HARDY brought Ashley McBryde up on stage to help perform his massive hit, “wait in the truck” during his Saturday night headline set at Country Thunder Arizona.
Both dressed in casual black ensembles, the pair of hitmakers took turns delivering the powerful storyline to the massive crowd of screaming fans. The song was originally recorded as a duet with Lainey Wilson, however on this night, McBryde stepped up to portray the role of the woman who’s a victim of domestic violence.
HARDY’s gritty vocals effortlessly intertwined with the Arkansas native’s unmistakably raw and soulful sound that erupts from each of her performances. At the end of their delivery, the pair embraced in a hug and HARDY signaled the crowd to give it up “one time for Ashley McBryde everybody.”
He also noted that while they “never rehearsed,” he never doubted her ability to portray the song to the best of her ability.
“I love you, you’re amazing,” he added.
“Wait in the Truck” feat. Lainey Wilson soared to the top of the charts in the spring of 2023, following its release in August of 2022. A few months after claiming the No. 1 spot, the artists were surprised with plaques revealing the song had been certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA. They accepted this special milestone before kicking off HARDY’s headlining mockingbird & THE CROW Fall Tour in Knoxville, Tennessee.
To celebrate the momentous occasion, HARDY and Wilson posed with the plaques alongside key members of their teams.
Co-written by HARDY with Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt, and Renee Blair, “Wait in the Truck” instantly garnered attention for its haunting storyline and intense music video.
The lyrics tell the story of a woman who becomes trapped in a cycle of domestic abuse. She eventually finds an unexpected escape when a stranger intervenes and confronts her abuser. While the strangers efforts grant her a long-awaited freedom, the woman is left feeling torn with a mix of relief and guilt in wake of her abuser’s death.
“I don’t know if he’s an angel / Cause angels don’t do what he did / He was hell-bent to find the man behind / All the whiskey scars I hid / I never thought my day of justice / Would come from a judge under his seat / But I knew right then I’d never get hit again when he said to me / Wait in the truck / Just wait in the truck,” Wilson sings.
HARDY and Wilson have since joined forces several times over the past years to deliver high-profile performances of the major award-winning tune, including appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the 56th Annual CMA Awards, and CMA Fest on ABC.
“Wait In The Truck” appears on HARDY’s latest album, the mockingbird & THE CROW, which arrived on January 20, 2023 via Big Loud Records. The 17-song project is half rock and half country and features three collaborations in total – “Wait in the Truck” with Wilson, “Red” with Morgan Wallen and “Radio Song” with A Day To Remember frontman Jeremy McKinnon.
This project continues to shine throughout HARDY’s various headline shows. However, now, he is gearing up to share an entirely new project with fans. Since he admitted he couldn’t get a full album completed in time for his next tour, the Mississippi native has decided to drop 5-song EP, COUNTRY!, arriving May 2.
The first two songs to preview this collection are the very personal “Favorite Country Song” and “Buck On The Wall.”
HARDY’s massive JIM BOB World Tour is set to take him across the U.S. beginning May 22 and running through September 24. Koe Wetzel, Stephen Wilson Jr., Sikarus and McCoy Moore will serve as support on select dates.
He will also make various festival appearances on top of delivering his first-ever headline shows in Europe.
The post WATCH: HARDY Taps Ashley McBryde For Show-Stopping ‘Wait In The Truck’ Performance At Country Thunder Arizona appeared first on Country Now.
