Garth Brooks, a humble country-music legend who was one of the few musicians that the Trump administration liked, has confirmed that he’ll be performing at Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration. THR reports that Brooks’s performance will occur at the swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol alongside Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez, as opposed to the Tom Hanks–hosted primetime special, Celebrating America, later in the day. In a statement, Brooks said that Dr. Jill Biden personally asked him to perform a song. “This is a great day in our household. This is not a political statement, this is a statement of unity,†Brooks explained. “This is history, and it is an honor to get to serve. There is a common theme in every presidential election: New beginnings, new starts, but it is the word unity, the word love, the word that we belong to each other.â€
Brooks continued, “It is going to take all of us, what I want for all of us to do is listen. We are more divided than ever, that bridge that brings us together, it is reaching across, loving one another, because that is what is going to get us through the most divided times that we have. In this case, you must rise beyond red and blue, black and white, gay and straight, male and female, look at it from America.†Meanwhile, fellow country stars Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard will perform their new unifying bop “Undivided†during Biden’s primetime special, joining Demi Lovato and Justin Timberlake.
A few months after his inauguration performance, Brooks will be honored at the 43rd Kennedy Center Honors for his lifetime artistic achievements. We hope his guitar and cowboy hat get their very own rainbow sashes, too.