Spring break, Panama City, bonfires, trucks, drinking to excess, the Bible, and proud declarations of purpose are some of the things that country singer and songwriter Brantley Gilbert seems to fixate on.
Gilbert has a lot of songs about sneaking young women out of their bedroom windows at night without waking the folks, driving down to the end of the dirt road and partying in one fashion or another. (Gilbert wrote “Dirt Road Anthem,” a country-rap song that Jason Aldean had a hit with.)
On his song “Grown Ass Man,” Gilbert sings “If you really need to know where I stand, it’s somewhere between ‘Amazing Grace,’ ‘Back in Black’ and ‘Simple Man,'” which is a pretty good songbook triumvirate for a playlist personality test. Curious that it doesn’t mention a song by George Jones or Hank Williams, but that’s maybe an accurate self-assessment.
Some call Gilbert a new kind of outlaw country artist, but even Gilbert seems a little uneasy accepting that title. Anyway, (with the proper permits) it’s not a illegal (yet) to drive a truck to a bonfire and crack open a beer or to sing about it.
Gilbert performs at the Xfinity Theatre, 61 Savitt Way, Hartford, on Friday, June 3, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 to $27. livenation.com.
