Approximately 20 protesters, affiliated with a group that aligns with communist beliefs, staged a demonstration outside Jason Aldean’s Chicago-area show on September 9th. These protesters identified themselves as members of Revolution Club Chicago, a far-left organization advocating for a revolution against capitalism.
During the demonstration, Leo Pargo, one of the group’s leaders, set an American flag on fire as part of their protest. The demonstration appeared to be centered around Aldean’s controversial hit song “Try That in a Small Town.” Critics have accused the song of employing racist undertones and promoting gun-based vigilante justice. Earlier this summer, there was significant backlash against the song and its music video, leading CMT to remove the video from circulation.
The Revolution Club Chicago’s Facebook page provided insights into why its members chose to protest Aldean’s show, which was part of his 2023 Highway Desperado Tour. They denounced Aldean as a “fascist lynch mob instigator” and highlighted individuals from Black and LGBTQ+ communities who have been victims of violence, possibly due to their minority statuses.
According to protester Rafael Kadaris, the protest remained peaceful, with no physical altercations between demonstrators and concertgoers, aside from a few gestures of dissent. Pargo defended the group’s burning of the flag as an exercise of free speech. He noted that while people may have misconceptions about communism, this protest welcomed individuals to voice their opinions against Aldean and “Try That in a Small Town,” regardless of their agreement with other beliefs held by the Revolution Club.
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