Brad Paisley Brings White House Special to GAC

On Tuesday, July 21, 2009 Brad Paisley along with Alison Krauss + Union Station performed for the President, First Lady and family, members of Congress and White House staff in the historic East Room of the White House. Photo credit Ben Enos.
Country at the White House, featuring Brad Paisley, premieres on Saturday, Aug. 15 at 9p ET! More details and times »

Aug. 13, 2009 — Brad Paisley made history last month as the headliner in the first country concert held in the East Room of the White House during President Obama’s administration, and the night is captured this Saturday in a GAC special, Country At The White House.

The 90-minute broadcast features Brad, Charley Pride and Alison Krauss + Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas as they perform a cross-section of country material for an audience that includes the President and the First Lady, plus senators, congressmen, governors and cabinet members — not to mention Brad’s wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley.

"I know folks think I’m a city boy," the president said that night, "but I do appreciate listening to country music because, like all Americans, I appreciate the broad and indelible impact that country has had on our nation. It’s touched countless lives, it’s influenced all genres of music, it’s helped make the American people more hopeful, it’s capture our restlessness and resilience, and told so much of our story in the process."

"[Songwriter] Harlan Howard proclaimed country music ‘three chords and the truth,’" Obama continued. "Garth Brooks said it’s ‘honesty, sincerity and real life to the hilt.’ And Dierks Bentley called it ‘the best shrink that 15 bucks can buy.’"

Brad quickly texted Dierks, his American Saturday Night tour mate, to let him know the commander in chief had quoted him, a fact that still feels rather heady to Dierks.

"I just think about Obama havin’ to go, ‘How do you say this name?’" Dierks laughs. "To have him in the Oval Office tryin’ to figure out how to say my name, that’s pretty flattering. And he said it right!"

Charley dedicated "Mountain Of Love" to Barack and Michelle Obama during the show, which featured Alison’s delicate vocals and Dan Tyminski’s rendition of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? piece "I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow."

Brad delivered four songs during the evening, including an emotional closer: "Welcome To The Future," a song that was greatly inspired by the jubilation Brad witnessed firsthand in Times Square when Obama won the election in November. The song, which references Martin Luther King’s "I Have A Dream" speech and Rosa Parks’ historic refusal to give up her seat on a bus, takes note of America’s progress on racial issues — progress capped by Obama’s residence in the White House, built more than two centuries ago mostly by slaves.

"You," Brad said to Obama, "are the first president [my children] will remember, which is something."

Country At The White House premieres Saturday, August 15 at 9 p.m. ET on GAC — but you can click here to see a sneak peek right now!