Carly Pearce Speaks Out on WE Fest Incident: ‘My Kentucky Came Out Full-Force’
Pearce defended her decision to remove a heckler from her performance over the weekend.
Carly Pearce; Photo by Andrew Wendowski
Carly Pearce is speaking out after having a concertgoer removed from the audience during her WE Fest performance on Friday (Aug. 2).
The “Truck On Fire” singer called in to chat with Ashley Morrison from Tampa’s U.S. 103.5 on Tuesday morning and opened up on the incident that made headlines over the weekend.
“I guess people are learning a new side of me, but the boys do it all the time. It’s no different,” Pearce pointed out of her male country music counterparts.
Doubling down on her decision to have the heckler removed, the Grand Ole Opry member continued, “If somebody’s going to show disrespect at my show, get out. And I think it needs… So many people think that they’re not going to be reprimanded for their actions, whether it’s writing on Reddit and spreading hate or writing on your comments spreading hate, in your DMs spreading hate, or to your face spreading hate.”
She later joked that her “Kentucky came out full-force” during the moment and added, “I’m so tired of being afraid of standing up for myself.”
The incident took place at WE Fest after a man in the crowd reportedly shouted “no one cares” at Carly after she said she was going to tell the crowd a little more about herself. Without skipping a beat, Pearce had security take him out of the show.
“Out! Somebody get him out of here! I do not want him at my show,” she urged from the stage. “Get out of my show. If you’re going to be an a**hole, then you’re going to have to say it to me and get the f*** out of my show.”
She she made her way back to the center of the stage, Pearce added, “I do not have time for di***! See you later!”
The crowd cheered in support of Pearce, who was visibly shaken up from the incident.
Moments later, she stepped up to the mic to address the situation, offering wise words about kindness and respect, both in person and online.
“I don’t care if it’s, to me, I don’t care if it’s to somebody sitting next to you. I don’t care if it’s on the internet. I don’t care if it’s texting, words hurt. That hurt me. That was not nice. And I’m just here to tell you guys, be kind. Do not say mean things to people just to be mean. Don’t think that there aren’t consequences for it,” she said as the audience once again began to cheer.
The buzzed-about moment came just days before the announcement of Pearce’s Hummingbird World Tour, which is set to launch this fall.
The headlining trek, named after her new album, hummingbird, kicks off in Windsor, ON, on October 3, 2024, and spans over 40 dates across Canada and North America, including stops in cities like Cleveland, Las Vegas, Calgary, Milwaukee, Dallas, and Phoenix. In 2025, she will take her raw, heart-pounding collection of tunes overseas for a series of previously announced shows in the EU/UK, including Stockholm, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, London, Manchester, and Dublin. The tour will conclude with a final performance at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on May 16.
“I promise this will be the best tour we’ve ever brought to you,” the Kentucky native shared.
Artists such as Karley Scott Collins, Matt Lang, Wade Bowen and Carter Faith will be joining Pearce on select dates of the tour.
The GRAMMY winner’s latest single, “truck on fire,” is at country radio now. The blazing track was written by Pearce with Charles Kelley of Lady A and Justin Ebach. The song tells the story of a scorned woman who decides to set her ex’s truck on fire due to his cheating ways. After catching wind that he’s been hooking up with “little miss Jane,” she grabs a gas can, lights a match, and watches as his beloved black Z71 becomes engulfed in flames.
“No one wants to be cheated on, but everyone wants to seek revenge. I wrote this song for every girl who has gone through a similar situation and dreams of wreaking havoc on her ex,” she previously explained. “I got the opportunity to perform the song live while on tour with Tim McGraw and the way the fans have embraced it has blown me away every single time. I couldn’t think of a better song to make my next single.”
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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