Aaron Lewis Repeats Conservative Conspiracy Theories at Concert
Staind singer and country musician Aaron Lewis used his solo performance last Saturday (April 16) at the Rivers Casino & Resort Event Center in Schenectady, N.Y., to repeat conservative conspiracy theories and talking points, as fan-captured video shows.
The onstage conjecture centered on frequent rightist topics such as the Hunter Biden laptop controversy and the false belief that Ukraine developed biological weapons with the U.S. government. The musician also invoked vaccine disinformation while presenting a theme of overarching malfeasance from the left, a recurring approach of modern conservative pundits.
Watch the video down toward the bottom of this post.
In the clip, Lewis tells the audience, "I can sit here and tell you that the Democrats are responsible for everything. It's bigger than that. This is the people that are above the people that we vote into office."
He continues, "That's why I sit up here every night and put my ass on the line for the truth. Because, people, the truth is fucking important. And when the same group of people monopolize everything, the truth doesn't exist. It's propaganda, it's lies to perpetuate a narrative."
Lewis adds, "Hunter Biden's laptop is real. The fact that we have American money in tax-dollar-funded bio-labs in the Ukraine is real. It's fucking real, people. Stop listening to the bought-and-paid-for propaganda machine. Look elsewhere. Do the opposite of everything they're fucking telling you, because it's all lies — every last bit of it. From getting a [COVID-19 vaccine] booster to supporting the fucking Ukraine, every last bit of it is a fucking lie. Wake up [and] smell the coffee."
Info from a laptop reportedly related to Hunter Biden, the son of U.S. President Joe Biden, leaked in 2020, per Bloomberg. However, it has not been proven to be a Russian plot, according to Vox, and the leak itself was questionable, as identified by The Washington Post.
The controversy is connected to a wider Biden–Ukraine conspiracy theory based on an unfounded allegation that the president engaged in corruption related to Ukraine. The Ukrainian bio-lab claim is also unfounded, as The New York Times and NPR reported.
Lewis’ ostensible anti-Ukraine sentiment aligns with what appeared to be his support for Russia’s recent invasion of the neighboring European country when he said last month at a concert, “Maybe we should listen to what [Russian President] Vladimir Putin is saying.”
On top of that, the singer’s anti-vaccine rhetoric could be a hard sell for loved ones of the 6 million who've died of COVID-19 worldwide, according to the WHO.
But these days, most Staind fans are aware Lewis has crafted a parallel persona to the angsty nu-metal frontman who many rock fans grew up with beginning in the '90s. After transitioning to country music for several solo releases, Lewis is now known for his outspoken political views as much as his musicianship.
He's railed against Democrats before and once led a "Fuck Joe Biden" chant. Last weekend, Lewis used his conservative anthem "Am I the Only One" as a centerpiece. The No. 1 hit from his Frayed at Both Ends album abhors Confederate monuments’ removal and criticizes classic rocker Bruce Springsteen.
"I wrote this song 'cause I fucking had to," Lewis says in the video. "As a 50-year-old adult male, I was watching my fucking everything crumble in front of my eyes."