Country star Brantley Gilbert talks about his new song “Hard Days,” what it was like performing on A Capitol Fourth and how he gives back to veterans.

By Heather Newgen

Fans will get a chance to see country singer and songwriter Brantley Gilbert belt out his latest single “Hard Days” at the PBS’ 40th Anniversary of A Capitol Fourth–a show a grew up watching, but reveals his performance will be different than usual due to Covid-19.

“I went to Nashville with just me and my bus driver. He’s one of the closet people in the world to me.–he’s family. We flew up, landed, drove right to where we were filming, filmed it really quickly in like two hours and then got back on the plane and flew back to Georgia.  We were gone all of maybe three or four hours. Like everything this year, it was a unique experience and different from anything else I’ve ever done,” Gilbert explained.

Related: Vanessa Williams on the 40th Anniversary of A Capitol Fourth

While the Georgia native is excited for audiences to hear his song, he admits it was tough to do on his own.

“I was missing something that makes performing anywhere okay and comfortable and fun and that’s my band. I didn’t have my band. It was just me. I’ve got to say if it had been any other song,  it probably would have been really, really uncomfortable. But I think this song was important enough to me and I believe in what it says enough that I’ll do whatever it takes to have it heard… It being the kind of song it is, and being as proud of it as I am, I think made the process not just worth it, but a little bit easier.”

“Hard Days,” touches upon the challenging times we all face, taking the good with the bad, but acknowledging hope and appreciating the difficult moments that lead to better outcomes.

“It’s been something that takes on a new meaning every day and it’s a song that I’m excited for everybody it hear,” Gilbert told The Voluntourist.

Vanessa Williams and John Stamos co-host the event, which honors those who serve, and while this year will be virtual, the show will go on. Gilbert can’t wait and is looking forward watching the American tradition.

“Being a part of it is lovely even though we’re not there in DC. It’s a special thing to be a part of and I’m excited to see it…This thing that we’re about to celebrate–freedom, it’s people out there sacrificing their lives and spending time away from their families. It’s something that I deeply appreciate. Freedom doesn’t stop. The people that preserving that freedom and fighting for it and dying for it, they’re not stopping so I don’t think we need to stop acknowledging them. United we stand, divided we fall. I think our freedom is one thing that unites us.”

The country star has done several USO tours to pay tribute to American troops and candidly confessed he wished he’d joined the military.

“It’s always something I look back on and feel like it’s something I should have done. I don’t think this is replacing that service, but it’s one way to give back. It is just infectious and addicting everytime we work with veterans or with active duty guys and girls. It’s a life changing experience. You learn something [from them] and it changes your perspective on a lot of things. As a husband and a father of two, I will take all the learning I can get.”

In addition, when Gilbert is touring, he teams up with the organization Farmer Veteran Coalition to purchase a selection of locally sourced food for his catering at each concert stop to highlight the importance of supporting local food in each community and to help boost local economies. The nonprofit also develops employment opportunities for veterans in agriculture and assists them in building skills to strengthen rural communities and to create financially sustainable long term full-time or part-time jobs.

“The things we’ve been blessed with aren’t things that I necessarily asked for. It was a lot bigger than I ever imagined and God gave me a whole lot more spotlight and platform than I’ll ever need. It’s important to all of us as a team and as a family to share that spotlight and platform with people who deserve it,” Gilbert said.

You can see Brantley Gilbert along with other incredible performances by John Fogerty, Trace Adkins, Vanessa Williams, Patti LaBelle and more on A Capitol Fourth.

The 40th annual broadcast airs on PBS Saturday, July 4, 2020 from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. ET, as well as to our troops serving around the world on the American Forces Network. The program can also be heard in stereo over NPR member stations nationwide. The concert will also be streaming on Facebook, YouTube and www.pbs.org/a-capitol-fourth and available as Video on Demand for a limited time only, July 4 to July 18, 2020.