Carrie Underwood drew a wave of reaction from fans after footage surfaced of her Fourth of July weekend performance in Illinois.
The 43-year-old country music star took the stage Saturday at the John Deere Classic, the annual PGA Tour golf tournament.
Clips shared online prompted some viewers to criticize her performance of “Before He Cheats,” her 2005 revenge anthem about an unfaithful former partner, with one commenter describing the rendition as “horrible.”
The videos also fueled an unverified claim on social media that Underwood performed for only “dozens” or “tens” of people. Tournament officials, however, estimated the crowd at about 12,000, according to the Quad-City Times.
Some left-leaning commentators linked the backlash to Underwood’s decision to sing “America the Beautiful” at Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration last year.
“That’s what going MAGA will do to ya!” one person wrote. Another added: “This song doesn’t hit the same ever since she sold her soul to the Cheater in Chief.”
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Underwood and the John Deere Classic for comment.
Carrie Underwood sparked a strong response from fans after new footage emerged of her Fourth of July weekend concert at the John Deere Classic in Illinois
Social media trolls began circulating an unsubstantiated rumor she was singing to a crowd of ‘dozens,’ while tournament officials estimated she had an audience of 12,000
Another tweeted a take-off on her lyric: ‘Maybe next time he’ll think before he cheats,’ joking: ‘“Maybe next time she’ll think before she votes”!’
‘Never thought I’d see the day she would sound bad,’ still another wrote, adding a GIF that showed Dan Levy cringing on the sitcom Schitt’s Creek.
‘God Save The Queen,’ a fan remarked sympathetically, as other observers hissed: ‘She’s always been overrated as hell,’ and: ‘She has always sucked.’
Underwood achieved a career high the previous weekend, playing the farewell concert of 1990s country legend Alan Jackson.
Jackson, 67, gave his final show in Nashville on Saturday, June 27 amid his now 15-year battle with the genetic disorder Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
A fleet of top names from the country music industry – including Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson and LeeAnn Womack – paraded across the stage at the show in order to tip their hats to a lion of their business.
Among them was Underwood, who marked the occasion by posting a childhood snap of herself standing in front of an Alan Jackson poster at one of his shows.
‘Life has a way of coming full circle. The very first concert I ever attended was @officialalanjackson back in 1994, and it changed my life,’ she wrote on Instagram.
Online viewers expressed shock at what one called her ‘horrible’ rendition of her 2005 hit Before He Cheats, a vengeful power ballad aimed at an unfaithful ex
Left-leaning commentators sneered that she was reaping the results of having sung America the Beautiful at Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration last year
‘That’s what going MAGA will do to ya!’ one wrote as another snapped: ‘This song doesn’t hit the same ever since she sold her soul to the Cheater in Chief’
‘This little girl posing in front of his poster could have never imagined she’d one day be standing on stage at his farewell concert, celebrating this legendary artist whose music has been such a big part of her life,’ the American Idol judge continued.
‘What an incredible and unforgettable night. I soaked up every moment…and we all sang along to every word! Thank you, Alan, for inspiring generations of artists and fans. It was truly an honor to be part of your special night.’
Her post included a video of her standing in the wings at Jackson’s final show, singing along while he performed his 1996 song Little Bitty.
Underwood would have been either 10 or 11 when she attended the Alan Jackson concert in 1994, 11 years before she competed on American Idol, which served as the launchpad to her own international superstardom.
Jackson’s farewell show at the outdoor Nissan Stadium last Saturday was plunged into chaos by a lightning storm that forced fans to flee their seats and seek shelter.
‘At this time, lightning is approaching Nissan Stadium and the event has entered a weather delay,’ read a statement released by the venue on X. ‘Please proceed to covered areas of the concourses or other interior areas at this time.’
Ultimately, as conditions improved, the warning was lifted and fans were able to return to their seats to see Jackson, Underwood and the rest onstage.
Before Jackson himself appeared in front of the crowd, Underwood treated them to a rendition of his classic 1997 song Everything I Love.
Underwood achieved a career high the previous weekend, playing the farewell concert of 1990s country legend Alan Jackson, where she is pictured
Jackson is pictured at his farewell show on Saturday, June 27, amid what is now a 15-year struggle with the genetic disorder Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
The concert featured a video message from Taylor Swift, who is said to be marrying NFL star Travis Kelce this weekend at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Her virtual appearance at the Nissan Stadium was greeted with a mixture of boos and cheers, as she thanked Jackson ‘for your decades of unbelievable songwriting and your performances, and the ways that you’ve given so much to us, the fans.’
Jackson announced the date and location of his final show last October amid his ongoing struggle with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which he had been diagnosed with in 2011, a development he only made public a decade later.
In his statement, he said he could not ‘think of a better place to put on a big show and give the fans a finale than in Nashville’, famed as the capital of country music.
‘We just felt like we had to end it all where it all started for me, and that’s in Nashville – Music City – where country music lives,’ he told People.
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is a collection of inherited syndromes that affect the nervous system and can result in mobility issues.
