Riley Green wants to make it clear that the festivals he performs at have nothing to do with politics.
“The simplest way I can put it is if somebody calls me and wants me to come play a festival and financially it makes sense, then I’m probably going to go do it,” Green, 37, shared with Billboard in an interview published Thursday, May 28. “I don’t ask a lot of questions beyond that.”
While the musician is hitting the road all summer for his own Cowboy As It Gets arena tour, he also has a few festivals on his calendar. One includes a stop at the Rock the Country festival.
Kid Rock, who is a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, serves as a headliner for the festival that is billed as a celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
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“Rock the Country sounds like a fun festival,” Green said. “I don’t see any benefit in me making anything political. I think people go to concerts to try to get away from their everyday problems and enjoy country music. My job is to entertain them.”
He certainly proved that sentiment during a recent concert in Australia. When an audience member threw a phone at him on stage, Green needed five stitches on his earlobe.
Instead of fighting back, Green carried on with the show and wouldn’t let the incident ruin the concert for other fans.
“Initially, there was probably a moment where I thought about diving into the crowd and I reeled that back a little bit,” he admitted. “There’s people in the venue that paid good money to come see me play and it seems pretty childish for me to let one person ruin it for everybody. I got to be honest: I looked pretty cool with blood running down my neck singing ‘I Wish Grandpas Never Died.’”
Green is grateful for how busy his career has become. In addition to touring, he is expected to cohost ABC’s CMA Fest with Lara Spencer on June 25.
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He’s also preparing to step into the iconic red chairs as a coach on season 30 of The Voice alongside Adam Levine, Queen Latifah and Kelly Clarkson.
“Obviously, my career in country music has grown quite a bit over the last few years,” he said. “But when you start talking about something like The Voice and being in front of an audience that probably hasn’t heard of me before — it’s exciting to be in a completely different world than [country music] and hopefully reach some brand-new fans.”
Green added, “The biggest battle I face in my career now is just that I’m sleepy all the time. And it doesn’t do well during a country music show to be yawning on the stage.”
