Hartford police plan big presence at concert of ‘Small Town’ singer

The Hartford Police Department will have “a lot of police presence for the concert” Sunday by Jason Aldean at Xfinity Theatre, outside which a group plans a peaceful event to show displeasure over the country star’s controversial “Try That In A Small Town,” song and video.

Hartford police Lt. Aaron Boisvert on Friday said the concert and the areas around the venue were already going to be fully staffed with police and traffic details prior to the announcement of the “ball gown” protest.

The “ball gown party” in Hartford Sunday, according to organizers, is meant to engage fans of the visiting country music star — who is embroiled in controversy over the release of a song and video criticized as stoking racial tensions.

Kamora Herrington, founder of Kamora’s Cultural Corner in Hartford, who is coordinating the ball gown party that playfully teases the “try that in a ball gown” meme created in response to Aldean’s controversial “Try That in a Small Town,” said “whenever there’s a gathering of human beings there should be safety concerns.”

Boisvert said the department will “be prepared,” and “we’ll be monitoring all events in the city.”

“I don’t anticipate a problem,” Boisvert said. “There’s going to be a lot of police presence for the concert.”

Aldean is performing at the Xfinity Theatre Sunday in the midst of criticisms that his recent song release encourages vigilantism and violence, with an accompanying music video that features footage of a Tennessee courthouse where a Black man was lynched in 1927. Lyrics such as “Well, try that in a small town, see how far you make it down the road” have prompted critics to call out the openly conservative country singer for encouraging gun violence.

Hartford ‘ball gown’ protest planned for Jason Aldean concert. ‘Let’s try working together’

Herrington said she discussed safety concerns about the ball gown party with Commissioner James C. Rovella of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.

Herrington said the ball gown event coinciding with Aldean’s show will go forward to show the importance of combating “sick, fearbased hate” with “sarcasm and a party.”