I am sitting here trying to process everything that just happened. I was doing research for this article, and then I got the news that Charlie Kirk had just been shot. I am going to try to find the words to express what I am feeling at this moment, and I will be putting together …

A concert speech that hits harder than ever before. Cody Johnson has never been afraid to use his platform to speak about faith, family, or to unite those at his concerts. Most nights that Johnson takes the stage, he feels called to take a few minutes out of his concerts to preach to his fans. These messages are meant to honor veterans and first responders while simultaneously making a plea for unity, given the divisive state of our nation. And after times of tragedy, these speeches make fans feel as though Johnson is taking them to church. Country fans are resurfacing a recent speech from Johnson that he delivered at the end of August while performing at the Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Missouri. While the video was posted the day after the concert, it resurfaced on TikTok with many fans relating it to the senseless murder of conservative media personality Charlie Kirk. I’m sure by now, we have all seen the heartbreaking news that Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University. Kirk was the founder of Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses. Kirk would often host speaking engagements on college campuses, where students could come and discuss various political and spiritual topics and issues with Charlie. He was a devoted father and husband, a Christian and a patriot, who believed that talking things out was the only way to avoid violence in our society. With the heaviness in the air, many folks are turning to music to help them process their emotions, and some are turning to the uniting messages of Cody Johnson. Ironically, the speech that Johnson felt called to deliver this night in Missouri, he spoke heavily on the idea that it’s okay to disagree, which was a huge cornerstone of Kirk’s platform. Johnson shared with fans that he felt like 2020 was a huge year in which everything became “side” related in our nation. “In 2020, I really started to pay attention to a lot of things that I never paid attention to in my life. But since the year 2020, I have noticed that the narrative on most social media and most news outlets has been division. Meaning this: So, like, if there is a law passed and you voted for that law, and you didn’t, that means that you guys are now on opposite sides. Y’all are supposed to hate each other, right? If there is something on the news or social media that has to do with religion, your political party, or race, or anything… gender, anything like that. That means that if you don’t agree with her, that means you guys are supposed to hate each other. That’s the narrative that I’ve seen in the last five years.” Johnson then gets into the focal point of his preaching, which fires up fans, making them feel united as one nation. “I’ve got something to say tonight that I want to take home with you. I appreciate you coming to listen to music, but I feel like it’s my responsibility with the microphone to preach some kind of positivity into this nation every single night. I don’t care where you come from, I don’t care what your background was, and how you were raised, what color you are, how much money you have, how much money you don’t have. I don’t care who you vote for, I don’t care where you go to church. Let me tell you something, ladies and gentlemen, when you boil us all down in this country, I think we oughta start treating each other like this: No matter how much we disagree, we should say it’s OKAY to disagree in this country. Do you know why it’s okay to disagree about things in this country, and why you should try to understand your fellow man and your fellow woman in this country? Because before most of us were born, a United States soldier bought our freedom with his life or her life for us to have the freedoms in this country. There are three things we all have in common. Those things are very simple, you ready? Red, white, and blue! Amen to that. @surereehartgrave Everyone needs to attend a Cody Johnson concert!!! Let’s love everybody and unite @Cody Johnson #loveeveryone #cojonation ♬ original sound – surereehartgrave Cody Johnson’s message from this night is one that we can all carry in our hearts each and every day. Our continued thoughts and prayers go out to Charlie Kirk’s family and friends, and also those affected by the shooting at Evergreen High School. While you’re here, fire up Cody Johnson’s “By Your Grace.” The post Cody Johnson’s Message Of Unity Goes Viral In Wake Of Charlie Kirk’s Murder: “No Matter How Much We Disagree… It’s OKAY To Disagree In This Country” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

What a title… It’s no secret that country superstar Morgan Wallen is a bit of a polarizing figure in the music world. He’s had plenty of public scandals that we all know about, and more than a few pop stars have come for him publicly, including and most recently, Paramore’s lead singer Hayley Williams. She released a song called “Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party (EDAABP)” in August, which doesn’t paint him in a positive light and definitely expresses her disdain for the country mega star (Hayley is from Nashville), and today, Limp Bizkit put out a new tune that directly references Morgan in the title called “Making Love to Morgan Wallen.” It also pays tribute to the late Linkin Park vocalist, Chester Bennington. Of course, if you grew up in the late ’90s or early 2000s, Limp Bizkit was an absolute staple. Behind lead singer Fred Durst, the band was truly one of a kind, with their combination of nu metal and rap rock. They haven’t put out new music in four years (their most recent album was Still Sucks in 2021), and “Making Love to Morgan Wallen” is set to be the theme song for the new ‘Battlefront 6’ video game. It’s not exactly a diss track, but rather they use Morgan’s name and popularity as a buzz-generating title to get attention, which clearly worked. They actually only mention his name in the outro: “I make this mother****** diamond plated Makin’ love to Morgan Wallen in an elevator I’ll be turnin’ on you b****** like a generator I’ll be the greatest mother****** that you ever hated That you ever hated” In fact, it’s not actually about “making love to Morgan Wallen” as the title suggests, but rather, making love while his music is playing. It’s certainly a head turner… I mean, I saw that title and immediately had to listen to it, but it seems as though the band is using Morgan’s incredibly popular name and large platform to get attention for their new music. It’s a popular move these days, because love him or hate him, Morgan’s name draws attention, and in turn, money. Of course, many of us would’ve never even heard of this song if not for the wild title, and I have no idea if Morgan’s a gamer, but I imagine it would be incredibly strange to play a video game that uses a song called “Making Love to Morgan Wallen” as the theme… strange times we’re living in, indeed. I have no idea if Morgan knew this was coming out, but I would love to get his reaction on this whole tune. If he’s a fan of the band, which based on his age and the fact that he grew up liking rock music, he might be, but that’s gotta be strange to see… I know he’s used to people using his name for clout or attention, but this might be the most out of pocket one yet. Leave it to Limp Bizkit… then again, this is the band that brought us “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water.” You can listen to it here: “Making Love to Morgan Wallen” The post “Making Love To Morgan Wallen” – Limp Bizkit Releases Their First Song In Four Years, & That Title Is… Something first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Talk about a week when we could use a Johnny to send the devil back to hell again. I’ve worked on the internet and social media for a long time, and I actually got my start as a public defender years ago, so I’m pretty used to seeing some gruesome stuff and unfortunately I’ve become pretty desensitized to it at this point. But I’ll admit that this past week has been hard even for me, with all the death and the worst of humanity that we’ve seen on social media. Not only was yesterday the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, but my timeline has obviously been filled with posts about the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University, as well as the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska on a train in Charlotte. And tragically, we also had another school shooting this week, with two students being shot at Evergreen High School in Colorado. It’s the first time in quite a while that I’ve had to take a break from social media, because it was all becoming too much. If nothing else, this past week has been a stark reminder that evil walks among us, and of the need for good people to stand up against the darkness in our society. That’s the theme of “Johnny,” the song released by Eric Church on his recent album Evangeline vs. The Machine. The song is an interpolation of “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” by Charlie Daniels, and calls for Johnny to come back once again to banish the devil back to hell. “I was thinkin’ to myself this mornin’, watchin’ my boys play Of how different my life was when I was their age Now machines control the people, and the people shoot at kids I shudder to think about what the next thing is Johnny, oh, Johnny, where did you go? The devil’s broke out of Georgia and he’s feastin’ on our souls There’s fire on the mountain and the flames are closin’ in So run, get your fiddle bow and send him to hell again Yeah, back to hell again” When he debuted the song at the Ryman Auditorium during CRS this spring (and during his To Beat The Devil residency at his Nashville bar, Chief’s), Church recalled writing “Johnny” after having to drop his children off at school the morning after the Covenant School shooting here in Nashville: “About a year ago we had a shooting here in Nashville and where my kids go to school, is about a mile from that school. And I’m gonna tell you something, the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, parent or otherwise, is dropping them off at that school the day after that shooting, and watching them walk inside. And I sat in the parking lot for a long time, and as fate would have it Charlie Daniels was playing “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” And I remember thinking, ‘Man, we could use Johnny right now’ because the devil is not in Georgia. He is everywhere. And I went home and wrote ‘Johnny.'” As with his entire Evangeline vs. The Machine album, the song features a powerful orchestra, horn section and choir, and the album was recorded as one cohesive piece of art, with each song flowing into the next. But Church apparently felt that this powerful song deserved to stand on its own. Today, the Chief released a single edit of “Johnny,” which may just be a coincidence but the timing feels powerful giving everything that’s happened over the past week. This song and the story behind it deserves to stand on its own. "Johnny (Single Edit)" is out now. https://t.co/mY8BXgIzBx pic.twitter.com/nQCohmQVvS — Eric Church (@ericchurch) September 12, 2025 Church kicks off his Free The Machine tour tonight at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, and there’s no doubt that “Johnny” will make the setlist. Hopefully it’s a reminder to everyone that we need more good in this world right now. Free the Machine Tour Dates September 12      Pittsburgh, PA         PPG Paints Arena September 13      Columbus, OH         Nationwide Arena September 18      Philadelphia, PA*   Wells Fargo Center September 19      Boston, MA              TD Garden September 20     Brooklyn, NY           Barclays Center September 25      Green Bay, WI        Resch Center September 26     Milwaukee, WI        Fiserv Forum September 27     Des Moines, IA        Wells Fargo Arena October 2            Detroit, MI                Little Caesars Arena October 3            Lexington, KY          Rupp Arena October 9            Indianapolis, IN      Gainbridge Fieldhouse October 10          Grand Rapids, MI   Van Andel Arena October 11           Cleveland, OH         Rocket Arena October 23          Salt Lake City, UT  Delta Center October 24          Boise, ID                  ExtraMile Arena October 25          Spokane, WA           Spokane Arena November 6        Vancouver, BC        Rogers Arena November 7        Portland, OR           Moda Center November 8        Seattle, WA             Climate Pledge Arena November 13      Sacramento, CA     Golden 1 Center November 14      Fresno, CA              Save Mart Center at Fresno State November 15      Inglewood, CA        Intuit DomeThe post Eric Church Releases Single Edit Of Powerful “Johnny” In Wake Of Tragic Week first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The governor of Utah just revealed more about their investigation into Charlie Kirk’s assassin, including messages they obtained from Discord and the engravings that were found on some of the bullet casings . . .

The mugshots were just released of Tyler Robinson, the suspect who assassinated Charlie Kirk. The above photo is one that’s going around social media. Below are the mugshots: I don’t intend to . . .

Two faculty members at East Tennessee State University have just been put on leave over their comments celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk. One of them reportedly wrote that Kirk ‘had it . . .

From ‘Odder Items’ to ‘Contemporary Kin,’ these terms are technically synonyms of famous TV show titles. How many can you get right?