Country musician Jason Aldean premieres music video shot in Macon hometown

After the release of Jason Aldean's latest music video, the world knows he was here in Macon.

"Gonna Know We Were Here" was filmed in Aldean's hometown on Sept. 22 and features lots of images of his alma mater, Windsor Academy.

The opening shots show the country singer dressed in a ball cap and tattered blue jeans walking past the trophy case in his old high school.

"It's great. It's almost like a Windsor Academy video," said headmaster John Cranford, who was one of about 250 people who got a private sneak preview of the video Thursday night in the school gymnasium. "We're tickled to death with it."

A close up of a GISA runner-up baseball trophy gives a nod to Aldean's days when he played baseball there in the early '90s.

"Once a Knight, always a Knight," is written on one wall.

Flashes of other posters hint of the lyrics: "Yeah, we may not be around in 20 years, but they're sure gonna know we were here."

Not so coincidentally, Aldean graduated from Windsor in 1995 -- 20 years ago.

When releasing the video Friday, Aldean said the song sums up the way he and his fans live their lives.

"It was pretty cool that we could bring that vibe to the music video too by shooting it back in Macon with a ton of people from my hometown," Aldean said in a news release. "Getting back there and on that high school football field really reminded me of that rush of just living life without any regrets."

Aside from Aldean performing on the Knights' field with exploding fireworks unleashing tall plumes of smoke, the video also stars the school's football team and dozens of local extras.

Camera crews filmed the school's bonfire that week and homecoming game Sept. 25.

The players crash through a paper banner and make a few plays on the field.

One Knight in his jersey is featured standing in front of the Cox Capitol Theatre marquee, which reads "Gonna Know We Were Here."

After the preview, word quickly spread about the video on Facebook.

Amy McCallum Stokes of the class of 1990 said she got chills seeing Aldean walking the halls.

"Makes me proud that the whole country is gonna see my little school - cause I have some great memories there and made lifelong friends in those halls," Stokes posted.

Sheri Logue Turner graduated a year after the now famous country crooner in a cowboy hat.

"I tell you tears filled my eyes as I sat out there on that old wooden gym floor as me and my 10 yr old belted every lyric to this awesome tribute to my old Alma Mater!!" Turner posted on Facebook.  "Thank you to Jason Aldean for NEVER forgetting his roots!!!"

Aldean and the band performing on the gridiron provides the main platform for the video.

Those scenes were shot very late at night and the campus was locked down during filming, Cranford said.

"I can understand," he said. "He's a really big name."

Aldean was not present for the bonfire, game or staged pep rally in downtown Macon.

Young people, cheerleaders and athletes are packed into the triangle at the junction of Second Street and Cotton Avenue as fireworks go off overhead.

Aldean launched his career as soon as he graduated from the private school on Jones Road in south Bibb County.

During filming, he etched his initials in his old locker declaring "J.A. was here," which is one of the closing scenes of the video.

Cranford said the school plans to remove that locker panel and give it a place of honor at the school.

Windsor posted his picture from his 2015 homecoming on the homepage of their website.

The school also boasts his nomination for best album in the Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, on Nov. 4.

This week, Aldean was nominated for two American Music Awards in the country categories for Favorite Male Performer and Favorite Album.

On Nov. 22, those awards will be presented in Los Angeles based on fan votes.

After Aldean gave loads of locals a fleeting shot at fame, he might have many more cheerleaders in his corner next month.

"He's one of our favorite sons," Cranford said. "When he has a concert in Macon, I think the whole school goes because he always gives a shout out to Windsor students."

Tickets for the 2016 tour go on sale at JasonAldean.com and LiveNation.com on Oct. 23.

Don't look for a Macon stop on the list of "We Were Here" tour dates, you won't find one there.

Aldean will be as close as Fayetteville, N.C., on Feb. 20 and as far away as Melbourne, Australia on March 8.

To contact Liz Fabian, call 744-4303 and follow her on Twitter@liz_lines.

This story was originally published October 16, 2015 at 8:51 AM with the headline "Country musician Jason Aldean premieres music video shot in Macon hometown ."