Country music superstar Toby Keith has never shied away from showing his patriotic side and his deep-rooted love for his country. Throughout the years, the hitmaker has dropped tracks such as “American Soldier,” “American Ride,” “Made In America,” and more to show his respect to the troops overseas, tirelessly fighting for our freedom.
However, it was the powerful lyrics that make up his 2002 top-charting anthem, “Courtesy of The Red, White, And Blue,” that continues to move his fan base emotionally. At a recent concert at The Bank of NH Pavilion in Gilford, New Hampshire, the megastar celebrated the armed forces alongside veterans.
A concert-goer took to social media to share a video of Keith inviting several veterans in attendance up on stage to join him on “Courtesy Of The Red, White, And Blue (The Angry American).”
“It’s wonderful to have this part of the show. We have real veterans here tonight,” Keith told the cheering crowd before singing the patriotic hit. While the Veterans made their way up under the spotlight, the country star pointed towards them and said, “this is the most important piece [besides your family] of our lives. Not even your job, nothing else…this is all we got right here,” he adds.
The video shows Keith with an American Flag guitar wrapped around his neck, celebrating the brave men that stood beside him. The Veterans in the short clip are seen belting the song, dancing in unity, and mingling with the artist.
@france_me911dispatcher Bank of New Hanpshire Pavillion @Toby Keith #American #CourtesyOfTheRedWhiteAndBlue #CinderellaMovie #katespadenyonthemove #ForYouPage #FYP
“This man has a genuine loving heart! Thank you Toby, and thank you to all veterans,” the TikTok user captioned the minute-long clip. Before wrapping the high-energy performance, Keith shared an important message with the audience.
“Thank you for your American heart, never apologize for being patriotic f*ck em,” Keith told the rowdy crowd. Once he concluded the hit single, Keith went around and shook the hands of all the military veterans that once put their lives at risk to keep him and the country safe.
The “Red Solo Cup” singer and songwriter recently projected a similar message on 9/11 to honor the 20 years since the attacks. “On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, let’s all gather our families together and pray that God will keep us safe for the rest of our lives and forever here in the great United States of America,” says the 60-year-old musician on Twitter.
20 years. #NeverForget pic.twitter.com/7PFB2DOxZI
— Toby Keith (@tobykeith) September 11, 2021
“We all know where we were during 9/11 and the impact that it had on this world. Let’s never forget. Always remember. Let’s stay vigilant and never apologize for being patriotic. God speed,” he adds.
“Courtesy of The Red, White, And Blue” was penned just days after the terrorist attack on New York and was also inspired by Keith’s Veteran father’s death in March 2001. “I wrote [‘Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue’] on the back of a Fantasy Football sheet that was laying there; I just turned it and wrote around the edges and, in about 20 minutes, wrote the lyric out and called it ‘The Angry American.’ When I turned it in, they said, ‘Well, it really doesn’t say “angry American” in there. Why don’t you call it ‘Courtesy of the Red, White and blue?’ So, I did.”
Once recorded, the fan-favorite hit was released in May of 2002 as the lead single from the album, Unleashed. The song quickly became No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and scored high placement on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
Toby Keith is currently out on the road on his Country Comes To Town Tour. Tickets are still available here. On tour, the icon will be singing his classics and tunes off of his upcoming record, Peso ln My Pocket.
