Worked out well for the coach…but not so much for the country star. The Chicago Bears take on the Los Angeles Rams tonight in the NFC Divisional Round tonight, after a thrilling come from behind win against the Green Bay Packers last weekend. It’s going to be frigid in Chicago for the game, but there’s no doubt the atmosphere at Soldier Field will be electric, complete with a halftime performance from country music star Chase Rice. As it turns out though, Rice has a special connection to Chicago Bears, thanks to his longtime friendship with head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson and Rice were high school teammates back at A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville, North Carolina, and both went on to play football at the University of North Carolina after they graduated. Rice was a linebacker at UNC, but ultimately decided not to pursue an NFL career due to injury; Johnson was a walk-on quarterback and went to work as a software developer after college, but decided to return to football after getting hired as a graduate assistant at Boston College. Obviously their careers took them in different directions, but Johnson and Rice have remained close friends – and naturally the country singer is a Bears fan himself. But Rice still does have one gripe with his longtime friend: He stole his date way back in middle school. Johnson has been married to his wife, Jessica, since 2014, and the couple share three children together. The couple were high school sweethearts, before that, it seems that Chase Rice may have also had his eye on Jessica. As Rice explained during an interview with US99 in Chicago, the coach’s future wife was his date to a middle school dance: “Jessica was my eighth grade dance partner. It was Hawaiian themed. I think I had the balls to do one slow dance, that was it. I wouldn’t say she was my girlfriend, but I took her to the dance, and I think I was in love with her. And then he swooped in not long after that dance, stole her forever.” While Johnson was serving as offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, Rice joked that he was “still mad” that Johnson stole his date from him: Quick Momma/Son date up to Detroit. Proud as hell for my middle school through college QB Ben for Killin it all these years. I'm still mad he stole my middle school dance date from me and married her but it was great to see you too Jessica. How bout them 12-1 @Lions pic.twitter.com/Qb3IGBqr9V — Chase Rice (@ChaseRiceMusic) December 7, 2024 But now he admits that it worked out better for Jessica anyway: “I know the one person who got the best benefit of that is Jessica. Not only is he, I think, just a better human being than me, now he’s richer than me. Jessica chose wisely.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by US*99 (@us99chicago) Despite stealing his girl, Rice and Johnson have remained close friends, and the country star has nothing but praise for his former teammate: “To see him come up through the ranks — I visited him down in Miami when he was the lowest guy on the totem pole there, and then he works his way up to tight ends coach down there and then tight ends coach in Detroit before he got the offensive coordinator job. It wasn’t surprising at all — it’s just, you never expect a guy to get a head coaching job. Those guys are always people you don’t know. But it’s really, really cool. I’m really proud of him to be where he’s at. It’s very well deserved.” I mean, having your choice between a future country star and a future NFL football coach is a pretty good position for Jessica to be in. Doesn’t seem like she really could have went wrong either way, but it sounds like it worked out well for everybody.The post Chicago Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson Once Stole Country Star Chase Rice’s Date – Kind Of: “I’m Still Mad” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Another chart-topper from the Oklahoman superstar. It was a long time coming, but on Friday, January 9th, Zach Bryan released his highly-anticipated sixth studio album, With Heaven On Top. After what seemed like a full year of controversy in 2025, ranging from the aftermath of his breakup with Barstool’s Brianna LaPaglia to attempting to fight Gavin Adcock at Born and Raised Fest, it feels like the Oklahoma native is looking to put the past behind him with the release of With Heaven On Top and its subsequent full-length acoustic version. Upon the release of the studio version of the record, I believed it was one of the best projects to date from the “Something in the Orange” singer. For fans of Bryan’s newer sound, which has continued to venture into a more Springsteen-inspired, horn-instrument-heavy sonic style as of late, there’s a lot to love. Tracks such as “Appetite,” “Santa Fe,” “Anyways” and the highly-anticipated “Dry Desserts” sound lovely and inject the project with a tangible amount of energy throughout, thanks to the production choices. With that being said, fans of Bryan’s darker, more introspective songs also have a lot to latch onto as well. In what feels like a call back to his early work, “DeAnn’s Denim” is yet another touching tribute to his late mother, which not only serves as a remembrance of her but also as a reflection on his newfound sobriety and his family’s history of addiction. Additionally, songs like “Skin,” which many have speculated is a shot at LaPaglia, and “Cannonball” are other all-time lyrical efforts from Bryan, with “Skin” being a personal favorite of mine. From the get-go, it was more than clear that the album was going to be a smash hit for the 29-year-old singer/songwriter. Upon its release, it immediately shot up to the #1 album in the U.S. on Apple Music, dethroning Taylor Swift’s monster record, The Life of a Showgirl. Additionally, it received a whole lot of love on Spotify, with “Plastic Cigarette” and “Say Why” being the early leaders off the album with a hefty 11 and seven million streams respectively just nine days after the project’s release. Thanks to the huge streaming numbers, With Heaven On Top has debuted at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart, selling an incredibly impressive 134,000 units in its first week. For Bryan, this is his second album to both debut and subsequently go #1 on the Billboard 200, with his first being his 2023 self-titled record. Notably, With Heaven On Top dethroned fellow country superstar, Morgan Wallen’s monster 2025 album, I’m The Problem, which returned to #1 on the chart last week after a lengthy run from Swift with the aforementioned The Life of a Showgirl. Given that I’m The Problem sits at #2, this is just the second time in nearly two years that two country albums occupied the Top 2 spots on the Billboard 200 (Wallen’s One Thing at a Time and Toby Keith’s 35 Biggest Hits on February 17, 2024). Given all the aforementioned controversy throughout the majority of 2025, in a way, the release of With Heaven On Top felt like a “make it or break it ” situation for the “I Remember Everything” singer. And while some may have written him off at this point in his career, numbers simply don’t lie. You can love him or hate him, but you can’t deny his overarching success in both the country, folk and rock scenes. “Plastic Cigarette” Zach Bryan Tour Dates March 7 – St. Louis, Missouri – The Dome at America’s Super Center – Caamp & J.R. Carroll March 14 – Tampa, Florida – Raymond James Stadium – Caamp & J.R. Carroll March 21 – San Antonio, Texas – The Alamodome – Caamp & J.R. Carroll March 28 – Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Tiger Stadium – Caamp & J.R. Carroll April 3 – Tulsa, Oklahoma – H.A. Chapman Stadium – Trampled By Turtles & J.R. Carroll April 4 – Tulsa, Oklahoma – H.A. Chapman Stadium – Trampled By Turtles & J.R. Carroll April 11 – Louisville, Kentucky – L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium – Kings of Leon & J.R. Carroll April 18 – Charlotte, North Carolina – Bank of America Stadium – Caamp & J.R. Carroll April 25 – Lincoln, Nebraska – Memorial Stadium – Kings of Leon & J.R. Carroll May 2 – Starkville, Mississippi – Davis Wade Stadium – Dijon & J.R. Carroll May 9 – Cleveland, Ohio – Huntington Bank Field – Dijon & J.R. Carroll May 27 – San Sebastian, Spain – Donostia Arena- Ben Howard & Keenan O’Meara May 31 – Berlin, Germany – Waldbühne – Ben Howard & Keenan O’Meara June 3 – Oslo, Norway – Unity Arena – Ben Howard & Keenan O’Meara June 6 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Parken – Ben Howard & Keenan O’Meara June 9 – Eindhoven, Netherlands – Philips Stadium – Ben Howard & Keenan O’Meara June 12 – Liverpool, United Kingdom – Anfield Stadium – Dijon & Fey Fili June 14 – Edinburgh, United Kingdom – Scottish Gas Murrayfield – Dijon & Fey Fili June 16 – London, United Kingdom – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – Dijon & Fey Fili June 17 – London, United Kingdom – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – Dijon & Fey Fili June 20 – Cork, Ireland – Páirc Úi Chaoimh – Dijon & Fey Fili June 21 – Cork, Ireland – Páirc Úi Chaoimh – Dijon & Fey Fili June 23 – Belfast, Northern Ireland – Boucher Playing Fields – Dijon & Fey Fili June 24 – Belfast, Northern Ireland – Boucher Playing Fields – Dijon & Fey Fili July 24 – Eugene, Oregon – Autzen Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili  July 31 – San Diego, California – Snapdragon Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili August 1 – San Diego, California – Snapdragon Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili August 7 – Salt Lake City, Utah – Rice-Eccles Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili August 13 – Denver, Colorado – Empower Field at Mile High – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili August 14 – Denver, Colorado – Empower Field at Mile High – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili August 22 – Arlington, Texas – AT&T Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili September 5 – Glendale, Arizona – State Farm Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili September 18 – Dover, Delaware – The Woodlands – Kings of Leon, Fey Fili & Gabriella Rose September 19 – Dover, Delaware – The Woodlands – Alabama Shakes, Fey Fili & Gabriella Rose September 21 – Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Center – Trampled By Turtles & Gabriella Rose September 22 – Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Center – Trampled By Turtles & Gabriella Rose October 2 – Foxborough, Massachusetts – Gillette Stadium – Gregory Alan Isakov & Gabriella Rose October 3 – Foxborough, Massachusetts – Gillette Stadium – Gregory Alan Isakov & Gabriella Rose October 10 – Auburn, Alabama – Jordan-Hare Stadium – Gregory Alan Iskov & Gabriella Rose  The post 130,000 Units & Counting: Zach Bryan’s ‘With Heaven On Top’ Debuts At #1 On The All-Genre Billboard 200 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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