BY AVERY GOODSTINE for WEEKLY VOLCANO | 8/21/2026
Join Brantley Gilbert on his The Real American Tour right here in Tacoma when he comes to the Emerald Queen Casino Event Center on Saturday, Aug. 22. General tickets are available now, and you can get up to 20% off if you purchase tickets at the EQC gift shop.
Gilbert is a country-rock singer, songwriter and record producer from Jefferson, Georgia. He’s known for blending high-energy southern rock with detailed storytelling that makes listeners feel like they get an inside look into Gilbert’s life and who he is.
Some of his most well-known hits include “Bottoms Up” and “Country Must Be Country Wide.”
“Bottoms Up,” released in 2014, is a carefree party anthem that celebrates having fun, letting loose and drinking with friends and paints the picture of chasing a classic small-town love interest. While the song doesn’t hold incredibly deep meaning, it highlights rural American nightlife culture that many have experienced or long to.
The catchy chorus of “Tonight it’s bottoms up (up) / Throw it on down / Rock this quiet little country town and get up / Drop a tailgate on your truck / Find a keg and fill ya cup up …” conjures up images of speeding down back roads, the radio on full blast and keg parties in the woods.
The country lyrics are balanced by a strong, upbeat guitar riff and drums. But a country twang remains with the acoustic guitar that lightens up the whole melody.
“Country Must Be Country Wide” came out in 2010 and shows another side to Gilbert’s music. This one is about how being “country” is more of a state of mind and a lifestyle rather than being defined by geographical limits.
Gilbert compares himself, someone who lived a traditional country lifestyle growing up south of the Mason-Dixon Line, to an out-of-towner with an Ohio license plate. When Gilbert sees him, his first thought is, “Oh good Lord, he’s lost.” But then he sees the man has a “Copenhagen smile” and reminds him of Hall of Fame rodeo champion Chris LeDoux. Then he realizes, “country must be country wide.”
The chorus goes on to explain there are cowboys and hillbillies in farm towns and big cities, and it’s not where you live but how you live that determines if you’re country or not. Gilbert provides some examples of this, like giving to those in need and praying to God every day.
While the rock part of the country-rock is still prevalent in this song through the electric guitar and drum beats, this one feels more true to that classic country sound, with the plucking of an acoustic guitar playing a bigger role.
Gilbert grew up surrounded by southern musical traditions. He first got into the music scene around 2007 when he traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a songwriting career. He signed with Warner Chappell Publishing and performed at local venues. He released his debut album, A Modern Day Prodigal Son, in 2009 under the independent label Average Joes Entertainment.
He released his second album, Halfway to Heaven, in 2010. The first two singles, “Country Must Be Country Wide” and “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do,” both went to No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 2011. Gilbert won the ACM New Male Artist award in 2013.
Off the album Just as I Am, “Bottoms Up” also reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, as did “One Hell of an Amen,” making that his fourth No. 1 hit in 2015.
Sins of the Father is Gilbert’s eighth studio album and was recently released on July 24. Country Now described it as his “most personal journey yet.”
Gilbert said the album is a reflection on the lessons he’s learned throughout life, including his reckless adolescence and his life now as a husband and father of three.
“Gilbert refuses to let his past define who he is today, but he’s also not afraid to expose the mistakes that shaped him, knowing that it was all part of the journey,” reads the Country Now article. “And if revisiting painful memories or sparking uncomfortable conversations through his music has the potential to help someone else feel seen or find hope, he’s willing to open up about even the darkest moments.”
The album’s title track was released over Father’s Day weekend and delivered emotional lyrics that set the foundation for the rest of the album.
The song alludes to Gilbert’s troubled childhood with metaphors of a crying mother and a harsh father. He sings about “fast lanes, rough crowds, and guns” and how he didn’t expect to make it to 30 years old.
The chorus is about him overcoming these hardships by staying true to his faith and how he prays that his children and others should never have to “pay for the sins of the father.”
In an interview with Country Now, Gilbert said being a dad is the most important job he’s ever had.
“It’s the best job I’ve ever had, but it’s also the toughest and the scariest,” he said. “And like I said, I learn something every day. And that’s kind of where this album’s at. It goes all the way from my youth to their youth and the lessons learned in between.”
This album relies heavily on traditional country sounds, pulling more from the kind of musical influence Gilbert grew up around.
While writing the album, Gilbert built a barn to host writing retreats. The first song to come from one of his retreats is the album’s first song, “The Addiction,” which talks about him overcoming his addiction by replacing it with a new one: his wife and children.
Gilbert’s only collaboration on the album is with longtime friend Jelly Roll. The pair co-wrote “Begging for a Change,” which is inspired by a time Jelly Roll recognized a homeless man as someone he went to high school with.
It’s your chance to hear some of these new songs live during Gilbert’s The Real American Tour as he comes through Tacoma at the Emerald Queen Casino on Aug. 22. The show starts at 8 p.m. with doors opening at 7 p.m.
This article paid for by Emerald Queen Casino
