittin in the carport with my grandmother I know he would’ve been happy.”
Before finishing “Hell of a Way to Go”, Green noted that his love for Alabama stopped at his grandfather. His team was Auburn. “I’ve got a confession to make. I gotta tell y’all the truth. I am not, we are not, Alabama fans. So y’all can relax about that, okay? We’re Auburn fans. I didn’t think that would do much better. I’ll tell you what, I’ve played this song all over the country, and I’ve only done this one other time, but I’m going to do it tonight because y’all are a good crowd…”
Riley Green Reminds Fans How Long Since The Vols Beat Alabama
In the original lyrics to “Hell of a Way to Go”, Green highlighted “watchin’ ‘Bama beat the hell out of Tennessee.” But given the crowd was mostly fans of the Vols, he switched to “Alabama’s getting the hell kicked out of ‘em by Tennessee.”
That was more than enough to send the entire crowd into a frenzy. While making fans happy, Green was sure to add, “I can tell we’ve got some Tennessee Volunteers in here tonight, and the year I wrote this song, Tennessee beat Alabama for the first time in like 40 years.”
Able to get one last dig at the struggling program, Green insisted, “This hurts me.”
Green may bleed Auburn, but for one night, he gave Tennessee fans exactly what they wanted to hear. And in SEC country, that kind of moment always comes with a little extra bite.
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ABA)
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.