Tyler Childers Performs 'Long Violent History" Live For the First Time in Los Angeles Amid Protests

In a moment both unique and momentous, Tyler Childers brought his protest-tinged anthem 'Long Violent History' to life for the first time ever - right at the heart of Los Angeles during a time of great upheaval.

At his Hollywood Bowl show on Tuesday (June 10), Childers, a voice of Appalachian roots and contrarian conscience, closed the night with his powerful statement amid L.A.’s ongoing protest and riots regarding the current landscape of immigration in the US.

Originally unveiled in September 2020 as the rousing final track of his surprise album Long Violent History, the song represents a unique duality - it follows eight instrumental tracks steeped in Appalachian fiddle, where it transforms into an impassioned lyrical call to empathy and solidarity. Childers crafted it in the heat of the Black Lives Matter movement, taking aim at systemic racism and police brutality.

Until last night, Childers had refrained from performing the song live. But he chose this charged moment in the city, to amplify its message. He didn’t preface the set with a speech, instead letting the notes and words resonate, paired with an on screen projection of Pastor Neimoller’s haunting poem “First they came…,” reminding audiences that silence in the face of violence partners with power.

Lyrically, 'Long Violent History' uses historical Appalachian imagery to draw empathy across racial lines - inviting listeners to imagine miners hauled off from their mountain home by armed forces as a parallel to Black lives lost to police violence. The title refrain asks pointedly - if violence happened in “our” towns, would we sit silently, or would we find moral clarity in ourselves and act? The performance in L.A. summoned that challenge in a city that's already testing its own conscience.

Childers, a Kentucky artist championing Appalachian culture, spoke loudly during a national reckoning. He didn’t just close his show, he opened a moment for reflection - a true demonstration of how music can act as commentary, conscience, and a catalyst all at once. He invited a diverse crowd to listen and acknowledge present injustice, and reexamine their role in shaping a more just future. And in doing so, he declared that country music - a genre often confined to tradition - can still roar with relevance and revolt.

The performance comes amid a new chapter in the career of the Kentucky native. His new album, Sniper Hunter has been announced today (June 12), with the thirteen-track album set for release on July 25th.

The record, which has been produced by Rick Rubin, features a new recording of long-standing fan-favourite 'Nose On The Grindstone', complete with electric organ and a new vocal take from Childers himself.

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