On Saturday, December 26th, 50+ artists and hundreds of thousands of viewers around the world came together for Georgia Comes Alive, a virtual music festival aimed at promoting voter participation in Georgia’s critical Senate runoff elections on January 5th, 2021.
One of the many Georgia-based acts to take part in the nine-hour livestream was Patterson Hood, guitarist/vocalist from cult favorite Athens, GA outfit, Drive-By Truckers. Hood, always one to speak his mind and honestly reflect on the state of society, took a brief moment to thank Georgia Comes Alive co-presenter HeadCount its tireless work engaging the country’s electorate. With that, he set off on a three-song acoustic set featuring performances of three tracks from Drive-By Truckers’ second of two 2020 albums, The New OK, which was inspired by the turmoil of this most unusual year.
Title track “The New OK” felt like a perfect song start to this get-out-the-vote set as Hood sang the somber lyrics, “It’s a battle for the very soul of the USA / It’s the new OK.” The reflective “The Distance” was up next, Hood’s distinct singing voice painting a vivid picture. After one more thank you to all the Georgia voters, Hood closed the three-song performance with the somber yet strangely inspiring “Watching The Orange Clouds”.
Relive the performance by Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers at Georgia Comes Alive below. If you enjoyed the show and have the means, consider donating to Georgia grassroots voter organizations via GeorgiaComesAlive.com. Subscribe to the Live For Live Music YouTube channel for more Georgia Comes Alive videos.
Patterson Hood – “The New OK”, “The Distance”, “Watching The Orange Clouds” – Georgia Comes Alive
Patterson Hood joined 50+ other performers and speakers as part of Georgia Comes Alive, presented by Live For Live Music in partnership with voter registration nonprofit HeadCount. The marathon streaming event, powered by Nugs.TV and Plus 1, generated more than $160,000 in funds for organizations like CivicGeorgia and Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda that are putting in work on the ground to get Georgians out to the polls. For more information, head here. For more information on Georgia Comes Alive, or to donate to CivicGeorgia and Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda, visit GeorgiaComesAlive.com.