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

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It’s been quite a journey thus far for one of music’s biggest stars, and country music’s own, Morgan Wallen. He’s gearing up to release a limited-edition I’m The Problem CD zine, which is slated to drop on December 19th, and the book promises exclusive interviews with the likes of Wallen himself and other collaborators, articles reflecting on the record penned by the “Whiskey Glasses” singer, exclusive lyric sheets of all 37 songs and, of course, the highly anticipated letter from Morgan’s father. And fans are getting an early look at some of the stories, as a preview on his website describes Morgan’s childhood years in a rural church in east Tennessee, where he first started singing and playing piano: “I grew up in a very rural Southern Baptist church, singing gospel and bluegrass. When I was 5 years old, I asked for a violin for Christmas, and I’d play piano growing up, but I wasn’t allowed to listen to secular music when I was a kid.” In another preview for the book, Morgan opened up about some of his past struggles, and how he’s managed to get to a point where he has more of a handle on all of the fame and responsibilities that come with being a music superstar. He’s a polarizing figure, there’s no doubt about that, and he’s had several controversies due to his offstage antics, one of which almost landed him in jail… I think we all know what happened with the chair-throwing incident in 2024. In addition, Morgan went through a huge scandal in February 2021, when a video surfaced via TMZ that showed him using a racial slur outside of his Nashville home after a night out. He ended up being banned from country radio, country music award shows and he was even suspended by his label, Big Loud, for a time. Morgan admits that he’s “always been a little bit of a troublemaker,” but he says there’s a lot more to him than that. He says he’s at a point where he’s happy now, taking care of his family, and focusing on what’s important in his career and life right now: “I’ve always just kind of been a little bit of a troublemaker. There’s no way around that. But I think anyone who knows me also knows that that’s not all I am either. We came up with a few songs for this record out there at the farm. It has inspired lines and songs. I didn’t get it for that reason. But I guess doing that for yourself gives you a chance to think more. I have to remind myself, you can get wrapped up in all of this, but I’m at a point where I’m happy, I’m taking care of my family, I’m taking care of the people on my team. I can just breathe a little bit.” He added that he really wanted to push himself with the writing on his monster 2025 I’m The Problem album, and he was very focused when it came to getting it done exactly how he wanted it: “A lot of the concepts and things we saw were a little more difficult with this album. We were trying to dig deep on things and trying to find new angles. And I feel like we did that. I just spent three, maybe four months, completely focused on writing and getting this album done, and it’s amazing what you can get done in that period of time.” The effort paid off, because Morgan’s album was the most-streamed album on Apple Music and Spotify this year, and Morgan was also named Billboard’s #1 all-genre artist of 2025. He says he’s learned to be fully present in the moment, which has been difficult for him at times, but when you’re on top of the world like he is right now, you’d be remiss to let that just pass you by: “A lot of people say to be present, and it’s hard, but I feel like I’ve been better about that this past year or so in my life. It’s important for me to make the time for things that really matter to me. I feel like there’s a lot of stuff that I haven’t said yet in this record, which I’m really, really proud of.” Morgan says part of the peace he’s found has been at his farm in Tennessee, where he spends a lot of time relaxing and writing songs, getting away from the wild lifestyle that is life as one of the world’s most famous musicians: “It’s just a nice getaway. It’s a good place that I plan on keeping in my family for a long time to come. I’m proud of it. Being out in the woods helps me a ton. Just the camaraderie with my friends and knowing that I’m safe in those places is one of the main ways I stay sane. I didn’t grow up hunting or anything. I started in 2020, but I’m pretty much all-in every single season now.” Morgan has had a monster run in 2025 thanks to the aforementioned new album, and he already has plans to embark on a stadium tour in 2026, and likely has some new music coming next year too. Still The Problem Tour Dates April 10 || Minneapolis, Minn. || U.S. Bank Stadium w/ Thomas Rhett, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason April 11 || Minneapolis, Minn. || U.S. Bank Stadium w/ HARDY, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason April 18 || Tuscaloosa, Ala. || Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Vincent Mason, Zach John King May 1 || Las Vegas, Nev. || Allegiant Stadium w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason May 2 || Las Vegas, Nev. || Allegiant Stadium w/ Thomas Rhett, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason May 8 || Indianapolis, Ind. || Lucas Oil Stadium w/ Brooks & Dunn, Hudson Westbrook, Zach John King May 9 || Indianapolis, Ind. || Lucas Oil Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Flatland Cavalry, Zach John King May 15 || Gainesville, Fla. || Ben Hill Griffin Stadium w/ Thomas Rhett, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King May 16 || Gainesville, Fla. || Ben Hill Griffin Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King May 29 || Denver, Colo. || Empower Field at Mile High w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason May 30 || Denver, Colo. || Empower Field at Mile High w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason June 5 || Pittsburgh, Penn. || Acrisure Stadium w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King June 6 || Pittsburgh, Penn. || Acrisure Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King June 19 || Chicago, Ill. || Soldier Field w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King June 20 || Chicago, Ill. || Soldier Field w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King June 26 || Clemson, SC. || Clemson Memorial Stadium w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Jason Scott & The High Heat June 27 || Clemson, SC. || Clemson Memorial Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Jason Scott & The High Heat July 17 || Baltimore, Md. || M&T Bank Stadium w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Jason Scott & The High Heat July 18 || Baltimore, Md. || M&T Bank Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Jason Scott & The High Heat July 24 || Ann Arbor, Mich. || Michigan Stadium w/ Thomas Rhett, Hudson Westbrook, Blake Whiten July 25 || Ann Arbor, Mich. || Michigan Stadium w/ HARDY, Hudson Westbrook, Blake Whiten July 31 || Philadelphia, Penn. || Lincoln Financial Field w/ ​​Brooks & Dunn, Hudson Westbrook, Blake Whiten August 1 || Philadelphia, Penn. || Lincoln Financial Field w/ Ella Langley, Hudson Westbrook, Blake WhiteThe post Morgan Wallen Admits It’s Hard To Be Present Amid Explosive Success: “Important To Make Time For Things That Really Matter” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.