Life’s all about balance…
Riley Green recently completed the Canadian leg of his Damn Country Music tour, which will run through this summer and feature openers like Ella Langley, Jake Worthington and more.
He did quite a bit of press while he was up north, and during an interview with some Canadian press, Riley was asked about where he typically writes when he writes by himself, and he had an interesting answer. He explained that for his third studio album Don’t Mind If I Do, two of the solo writes in particular stood out… because he wrote “Jesus Saves” and “Worst Way” in the same room about a week apart.
He joked that he doesn’t know where his inspiration comes from, but pointed out the importance of balance, saying that for “every ‘Worst Way’ you’ve gotta write a ‘Jesus Saves'”:
“I’ll tell you a really weird fact. I wrote at my farm in Alabama, but I wrote it in the same room, a week apart, from when I wrote ‘Jesus Saves.’ So I wrote a very dirty song and then a very heartfelt song, so I don’t know where my inspiration comes from at this point. For every ‘Worst Way’ you’ve gotta write a ‘Jesus Saves.'”
More than that being really funny, I think it shows off Riley’s depth and range as a songwriter, which I feel like is an overlooked aspect of his talent in terms of how good of a songwriter he really is:
@smcdaid We’re so excited to have @Riley Green co-host Country Nights this Thursday! Join us at 6pm 🦆🤠 #rileygreen #duckman #worstway #damncountrymusictour2025 #countrynightswithsammcdaid #seekrapp #CountryNights #countrymusic #countryradio ♬ Worst Way – Riley Green
Of course, “Worst Way” is a steamy, sexy song about Riley wanting to skip the small talk, so to speak, ready to get down and dirty the second he walks in the door and sees his lady. On the other, very opposite hand, “Jesus Saves” tells the story of an Army veteran who has lived a complex, and at times, pretty sad life that’s led to him him being homeless and “covered in dirt like the world had beat him down.”
The message is that you never know what someone is going through and how they ended up in certain situations, and like he said, they’re two very different songs.
But, they’ve become two of his fan-favorites and biggest hits of his career (well, not by radio standards, but I digress…), and I think many fans, like me appreciate that contrast and his ability to cover pretty much any subject and do it really well.
“Worst Way”
“Jesus Saves”
You can check out the full list of dates for Riley’s Damn Country Music Tour below.
DAMN COUNTRY MUSIC TOUR DATES:
April 10, 2025 – Florence, AZ – Country Thunder Arizona
April 12, 2025 – Arlington, TX – American Rodeo
April 26, 2025 – Ridgedale, MO – Bulls, Bands & Barrels
May 1, 2025 – Athens, GA – Akins Ford Arena
May 2, 2025 – Tampa, FL – Country Thunder Florida
May 9, 2025 – Lake Charles, LA – Lake Charles Event Center
May 10, 2025 – Tupelo, MS – Cadence Bank Arena
May 16, 2025 – Gulf Shores, AL – Sand in My Boots 2025
May 24, 2025 – Norfolk, VA – Patriotic Festival
May 29, 2025 – Youngstown, OH – Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre
May 30, 2025 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J Brady Music Center
May 31, 2025 – Detroit, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
June 1, 2025 – Lexington, KY – Railbird Music Festival
June 6, 2025 – Clinton, IA – Tailgate N’ Tallboys Festival
June 12, 2025 – Baltimore, MD – Pier Six Pavilion
June 13, 2025 – Wilmington, NC – Live Oak Bank Pavilion
June 14, 2025 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park
June 19, 2025 – Franklin, TN – FirstBank Amphitheater
June 21, 2025 – Huntington, WV – Marshall Health Network Arena
June 26, 2025 – Cadott, WI – Hoofbeat Country Fest
June 27, 2025 – Brainerd, MI – Lakes Jam
June 28, 2025 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest
July 12, 2025 – Pendleton, OR – Pendleton Whisky Music Festival
July 13, 2025 – Chicago, IL – Windy City Smokeout
July 18, 2025 – Kettering, OH – Fraze Pavilion
July 24, 2025 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17
July 25, 2025 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
July 26, 2025 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion
August 1, 2025 – Bethlehem, PA – Musikfest
August 9, 2025 – Birmingham, AL – Coca-Cola Amphitheater
August 16, 2025 – Sainte-Hélène-de-Kamouraska, Canada – Lasso 2025
August 17, 2025 – Calgary, CA – Country Thunder Calgary
August 21, 2025 – Bonner, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater
August 22, 2025 – Idaho Falls, ID – Mountain America Center
August 23, 2025 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
August 25 , 2025 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
September 10, 2025 – London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town
September 11, 2025 – London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town
September 12, 2025 – London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town
September 13 , 2025 – Birmingham UK – O2 Academy Birmingham
September 15 , 2025 – Manchester, EN – O2 Victoria Warehouse
September 16, 2025 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow
September 18 , 2025 – Belfast, UK – Waterfront Hall
September 19, 2025 – Dublin, IE – Olympia Theatre
October 4, 2025 – Winnsboro, SC – Field & Stream Festival
