The country superstar is sharing a deeper side of himself in his new 'I’m the Problem' zine — opening up about childhood, controversy and finding peace at home. Continue reading…

Playing it coy… A couple weeks ago, Riley Green was one of the biggest winners at the CMA Awards, taking home three trophies for Music Video of the Year (announced before the show started), Single of the Year and Song of the Year for the song “You Look Like You Love Me,” which he shares with Ella Langley. But it wasn’t his acceptance speeches, or even his performance of “Worst Way,” that fans were paying attention to… it was his date, influencer Bryana Ferringer. View this post on Instagram It had fans all worked up, and many hearts around the world shattered as Riley sat next to a new lady. Bryana and Riley have been spotted together for months now, so I think it’s safe to assume they’re in some sort of relationship, and it’s serious enough that he would go public with it at such a big event, though they notably did not walk the red carpet together, so there’s that. Bryana previously dated country artist Tucker Wetmore, and she is a beauty, fashion, and lifestyle influencer who lives in Nashville and has been spotted with Riley here and there for the last several months, so I’m sure some of his fans have taken notice, especially if you’re on TikTok at all. Fans also think that Tucker just put out a new song about her, and you can read more about that HERE. But there might be hope for y’all yet, if you were one of the ones whose heart broke seeing Riley with a new girl, because during an interview with Elaina Smith on her Backstage Country radio show, Riley said that Bryana was just his “friend.” He explained that he usually takes friends, or even some of his team, with him to the show, and he went with his mom once too, but he wanted to shake it up and go with a lady friend, I guess that’s what we’ll call her, this time: “Its gonna be tough to tiptoe out of having a date to an award show. Yeah, I mean, you go to award show all the time, and I’m always by myself, or I’ve got like, a security guy, or a buddy with me, so I took a friend with me to the award show. We had a nice time. My mom’s gone with me before. So it was my first or second award show date ever. I guess I’ve gotten big enough this is a really big issue, you know?” So even if they are casually dating, it sounds like it’s nothing too serious, and they notably did not walk the red carpet together. When asked if Bryana has been the inspiration for any new music, Riley says that hasn’t been the case yet, but he plans to do some more writing when he’s back on his farm in Alabama for the holidays this month: “As of now, no. I haven’t written a lot this year. I’ve written a lot of stuff after ‘Don’t Mind If I Do,’ but the holidays is always when I write the most songs. It seems like this is my down time, after Thanksgiving and things slow down, I’ll be at home, I’ll be sitting around the farm, that’s when I come up with a lot of inspiration for songs, so who knows.” Riley has teased that a new album is in the works, and he’ll likely drop a new record in 2026, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if Bryana ends up being the muse for any of them. Only time will tell, but Riley sure knows how to keep the fans guessing about his dating life, that’s for sure… you can watch the interview here: @elainadsmith New muse, perhaps? #rileygreen #cmaawards #countrycouple #countrymusic ♬ original sound – Elaina Riley will embark on his 2026 Cowboy As It Gets tour next spring. Cowboy As It Gets 2026 Tour Dates: April 16th, 2026 – Southaven, MS – Landers Center#~$ April 17th, 2026 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center#~$ *ON SALE 10/3 April 18th, 2026 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena#~$ May 7th, 2026 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion#~• May 8th, 2026 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre#~• June 18th, 2026 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center#~• June 19th, 2026 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center#~• June 20th, 2026 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater#~• June 25th, 2026 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center#$* June 26th, 2026 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake#$* July 16th, 2026 – Green Bay, WI – Resch Center#~• July 23rd, 2026 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre#~• August 6th, 2026 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater#/• August 7th, 2026 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center#/• August 8th, 2026 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live#/• August 13th, 2026 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion#/• August 14th, 2026 – Hartford, CT – The XFINITY Theatre#/• August 15th, 2026 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheatre#/• August 21st, 2026 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford#$*^ August 22nd, 2026 – Grand Forks, ND – Ralph Engelstad Arena#$*^ #Justin Moore ~Drake White $Mackenzie Carpenter •Hannah McFarland *Adam Hood /Zach John KingThe post Riley Green Says CMA Awards Date, Influencer Bryana Ferringer, Is Just A Friend first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

He nailed it. This week, Lainey Wilson played a show in Las Vegas during the the National Finals Rodeo (NFR), her last concert of the year that wrapped up her extensive Whirlwind tour. Lainey has a tradition of bringing up a little girl during every concert to be her “Cowgirl of the Night,” which she’s been doing at every show on her aforementioned tour. She brings a little girl from the crowd up with her to the stage, introduces them to everyone, and gifts the fan with a Lainey Wilson-styled cowgirl hat to match one of hers. She also has them recite a mantra of sorts into the microphone: “I am beautiful. I am smart. I am talented. I can do anything. I am Cowgirl of then night!” It’s led to some precious moments throughout the tour, but during this last concert, it was a little boy who caught her attention, because he looked very familiar… he dressed up like her fiancé, Duck. She had him up there while she sang “Yesterday, All Day, Every,” which is a song she wrote about Duck. From the mustache to the hat and boots and jeans, he nailed it, and I’m sure he will always remember getting to be onstage with Miss Lainey: @mckenziecoleman74 This is so cute! #laineywilson #duck #countrysinger #lasvegas #countrymusic #YesterdayAllDayEveryday ♬ original sound – mckenziecoleman74 Lainey and Duck got engaged in February of this year, and she said recently that they’re planning to tie the knot in 2026. View this post on Instagram In addition to that adorable moment at the NFR, Lainey’s mom strutted her stuff for the Rodeo Quincy fashion show at Fontainebleau , which is a lifestyle and clothing brand. She walked down the runway alongside Ella Langley and Miranda Lambert’s moms, and they were all in matching black suits with red flower embellishment and embroidery, and they all looked absolutely stunning. View this post on Instagram “Yesterday, All Day, Every Day” The post Lainey Wilson Brings Adorable Little Boy Onstage Who Dressed Up Like Her Fiancé, Duck first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

This might be the strangest headline I’ve ever written. In case you missed it, over the weekend, Zac Brown Band played their two shows at their sold-out Love & Fear residency at the Las Vegas Sphere. And while the show itself was quite the spectacle, fully utilizing the Sphere’s status as being a technical marvel, it proved to be one of, if not, the most controversial country concerts of 2025. From the get-go, it’s been clear that the Zac Brown Band’s Sphere shows are among the biggest things the group has ever done. But Brown never backed down from the challenge that comes with performing there, and when the band announced their residency, they called it a “dream come true,” saying the only thing he was worried about was bringing a unique experience to their fanbase: “Bringing our new album ‘Love & Fear’ to Sphere Las Vegas is a dream come true. It’s my masterpiece so far. This show is the story of my life that I have never shared, a journey through my imagination, music, and stories that have defined who I am. All of this brought to life in the incredible immersive environment of Sphere. It will be a unique experience where you can really feel every note, every word, right there with us. We can’t wait to share it with the fans.” View this post on Instagram And they certainly went all out, performing a plethora of brand-new tracks from their new album of the same name and certified classics such as “Chicken Fried,” “Toes,” “Colder Weather” and “Knee Deep.” As someone who was introduced to country music through the band at a young age (I know, I’m seriously showing my age here), I thought it was about as good of an experience you were going to get from the once-great group at The Sphere. There’s no denying that Zac Brown and Co. have taken a steep dive over the years, plagued by controversies with the frontman himself, their incessant need to dive into other genres highlighted by their disastrous 2019 album, The Owl, and Brown’s side project, Sir Roosevelt, his God-awful solo album,  The Controversy, and their general lack of identity over the past decade. With all of that being said, the first round of Sphere shows seemed like it would be a major hit among hardcore fans of ZBB, so what’s with all the controversy? Well, it all has to do with the set’s opener and subsequent first track. The opening of the concert featured what appeared to be a descent into Hell, with Brown taking the stage flanked by images of the devil and wearing a crown that resembled devil horns while performing “Heavy Is The Head,” the stellar metal track featuring the late, great Chris Cornell from their 2015 genre-fluid album, Jekyll & Hyde. @infiniti_salon Opening night, opening song! #spherelasvegas #zacbrownband #vegas ♬ original sound – Courtney @vegas Night one of @Zac Brown Band at @Sphere ♬ original sound – Las Vegas Given the fact that Brown dared to use some dark and demonic imagery, complete with the aforementioned depiction of Hell and demons on screen, this led to seemingly hundreds upon thousands of people, both in attendance and online, to accuse the 3x Grammy winner of not only worshipping the Devil but also performing a “satanic” ritual at the concert. I really wish I was joking about this, but you can read some of the best (and most absurd) reactions here. Of course, if you have even an ounce of media literacy within you, you’d be keen to the fact that the song ends with a visual of what appears to be St. Michael the Archangel defeating Satan, thus pulling the audience and the band themselves back out of Hell before immediately transitioning into one of their lighter, country tunes, the 2015 #1 hit, “Homegrown.” God forbid an artist take some risks (if you can even call it a risk) and use some incredibly standard depictions of Hell, am I right? And Zac has used skeletons in their media for a long time… their 2012 Uncaged album has one on the cover, Brandon Maldonado’s 2009 Our Lady of Merciful Fate. This still didn’t stop people online from divulging into what I can only describe as some 1980s-level “Satanic Panic,” complete with paranoid think-pieces on social media and the like. And if you don’t believe me, simply search “Zac Brown Demonic” on TikTok and get a taste for the parnoia yourself. Things have gotten so ridiculous that the actual Church of Satan had to step in and clear the air. Again, I wish I was joking…. In a recent interview with TMZ, a Satanic Reverend (apparently that’s a real thing) by the name of Jared Mammon confirmed, in fact, that the Zac Brown Band concert was not a Satanic ritual. In the same interview, he’d argue that the virality of the band’s concert reflects a decades-long hysteria that has been brewing since the tapering off of the aforementioned “Satanic Panic” in the 80s. After correctly stating that ZBB is being attacked for no reason (on the basis of the “Satanism” at least), he’d end by reflecting on just how ridiculous it is that people are being scared of a safe depiction of Hell, a skeleton and a couple of demons. “Those who are frightened by a theatrical skeleton wearing crowns to pause for a moment to reflect on their knee-jerk reaction and consider the implications before jumping to lengths worthy of an Olympic Gold medal.” I certainly didn’t have agreeing with anything coming from the Church of Satan on my 2025 bingo card, but here we are. If anything this simply proves just how utterly insane of a timeline we are currently.The post The Church Of Satan (Of All Places) Confirms Zac Brown Band’s Vegas Sphere Shows Were, In Fact, Not A Satanic Ritual first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

BeBe Winans delivers a magical performance of "We Are The Reason" on #CMAchristmas