Hard to believe that it’s now been five months since the devastating loss of 3 Doors Down’s lead singer, Brad Arnold.
The music world, including many from the country music scene, were rocked by his tragic passing on February 7 after losing his battle to stage four kidney cancer. Artists like HARDY, Jason Aldean, Tracy Lawrence, and more paid their respects with tributes on social media and in live performances in the weeks that followed.
Later in the month after Arnold’s passing, Georgia native and “Bottoms Up” singer Brantley Gilbert also honored the rock legend’s legacy with a performance of “Here Without You” at his Pensacola, Florida, show on February 26, 2026. Still maintaining his memory at his concerts, Gilbert returned with another 3 Doors Down staple at one of his recent shows.
The outlaw country singer rocked the stage at his headlining Saturday night set during The 2026 Country Fest in North Lawrence, Ohio, with a high-energy cover of “When I’m Gone.” The lead single from the band’s 2002 sophomore album, Away From The Sun, peaked at number four on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart at the time and has racked up almost 430 million streams on Spotify alone, trailing behind their top two hits, “Kryptonite” and, of course, “Here Without You.”
Now, for anyone who knows anything about Gilbert’s music, he’s not one to shy away from a rock influence in his sound, continuing to lean into heavier-hitting tracks on his upcoming eighth studio album, Sins of the Father, releasing July 24. Not to mention his other numerous live covers of iconic rock hits during his concerts, including Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” Creed’s “Higher,” and Nickelback’s “Animals.”
With 3 Doors Down’s last official show taking place on December 5, 2024, and Arnold’s death leaving only two surviving members of the band, Chris Henderson and newer addition Justin Biltonen, it’s always great to see other artists reviving the beloved spirit of the legendary band.