Kid Rocks MAGA festival cancels shows as acts | Music News

Rock The Country will no longer be stopping in Anderson, South Carolina, following a number of musicians pulling out.

The music festival, co-founded by Kid Rock, was initially set to go to eight cities, with each metropolis that includes a different lineup of performers. The show will continue taking place in the seven other cities. Some of the performers listed included Kid Rock himself, Blake Shelton, Jelly Roll, Miranda Lambert, Nelly, and Gretchen Wilson, among many others.

Anderson County administrator Rusty Burns told The Post and Courier on Friday, February 6, that the two-day live performance was canceled. Burns claimed that the county wasn’t given a specific purpose for why Rock the Country canceled its shows in South Carolina.

However, the administrator acknowledged that he was conscious of the online dialog concerning artists dropping out of the music festival but declined to remark additional.

Following the cancellation, a number of artists have pulled out of the festival. Shinedown — consisting of Brent Smith, Zach Myers, Barry Kerch, Eric Bass, and Jasin Todd — announced on social media that they have been no longer concerned in Rock the Country.

“SHINEDOWN is everyone’s band,” the rock group started in a assertion posted on February 6. “Our band’s purpose is to unite, not divide. We do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”

“We have one BOSS, and it is everyone in the audience. Our band’s purpose is to unite, not divide. With that in mind, we have made the decision that we will not be playing the Rock The Country Festival,” they added.

The band continued in their assertion by saying they’re conscious their choice will lead to “differences of opinion but they had no desire to be a part of something they “consider will create additional division.” Shinedown concluded by thanking their fans for their support and letting them know they “love and recognize” them always.

Shinedown’s Barry previously spoke on the Vinyl Road podcast in January about their initial decision to perform at Rock The Country, saying it had nothing to do with politics, in response to a question about whether the band received backlash for agreeing to participate.

“There’s been tons. The knives come out when they do not prefer it, particularly now politically. And we’re an apolitical band. But the knives have come out. It’s loopy. And to be sincere, I had no concept, and neither did Brent,” the drummer said. “I feel Zach perhaps had a clue — I had no concept this was Kid Rock’s factor. It was just, ‘Hey, here is an offer. It appears like a cool lineup, and it is a combine of nation and rock. Okay, we’ll play it.’ We took the offer and performed it, and then all of a sudden we discover out, ‘Oh, this has acquired some political leaning to it.'”

Barry went on to say, “I do not care. I’m just gonna go play a show. I actually, actually do not care. You can keep your politics to your self. I’ve no opinion a method or the other on Kid Rock. I like his music. This is about music.”

Creed, who was headlining the South Carolina show, was removed from the event’s website on February 6. The rock band has not addressed their removal from the lineup.

Other artists like Carter Faith, Morgan Wade, and Ludacris also dropped out of the festival in January. A rep for Ludacris told Rolling Stone, that the rapper’s inclusion was “a mix-up. Lines acquired crossed, and he wasn’t supposed to be on there.”

Many artists have faced backlash from fans for participating in a festival dubbed a “MAGA fest.” Kid Rock is a vocal Trump supporter, and Rock The County also has other Trump supporters performing, like Jason Aldean and Travis Tritt.