Country musician John Rich, who’s also the owner of the popular Nashville bar, Redneck Riviera, has discussed his opinion on fellow musician Garth Brooks’ declaration that he will sell “every brand of beer” at his up-and-coming bar in Nashville, Tennessee. Brooks’ bar, called Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk, is currently under construction and is expected to open at some point this summer.
Videos by American Songwriter
While speaking to Billboard about the launch of his new bar, Brooks made it clear that he wants to avoid any controversy coming from the Anheuser-Busch partnership with transgender influencer, Dylan Mulvaney. According to NielsenIQ data, sales for Bud Light have decreased by 23.9% in just one year.
Regarding Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk, Brooks said, “I want it to be a place you feel safe in, I want it to be a place where you feel like there are manners and people like one another. And yes, we’re going to serve every brand of beer. We just are. It’s not our decision to make. Our thing is this: If you [are let] into this house, love one another. If you’re an a–hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway.”
RELATED: Garth Brooks Addresses Bud Light Controversy—“We’re Going to Serve Every Brand of Beer”
Rich recently revealed to Fox News Digital that he will no longer sell Bud Light at Redneck Riviera. He previously said, “The customers aren’t going to order it. I’m not going to stock it. We’ve only got limited area. I’ve got a limited bar. It’s like… I’ve got to put beer and whiskey and vodkas up here that people want to purchase and they want to support… And brother, I can tell you right now, it’s a vicious attitude toward Bud Light.”
Despite his own decision, Rich declared that he supports Brooks’ choice to sell Bud Light at Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk during another recent interview with Fox News Digital. Rich told the outlet, “If Garth is serving Bud Light in his bar, that’s fine. Garth can do that. Garth might find out not many people are going to order it. And at the end of the day, you have to put things in your establishment that people are going to purchase if you’re going to run a successful business. So, he might find that out.”
Rich added, “Garth Brooks has always been the guy that said, ‘Everybody come to my show.’ It’s something that we love about Garth. You know, he makes his music for everybody. And that really is what music is about. You’re making your music for everybody. Beer’s for everybody, too… I think he probably sees the pain and division that’s going on in the country and wants to try to help that. If I know Garth at all, and I know him a little, that’s probably the impetus behind a statement like that. So, good for him. I wish him the best.”
Photo Garth Brooks by Jason Kempin/Getty Images; Photo John Rich by Theo Wargo/Getty Images
