Morgan Wallen makes first official headlining return after all that scandal

Morgan Wallen returned to the stage for the first time since all that recent controversy in Nashville on Thursday night.

Wallen’s career took a nosedive over the last year for several notorious incidents – let’s check out that rap sheet again shall we? In May of last year, the country star was arrested outside Kid Rock’s bar for public intoxication and disorderly conduct; he apologised on social media for the incident. During COVID-19, he was criticised for being spotted in TikTok videos partying in a bar in Alabama; his appearance on Saturday Night Live the week after was postponed as a result but he would appear on the show in December in a sketch parodying his misbehaviour. In February of this year, a video showed Wallen using the ‘n’ word with friends; he issued an apology statement but several big radio stations removed his music from airplay.

He decided to take a step back from his music career but his album sales surged regardless. And you just can’t keep a famous person down for long as Wallen made his return in Nashville this week for his first officially billed headlining gig since all the controversy.

According to Variety, the crowd were shocked and ecstatic at the return of the star. The gig in question was a benefit concert for victims of the recent flooding in Humphreys County, Tennessee. To his credit, Wallen brought out a family who had lost two children in the flooding at the end of his set, also bringing a check for $725,000 onstage.

Wallen was also joined for the show by other country stars such as Dierks Bentley and Cole Swindell, as well as some country newcomers. Yet mention of his recent troubles went largely unnoticed, although he did state that it was good to be back at the start of the show.

It might have been Wallen’s first officially billed return to live performance but he appeared as a surprise guest at some recent concerts, including a July appearance at a Luke Bryan show in Nashville.

For more on this topic, follow the Country Music Observer.