(OPINION) In an era of global realignments, few bilateral relationships have been as enduring and unquestioned as the one between the United States and Israel. For decades, it has been a cornerstone of American foreign policy, rooted in shared democratic values, strategic interests, and bipartisan support. Yet, as the war in Gaza drags on and […]

In a move that’s sparking intense speculation across military and intelligence circles, a fleet of approximately a dozen US Air Force KC-135R/T Stratotankers was spotted crossing the Atlantic on Sunday night, with several heading to RAF Mildenhall, a key US base in England. The deployment comes at a tense geopolitical moment, coinciding with high-level meetings […]

In this episode, the Common Core Diva Lynne Taylor joins me to discuss the continued push to merge church and state together, and you just might be surprised to see who is behind it. VISIT COMMON CORE DIVA Resources (prepping the field): 1) Back in 2014, I published an article for the defunct “Prevent Common …

An extremely heartfelt moment. Over the weekend, Zach Bryan played a massive show at the University of Michigan’s Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, the first-ever concert at the Big House, along with John Mayer, Ryan Bingham and the Texas Gentlemen and Joshua Slone. And when I say it was “massive,” I mean he broke the record for the largest ticketed concert attendance in US history, a record that had just been set a little over a year ago by The King himself, Mr. George Strait. Zach took the stage in Ann Arbor in front of 112,000 people on Saturday evening, marking a huge end to his touring season in 2025. Granted, 2025 was a rather mild touring year for Zach, who has been road dogging pretty hard these past few years, but he certainly made up for it with the size of the stadiums he’s been playing. Of course, he sang fan-favorite songs like “Revival,” and was even joined by his opener John Mayer to perform a Grateful Dead cover, though it looked like one of the highlights was his extremely emotional performance of “Sweet DeAnn,” which is a song he wrote about his late mother. It was included on Zach’s debut studio album, DeAnn, also named for his mom, who passed away in 2016. Bryan was very close with his mom, and obviously that kind of a loss of a parent is devastating, especially considering Bryan was only 20-years-old “Sweet DeAnn” has been a very special song in his catalog for years now, and the lyrics tell a beautiful and sad story about how much he misses her and how badly it hurts knowing she’ll miss so many big moments in his life, like getting married one day and having kids of his own. She was certainly right about him being “seen by the masses someday,” and that’s never been more evident or true than it was this past weekend: “And you always sat there with me When you cried every time I played keen You said your boy would be seen By the masses someday I don’t want the stage I don’t want the girls I want back the days You were breathin’ in this world” I can only imagine how hard it was to perform this song for his mom, who he clearly still misses very much and always will, on a night that was easily one of the biggest of his career thus far, knowing she wasn’t here on earth to witness it and be part of it with him. It’s a song that he hasn’t played live at all this year, but with a crowd like that, he had to break it out one last time. Setting that kind of record is a huge accomplishment, and the fact that Zach isn’t even 30 yet and able to do that kind of thing is just insane. His performance of “Sweet DeAnn” looked incredibly special, and you can see it in his eyes how much it meant to him to play that song on this night: @oklahomanoutlaw Zach Bryan played ‘Sweet DeAnn’ live at Michigan Stadium! #ZachBryan #michiganstadium #michigan #thebighouse #sweetdeann ♬ original sound – Oklahoman Outlaw Fans in the comments were pointing out how emotional it made them to watch him perform it, with many who were at the show saying it made them cry to hear and see it in person, and I can totally understand that because it cuts right to the heart whether you’re a fan of him or not. The emotions were palpable, and I think I would’ve been crying too: “Well this is depressing. This song is about his Mom that died who’s named was DeAnn. Now think about it. His mom is looking down on him preforming to the biggest crown any musician has ever preformed to.” “And I wish that my mama could see me singing for this crowd out in deep Michigan” “That’s the quietest the audience has ever been. I think they knew that was being sung directly to his mama.” “You said your boy would be seen by the masses one day.” “Brought it back for his final show. Beautiful.” “I’m not even at the concert and I’m crying. He wrote this song so long ago and now he’s literally just sold out the largest stadium in the country (I think) it’s just amazing.” “At one point he was looking up while singing and that’s when i lost it. his mama was definitely smiling down on all 100,000 of us.” “Without a doubt she was there smiling. The energy in that stadium was the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced!” “Okay so my heart is broken.” “My dad started crying, it was so sad.” “Ugh he was crying and I wanted to cry too.” “He looks so happy to be there and to be playing this song.” “I was there!!! And I cried….” “She’s so proud of you.” “He had to.” “I’m sobbing.” “Oh I am sick.” “Yea I was ugly sobbing.” “She is so proud.” It’s hard enough to listen to as it is, and after watching that TikTok, I’m just not okay… “Sweet DeAnn” The post Zach Bryan Delivers Extremely Emotional Performance Of “Sweet DeAnn,” Written For His Late Mother, During Record-Breaking Michigan Stadium Show first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

I guess we’re going to be watching Bad Bunny during halftime this year? Well, I might be going to refill my drink and get some more snacks, but Bad Bunny will be performing nonetheless… Last night, the NFL announced that Bad Bunny, a globally popular rapper, singer, and songwriter, would do the honors as the featured artist for the coveted Super Bowl halftime performance spot. If you’re unfamiliar with Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, he’s had hits like “Dákiti” with Jhay Cortez, or “Titi Me Preguntó,” but if you’re reading this as someone who loves country, you might not know any of his music at all, and to be honest, I don’t really know any of it. I’ve heard his name before and I know what he looks like, but that’s about it. I have no idea what kind of performer he is, and maybe it will be great and I’ll discover some new music to add to my playlist: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Benito Antonio (@badbunnypr) But of course, I was hoping that we might finally get some sort of country artist as the headliner, because it has been a long time coming, and if there was ever a time that it would make sense, it would be now. The Super Bowl halftime show is booked through the NFL, Roc Nation (led by Jay-Z), and the Super Bowl’s host city, so in many ways, that makes sense as to why it’s been such a long time since a country artist has been selected. I highly doubt Jay-Z is up-to-date on what’s going on in country, or even all that interested in having a country artist to perform to begin with. Despite that his wife just won a Grammy for her “country music” though… But country artists are dominating the charts, doing incredibly well in mainstream music, and it’s probably more relevant than it has ever been… even including huge decades like the ’90s, which was another era of country dominating in the mainstream culture. But thanks to artists like Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan, country has become one of the most popular genres in all of music, though it’s been quite a long time since we’ve had a country act perform at the Super Bowl. Shania Twain was the last country artist to headline the show in 2003… so it’s been over 20 years. Many country artists have been tapped for the National Anthem as of late like Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, and Reba come to mind right away, but that’s simply not the same and can honestly hurt more than it helps… I mean, that’s a massive audience and a hard enough song to sing as it is. Obviously, Stapleton’s was legendary, but generally the anthem is more of a risk than it’s worth, especially on that type of scale. I know it’s a long shot to think the NFL would actually pick a singular country artist to headline halftime, and from a business perspective, I can understand that to a certain extent. They want someone who is internationally known and has a proven record on the mainstream charts, because they want to know people are going to tune in and have assurance it will be a success. The only problem with their logic, is that they’re severely misunderstanding how popular country is in the mainstream world, and how well-received a country artist performing at a Super Bowl halftime show, one of the world’s biggest stages, would be, especially among American fans, which is the primary audience here, even though I know it’s watched internationally. Over the last decade-plus, the Super Bowl has had tons of pop, rap and hip hop stars headline, and I’ve enjoyed a lot of them… Rihanna’s has definitely been my favorite that’s been more recent, but it’s clear that they’ve had no interest in country, and for a long time, they were probably right about that… we all know what kind of music was coming out in 2015 in terms of country radio: Most recent Super Bowl halftime headliners: 2026: Bad Bunny 2025: Kendrick Lamar 2024: Usher 2023: Rihanna 2022: Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. & Kendrick 2021: The Weeknd 2020: Shakira & JLo 2019: Maroon 5 2018: Justin Timberlake 2017: Lady Gaga 2016: Coldplay 2015: Katy… — chart data (@chartdata) September 29, 2025 But their resistance to have a country artist perform when the genre’s popularity is at an all-time high is simply wrong, and I think there are a handful of country stars that would be a perfect choice to do the coveted Super Bowl halftime show. Let’s get into it… Morgan Wallen This is the extremely obvious choice, and while I doubt the NFL would ever really hire Morgan Wallen due to past controversies, I think it would be a smart move and a huge success among viewers. Morgan is one of the biggest names in all of music, a huge international star, and has the name to draw a huge audience from all sorts of demographics… rappers, pro athletes, pop and hip hop fans. If the NFL was smart and really wanted to create some excitement around a halftime performance on a scale we really haven’t seen in a long time, they would seriously consider Morgan for a halftime show in the future. Luke Combs While not quite as commercially successful in the mainstream as Wallen, Luke Combs is a mainstream superstar who sells out NFL stadiums on a regular basis, performs around the world, and has crossover power with collabs including artists liken Leon Bridges, BigXthaPlug, Post Malone, Ed Sheeran and more. He has the songs to fill a stadium and make for a rowdy good time, and considering he doesn’t have the checkered past of someone like Wallen, I think he’d be a perfect fit and draw a ton of viewership. Combs has so many football-ready bangers that have been used for tons of college football themes, and I think he’s a natural fit and another very obvious choice that deserves the halftime headlining gig. Lainey Wilson Lainey Wilson is a household name these days, and while I’m not sure she’s at the level to where she could headline on her own, she has the stage presence and flair that would provide the entertainment factor you need now to headline at halftime. The NFL is never going to put someone without a little flash onstage anymore it seems like, and I think Lainey definitely has the personality to be a good option for something like this. George Strait This would probably be a long shot, but as far as country legends go who could still do it and do it WELL, George Strait would be at the top of my list. Icons like Dolly Parton also come to mind, but she’s admitted before she’s turned it down, though I would be all for Dolly doing halftime too. She broke the internet with her Thanksgiving halftime performance a couple years ago… Strait has the name recognition, the hits, and the ability to sell out stadiums well into his 70’s, and while it wouldn’t be a high-octane performance like we’ve been accustomed to over the last 20 years or so with Super Bowl halftime shows, it would be legendary nonetheless. Post Malone Post Malone isn’t decidedly country, but as we all know, he’s been in the genre for a couple years now and has had a ton of success with it, notably releasing his debut country record F-1 Trillion last year which included tons of stars like the three other people on this list in Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen. Outside of country, Post has a huge career in rap, pop and hip hop, and he’s a global superstar that honestly seems like the perfect person for this kind of gig. I think he’s pretty universally beloved (even my mom likes some of his music), and he’s an incredible performer that I think would really bring it for a show of this magnitude. Plus, seeing as almost everyone brings out other artists for features during the Super Bowl show these days, he would have a ton of people to pick from in country and well beyond that with other collabs he’s done over the years. Out of everyone on this list, I actually think Posty makes the most sense in terms of what the NFL wants out of their Super Bowl show because of his range and variety, and I would absolutely love to see him get a chance to do it one day. This group, or any combination of them, would be stellar options, and I actually think a combination of Post, Combs and Wallen could be epic. The trend has become having surprise guests over the years, and these three already have songs together and are truly at the forefront of mainstream country. I could also see some combo of Post Malone, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and even Cody Johnson covering many of the “country music bases” so to speak. I would LOVE to sit here and list off people like Tyler Childers and Sierra Ferrell as viable options for this sort of thing, but that’s just not realistic, unfortunately. I would also love to just get an acoustic performance from someone like Miranda Lambert, but that’s just never gong to happen… the NFL wants pageantry and showmanship, and for something like this, that does make sense, whether I like it or not. If the NFL could one day select a country artist like those I’ve listed above I really think it would be a big success and something most Americans would look forward to… I mean, what is a better pairing than football and country music? It’s a perfect match, and it’s high time we get to see it onstage at the Super Bowl again. Here’s the 1994 halftime show which featured Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, and The Judds: And Shania’s 2003 performance: The post 5 Country Artists Who Could Realistically Headline A Super Bowl Halftime Show, & Do It BIG first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The residents of these cities are taking on a lot of debt to own automobiles.