Kid Rock Rock the Country music festical cancels…
The Kid Rock-led “Rock the Country” music competition canceled the South Carolina stop on its tour as a number of marquee artists dropped out of the “politically charged” bash.
The two-night event was scheduled to happen at the Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center in Anderson, SC, in July and function headliners, rock bands Creed and Shinedown, nation music star Brantley Gilbert and 3-time Grammy award-winning rapper Ludacris.
Additional artists included Gretchen Wilson, Morgan Wade, Lakeview, Parmalee, Chase Matthew and Fox N’ Vead.
The “Rock the Country” reveals for Anderson, South Carolina promoted Creed, Shinedown and Ludaris as headliners before the two-day show was cancelled. Rock the Country/Facebook
However, Anderson County officers have been notified on Thursday that the competition canceled the gig, County Administrator Rusy Burns told the Greenville Post and Courier.
The administrator declined to give a cause for the cancellation but said at least one band had points with the competition being politically charged, according to the outlet.
Anderson County, which might have benefited economically from internet hosting the two-day event, was working to discover performers for an unrelated live performance in April.
Kid Rock, whose real identify is Robert James Richie, based the annual competition in 2024 and marketed the tour as a large multi-state competition with stops in eight different cities, celebrating the United States’ 250th birthday.
This yr’s tour was set to run from May to September 11 and 12, where the last gig could be held in Hamburg, NY.
“Rock The Country is more than just a festival, it’s a celebration of community, tradition, and the spirit that’s carried America through 250 years. It’s where neighbors become friends, families come together under the wide-open sky, and folks from every walk of life share the simple joy of great music and good company,” according to the tour’s web site.
“As we honor this milestone 250th year, every song, every laugh, and every toast feels a little bigger. It’s a chance to look around and appreciate the strength of our towns, the stories that shaped us, and the moments we’ll be talking about long after the lights go down.”
Ludacris performs during iHeartRadio Jingle Ball at State Farm Arena on Dec. 18, 2025. Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Kid Rock performs at the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 18, 2024. Getty Images
Shinedown, who was the top group for the July twenty sixth show, had beforehand announced its determination to pull out of the event.
“Shinedown is everyone’s band. We feel that we have been given a platform to bring all people together through the power of music and song. We have one boss, and it is everyone in the audience,” the band said.
“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.”
“We know this decision will create differences of opinion,” the band said. “But we do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”
The group was the fourth to drop out of the gig.
Additionally, Ludacris, Wade and nation singer Carter Faith had also backed out of the live performance forward of the cancellation, according to the Post and Courier.
Ludacris, whose real identify is Christopher Brian Bridges, was named as one of the headliners but claimed there was a “mix-up” after the announcement.
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