Oliver Anthony, the country singer behind the recent viral hit “Rich Men North of Richmond,” held a live performance in North Carolina over the weekend for an enthusiastic crowd.
Although Mr. Anthony made no political comments, the crowd did go political in one instance, echoing the anti-Biden “Let’s Go Brandon” chant.
Attendees held up U.S. flags during the performance, with some enthusiastically chanting “USA! USA!”
Mr. Anthony also sang “Doggonit,” which elicited cheers from the crowd. The song contains a lyric criticizing both America’s established political parties—“And Republicans and Democrats/I swear they are all just full of crap.”
“This is something that has touched people globally, and there’s a reason for that,” he said. “It resonates with the suffering in the world right now. Like even in our own country, we’ve had years of people feeling depressed and hopeless, and every time you look at the TV or get online, everything’s negative.
“And so I think people are just desperate for something positive again. There’s been a lot of people that have died for us to be able to stand on this dirt and do what it is we do every day, and we should be excited for it.”
At the event, audiences heaped praise on the singer.
Reflecting US Society, Rejecting Million-Dollar Offers
“Rich Men North of Richmond is a key example of the populist-nationalist vs. establishment paradigm,” conservative media personality Jack Posobiec said in an Aug. 12 post on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter.“The anti-establishment message is gaining traction right now, and explains the dynamic we see in the GOP primary, where career politicians are struggling against outsiders.”
“I don’t want 6 tour buses, 15 tractor trailers, and a jet. I don’t want to play stadium shows, I don’t want to be in the spotlight. I wrote the music. I wrote because I was suffering with mental health and depression,” he said.
“These songs have connected with millions of people on such a deep level because they’re being sung by someone feeling the words in the very moment they were being sung. No editing, no agent, no [expletive]. Just some idiot and his guitar; the style of music that we should have never gotten away from in the first place.”
In the post, he also said his real name is Christopher Anthony Lunsford and that Oliver Anthony is a dedication to his grandfather.
“There’s nothing special about me. I’m not a good musician, I’m not a very good person,“ he wrote. ”I’ve spent the last 5 years struggling with mental health and using alcohol to drown it. I am sad to see the world in the state it’s in, with everyone fighting with each other. I have spent many nights feeling hopeless that the greatest country on Earth is quickly fading away.”
Mr. Anthony said he hates the way the internet has divided people, calling it “a parasite that infects the minds of humans and has their way with them.”
He pointed out that never in human history has the world enjoyed freedom as it currently does and asked people to not let others “take it away from you.”
“Just like those once wandering in the desert, we have lost our way from God and have let false idols distract us and divide us,“ Mr. Anthony said. ”It’s a damn shame.”
Five more acoustic videos are set to roll out that were recorded at the singer’s farm. The videos will arrive on Radiowv’s YouTube channel and streaming platforms.
“Oliver’s very passionate, not just about getting his message out, but helping a lot of other musicians [get] their message heard,” Mr. Riffe said.
“That’s a key part of it. Yes, he can play some big shows with big musicians, but he’s very passionate about bringing other unknown, unheard musicians up and helping them get their music out as well.”
