Yikes.
I mean, what’s more American than a good old fashioned rodeo with the Budweiser Clydesdales in attendance, eh?
The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo is underway this week, an 18-day event that kicked off on February 9th and will continue to run through February 26th.
Featuring various rodeo events, live music performances, pig races, wine sampling, and even BMX shows, there is a little something for everybody.
And last night, the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales were on hand for a demonstration to rodeo fans.
If you’ve ever seen this squad of horses in action, you know that it’s a pretty cool experience. If you ever get a chance to go to the brewery in St. Louis, where they also keep the stables, it’s worth the visit (it’s about the only cool experience in St. Louis, so I recommend if you’re in the area).
However, down in Texas this past weekend, things went south in hurry.
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It’s hard to know what went wrong for sure, but the lead horses got turned around, right as the demonstration was starting, and they started running into the rest of the pack, causing a massive pile up.
The driver of the wagon hopped off immediately, but couldn’t get to the horses in time. Down they went…
And if you know anything about horses, you know that falling down can be a big problem for them. We’re talking about 2,000 pound animals falling down on top of each other… a broken leg would be a disaster for one of these beautiful beasts.
Of course, a number of Budweiser handlers and trainers came running to the scene to sort the horses out, but one was left on the ground.
With the whole crowd on edge, the group tended to the downed horse and were able to calm it down quite quickly. Eventually, the unlucky horse hopped back to its feet and the entire crowd let out a collective sigh of relief.
Props to the trainers for handling the mess in a flash… could’ve been real bad.
And of course this happens right as those PETA freaks are outside protesting the event. They’ve also recently protested Budweiser’s treatment of their horses at the Super Bowl and the Daytona 500.
Although, let’s not kid ourselves, these horses are treated like royalty…
Budweiser Is Back With New “Six Degrees Of Budweiser” Commercial
Budweiser is back for the Super Bowl.
Although they’re bringing back their iconic tagline, “This Bud’s For You,” for a younger generation who didn’t grow up with it, they’re kicking it off with their “Six Degrees of Budweiser” spot/
The ad is narrated by famed actor Kevin Bacon, as it’s Budweiser’s interpretation of the six degrees of separation, as they try to display the importance of human connection, determination, and the American Spirit as they attempt to reach a younger audience.
Kristina Punwani, Head of Marketing for Budweiser, said in a statement:
“Throughout Budweiser’s history, the brand has championed the American spirit – the values and ideals that connect all our consumers no matter where they live or what they do.
In bringing back our iconic tagline, ‘This Bud’s For You,’ we are also evolving the meaning behind the phrase – from something that used to signify the end of the work day to a mantra that embodies the modern consumer and all their side hustles, passion projects and career successes.
We are going to continue this focus on intentional and authentic connections with our audience around topics and passion points that matter most to them like sports and music in 2023 and beyond.”
In this year’s ad, it will display hip hop artist and producer Metro Boomin enjoying himself a six-pack of Bud, and passes it all the way down to a local food truck owner and a construction worker, showing that hard work and determination can stem from any walk of life, perfectly displaying the human connection.
Kevin Bacon also weighed in on the ad:
“The thing about Super Bowl ads is that you have :30s to get people to feel something – to laugh, to cry, to be inspired.
I loved bringing back the six degrees concept for this year’s Super Bowl because at its core, the concept has always been about connection.
I was especially drawn to the ending, when a Budweiser is handed to the camera and I say ‘This Bud’s For You.’ I think this ad is going to stick with people.”
And of course, we’re gonna have the iconic Clydesdales as well.
I have to admit… this is kind of lame.
I know we’re in a era right now where ad agencies and brands are trying to focus on all this feel-good human spirit kind of stuff, but you shelled out millions and millions of dollars for that?
This is the Super Bowl… make something memorable, make something moving, or at least funny… we can celebrate unity and togetherness over cold Buds without being so… vanilla, right?
Granted, this is probably just the intro to a larger series of Super Bowl ads (since they usually release a few different one), and we can always count on Bud Light to bring the laughs, but I don’t know, this isn’t doing it for me.
I guess we’ll see…
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Didn’t Like Beer When He Signed With Budweiser
Dale Earnhardt Jr. knows a thing or two about beer.
I mean, he used to have so much of it delivered to his house that distributors thought he was selling it.
And because of that, this week on his podcast The Dale Jr. Download, he had a listener ask how he was going to let his driver, Noah Gragson, drink a White Claw after winning the Xfinity race at Martinsville last weekend (a fair question, indeed).
Dale Jr. says he didn’t used to drink beer when he was younger, either, so he’s gonna let it slide for now:
“I was the same way when I was his age, I hated beer. When I was that young, I didn’t like alcohol really that much.
I had to, when I was at parties and stuff, I was really, really particular. Like, I only want this one thing, so I kinda can’t be too critical of him.”
And of course, Dale Jr. was sponsored by Budweiser for many years during his racing career, which is what makes it even funnier that he didn’t like beer.
When he first signed the deal with them way back in the day, he had to go to a fancy dinner with the Busch family and his dad, the late, great Dale Earnhardt.
On the way there, it hit him that he was probably gonna have to get a beer with his meal:
“I remember, and y’all will laugh, man. So when we signed the Budweiser deal, right, I was not a beer drinker. At all. And we were goin’ to like, a big steakhouse in Charlotte with the Busch family and dad.
And I said to dad on the way there, I said, ‘Am I gonna have to drink a beer at this dinner?'”
Obviously, any other beverage option was completely out of the question:
“And he’s like, ‘You’re damn right you are.’
And he’s like, ‘Get you a Bud heavy, and you sit there and you drink that beer.’ And I was like, ‘Man, alright.’ And so I did. And over time, everybody used to say it’s an acquired taste, and that’s what it is.”
Dale’s sister, Kelley, was a guest on this episode, and they talked about all the stuff they used to drink back in the day, like Boone’s Farm and wine coolers.
But Dale says his favorite (and most dangerous) drink is called a “Jimmy Drop”:
“I’m gonna tell you right now, you know, I was sponsored by Mountain Dew a long time, right. But our family was even before that, was a Sun Drop family. We had Sun Drop, which if you don’t know what that is, it’s kind of a regional thing.
But it’s like a Mountain Dew, tastes like Mountain Dew, Mellow Yellow, it’s a yellow soda. That was regional to Salisbury, Kannapolis, so our family, way, way back when dad was young, they drank it forever.
And I used to mix it with Jim Beam, and we called them Jimmy Drops. And that was pretty good, but pretty rough on ya. I never mixed soda with vodka before… High Rock and Sun Drop is really good.”
High Rock is Dale Jr.’s new vodka brand, and as a Sun Drop addict myself, I think I’m gonna have to give that mix a try… the Cherry Lemon Sun Drop is the best, though, so I think I might have just found a new favorite drink.
Seriously, if I had to pick a dream collaboration outside of country music, it would be this:
Except, that was just a cruel and mean April Fool’s joke and now I need it to happen for real…
Check out the whole conversation, it’s pretty damn funny if you need a good laugh today:
