Country music’s Garth Brooks will perform at Biden inauguration
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(CNN) – Country music legend Garth Brooks will perform at the swearing-in ceremony for President-elect Joe Biden at the U.S. Capitol Building on Wednesday.
The invitation for Brooks to perform at the event came from Jill Biden, the incoming first lady.
Brooks took part in a virtual press conference Monday, in which he indicated his performance at the inauguration “is not a political statement. This is a statement of unity.”
“This is a great day in our household,” Brooks said. “I am excited, nervous — all the good things.”
Brooks hasn’t yet decided what he’ll be singing at the inauguration, only saying it will be something with a patriotic theme.
This is not the country music star’s first presidential inauguration performance. He was present at President Barack Obama’s swearing-in ceremony in 2009, according to PBS, where he performed his 1992 hit “We Shall Be Free.” He was also invited to perform at President Donald Trump’s inaugural ceremony in 2016 but couldn’t due to a scheduling conflict.
“I’ve played for every president there is, since Carter, with the exception of Reagan. This is an honor for me to get to serve,” Brooks said. “It’s one of the things that, if my family is around, no matter who the president-elect is, it’s an honor to be asked.”
Joining Brooks at the event will be Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez.
A Garth Brooks concert was carried live at 300 drive-in movie theaters across the country last summer, including three in eastern Idaho. The country megastar performed in Idaho for the first time in decades the previous summer at the Albertson’s Stadium in Boise.