Country Star Rocks the White House on Independence Day

One of the country’s biggest and most highly anticipated Fourth of July celebrations took place on the National Mall and White House lawn in Washington D.C. Thursday night. Aside from the fireworks show, Kentucky native Tyler Childers was one of the main attractions. The Lawrence County-born singer and songwriter took the stage on the South Lawn around 8:40 p.m. and performed a four-song set that showcased his Appalachian and Kentucky roots, as well as his immense talent, making his concerts some of the most sought after tickets in country music.

Kicking off the concert was the old-time fiddle and banjo tune "Cluck Old Hen" that Childers and his band The Food Stamps — Craig Burletic on bass, James Barker on pedal steel, Rod Elkins on drums, CJ Cain on guitar, Matt Rowland and Kory Caudill on keys, and multi-instrumentalist Jesse Wells — added a bit of holiday flair to with an "America The Beautiful" interlude.

From there, the band played "Honky Tonk Flame" from Childers’ 2017 album "Purgatory," which sees Childers sing about being "a fella from Eastern Kentucky, without a penny or a worth to his name." Following this was a throttling jam with "House Fire," before the band brought the intensity down a notch for the reflective "Universal Sound."

Childers’ remarks were limited during his four-song performance, with him only interjecting for a couple of brief moments to wish the crowd a happy Fourth of July and show his gratitude for the opportunity to perform for them.

“Thank y’all for coming. Thanks for having us,” he said before exiting with his band stage right just as fireworks began to light up the sky nearby over the National Mall.

While the abbreviated concert was Childers' first time performing at The White House, it wasn’t his first time performing at a Capitol building. On Dec. 12, 2023, Childers performed "Universal Sound" — a song he also performed at The White House last night and during the second term inauguration of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

The White House appearance comes amid Childers’ Mule Pull ‘24 Tour, which continues July 5 at Bangor, ME’s Maine Savings Amphitheater and runs through an Oct. 5 appearance at the Country Calling Festival in Ocean City, MD. It’s currently scheduled to include one stop in Kentucky at Louisville festival Bourbon & Beyond on Sept. 22.