Morgan Wallen has officially done what no one else has before: converted the British public into fans of country music. And on the 4th of July, no less!
Wallen performed at BST Hyde Park on Independence Day to a sold-out crowd of more than 50,000 people, according to Taste of Country. The show is the biggest country concert ever held in my homeland, and I couldn’t be more proud of the Brit fam.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that British people don’t really “get” American country music. In fact, most Brits think that James Taylor is a member of the country genre … bless their hearts.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MAY 02: Morgan Wallen performs onstage during night one of his One Night At A Time 2024 tour at Nissan Stadium on May 02, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for Morgan Wallen’s One Night At A Time 2024)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 08: (L-R) Cody Johnson, Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen attend the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards at Bridgestone Arena on November 08, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for CMA)
INDIO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 28: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Morgan Wallen performs at the T-Mobile Mane Stage during the 2024 Stagecoach Festival at Empire Polo Club on April 28, 2024 in Indio, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Stagecoach)
INDIO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 28: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Morgan Wallen performs at the T-Mobile Mane Stage during the 2024 Stagecoach Festival at Empire Polo Club on April 28, 2024 in Indio, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Stagecoach)
Elder Millennials started breaking the mold in our ignorance of American country in the early 2010s pop-country club trash mixes. But it wasn’t until Wallen walked into the public arena that Brits actually started paying attention to country. And he’s probably going to help a lot of his peers in the industry make the same international break— I’m looking at you, Bailey Zimmerman.
The “Last Night” singer donated $20,000 of the show’s ticket sales to London Youth Choirs, so I’m sure he’ll be welcomed back any time he wants. (RELATED: ‘King Of Broadway’: Morgan Wallen’s Party Habits Are Allegedly Unstoppable)
Wallen will now take his tour on to Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Ireland, his first-ever European tour. Congrats, fam! Hope you enjoyed Blighty.
