Rally held at the Xfinity Theatre as Jason Aldean returns to Hartford

Fans were thrilled country music star Jason Aldean was back in Hartford.

It came about two weeks after he cut his show short at the Xfinity Theatre because of heat exhaustion, but his return comes amid controversy surrounding one of his music videos.

Outside the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford Sunday, fans of Jason Aldean were excited to be tailgating and that the country music star returned about two weeks after he suddenly ran off stage here during his set.

Moments before, Aldean appeared to struggle to sing, according to videos shared by fans on social media. He never came back out.

“She called it. She said he didn’t look well and no sooner does she say that, he runs off stage, but I’m glad he’s back and he’s better," Brooke Depamphilis of East Granby says.

Aldean later apologized for cutting the show short and blamed it on a combination of dehydration and heat exhaustion. He rescheduled for Sunday.

Thanks everyone for checking in on me. Hartford, we’ll share rescheduled info soon. Saratoga Springs, see ya tonite!🤘🏼 pic.twitter.com/wVWGAmDmSZ

— Jason Aldean (@Jason_Aldean) July 16, 2023

“He has always cared about his fans. They’ve always come first for him. We’ve been a fan for a long, long time. It’s great that they could turn around whatever they needed to back here so quickly," Melinda Campagna of Uncasville said.

His return comes amid controversy and there was strong police presence. A small tailgate rally was organized to promote love and equality.

It comes in response to concerns about Aldean’s song, “Try That In a Small Town.”

The song, which was first released in May, touches on violence, riots and upheaval in big cities while mentioning that those actions would not be accepted in small towns.

The music video received backlash for featuring protest footage, surveillance video from robberies and break-ins. Aldean addressed allegations of racism in his song and responded to the backlash earlier this month with a lengthy social media statement.

In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous.…

— Jason Aldean (@Jason_Aldean) July 18, 2023

"There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage -and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far," Aldean said in part in his statement.

Country Music Television pulled the song and removed the video from its rotation. "Try That In a Small Town" debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 last week despite the controversy.

“We are not here to change anyone’s mind. We’re trying to figure out how to live in a pluralistic society where we understand we have different views and where people understand this song, which, to them is so wonderful, could be hurtful to some of us," Kamora Herrington of Kamora's Cultural Corner explained.

“You have to listen to the words. It has nothing to do with racism. It’s about the love that people have in a small town that we take care of each other," Michael Caine of Uncasville added.