Gavin Adcock says all kinds of fans are welcome at his shows, but those who aren’t used to his performance style might feel some culture shock.
During an appearance on Rolling Stone‘s Nashville Now podcast, Adcock elaborated on his opinion about Beyoncé‘s foray into country music.
He also fielded a question on whether or not country fans who don’t share his stance — on Beyoncé, or on the state of country music’s place in the world — are welcome at his concerts.
“Anytime,” the singer responded, but he quickly hedged that with a warning.
“They better get ready for the environment,” Adcock goes on to say.
In other words, he’s not compromising his notoriously wild stage presence in order to make anyone feel comfortable.
“It’s just a beer-soaked, rowdy, cussin’, hell-raising environment where people are just throwing down,” Adcock continues.
“You better not get ready to, after every song, clap like this,” he says, holding up his hands in a dainty clapping motion. “… It’s an experience. I sell T-shirts that say ‘I Survived a Gavin Adcock Concert’ at my merch table.”
Gavin Adcock’s Rowdy Live Show Experience
Adcock says he’s drawn a line at safety concerns, like when fans at his shows started getting so wild, they were throwing full beer cans — and the can-throwing became a bit of a tradition for a while.
The singer himself has even been on the wrong end of a can or two at his shows. Last fall, a man filmed Adcock taking a drink to the face onstage. He responded by threatening the can-thrower with physical violence, saying “You’re a p–sy-a–, c–k-sucking motherf–ker.”
“They weren’t throwing beers because they were mad. They were throwing beers because they were having an out-of-body experience where they were just living in the moment, excited,” Adcock says of the original beer-throwing shows.
But he admits it got out of hand.
“It started happening a lot more without me saying anything about it, and that was a battle for me,” the singer says. “It’s slowed down some now. If we have a headlining show it’s all poured in cups, which is a great move. If a full cup hits you, you’ll get splashed, and the cup cracks. A can’ll hit you.”
What Has Gavin Adcock Said About Beyoncé?
Adcock’s Beyoncé beef dates back to earlier this summer, when he went on an expletive-filled rant against her brand of country music during one of his shows.
“That s–t ain’t country music and it ain’t never been country music, and it ain’t never gonna be country music,” he said from the stage.
Read More: Gavin Adcock Spouts Expletive-Laden Beyoncé Rant
Adcock has since clarified some of those comments, saying that his mom was a huge Beyoncé fan when he was growing up, and he’s not opposed to her music in general — just her entrance into the country genre.
On the Nashville Now podcast, the singer said he thinks Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album and tour amount to “invading” the country music format.
“I feel like she was like, ‘I’m gonna go over here and do this just so I can p–s these people off,” he relates.
“I don’t think Beyoncé cares about country fans,” he explains in another portion of the interview. “I think she has brought over pop fans to make whatever music she wants to make, and I think it’s wrong.”
Gavin Adcock Started a Feud With Charley Crockett, Too
Never one to shy away from speaking his mind, Adcock has also hurled harsh words at Charley Crockett in recent days.
Crockett recently shared a long statement about his thoughts on Americana, country music, and the backlash from some country fans’ against Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter.
“I don’t have to put a Black woman down to advance my music. That’s just embarrassing to the idea of America and I got no respect for it,” Crockett said in that post, also saying that it was “25 years of bro country” — not Beyoncé — that’s done damage to traditional country.
Read More: Gavin Adcock Roasted for Posting About Charley Crockett
In return, Adcock labeled Crockett a “cosplay cowboy” and suggested that he’s got more country bona fides than Crockett does.
According to the comments section, it seems pretty clear that public opinion sided with Crockett in that clash.
Don’t Forget About His Zach Bryan Beef
This feud didn’t have anything to do with Beyoncé, but it did get very heated.
After Zach Bryan lashed out at a young fan on social media who complained about not getting a picture with Bryan after a show, Adcock chimed in to criticize Bryan for not appreciating the fans who got him where he is today.
In his Nashville Now appearance, Adcock said his reaction wasn’t so much about the fact that Bryan didn’t offer the fan a picture.
He took issue with Bryan responding to the fan on social media, especially because Bryan used the acronym “GOMD,” which stands for “get off my d–k.”
“You’re bigger than that,” Adcock explained on the podcast.
“And I think that Zach Bryan puts on a big mask in his day-to-day life and sometimes he can’t help but rip it off and show his true colors,” he continues. “I don’t know if Zach Bryan’s really that great of a person.”
10 Gavin Adcock Songs Every New Fan Should Hear
A traditionalist at heart who’s also not afraid to push genre boundaries and incorporate novel sounds, Gavin Adcock is walking his own line in country music.
What other country artists incorporate grunge rock, blues and yodeling — sometimes even in the same song? Keep reading for a primer on the 10 best Gavin Adcock songs to listen to if you want to get a taste of what this buzzy newcomer is all about.
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak
