We dropped of Kid Rocks festival after seeing | Music News

A rock singer has opened up on why his group opted to drop out of Kid Rock’s music festival after noticing one thing they’d “never seen before”. Brent Smith, the singer of US rock band Shinedown, has mentioned the group’s alternative to drop out of Rock The Country, launched by American Bad Ass singer and headline star Kid Rock back in 2024.

A festival that was set to deliver followers together with its mixture of nation music and patriotic spirit has reportedly turn out to be a logistical nightmare for Kid Rock, with a collection of acts pulling out.

Despite organizers claiming that Rock The Country is a non-political event celebrating American tradition, it has been dubbed a “MAGA fest”, referencing the motion spearheaded by Donald Trump. It comes after reviews that Kid Rock returned to social media after he was branded “repulsive”. 

A leg of the event that was set to happen in Anderson, South Carolina, in July, was initially due to embrace Shinedown, Creed, Ludacris, and Brantley Gilbert in the line-up. But it has now been scrapped.

Shinedown announced its exit from the festival and expressed issues about “further division”. Now, as reported by Blabbermouth, Brent has spoken about why they selected to depart.

He told Rolling Stone: “We saw infighting that we had never seen before, and for us, it was our job to diffuse it. I just want to remind everybody, it says the ‘United States of America’ — united. And a lot of people right now don’t feel united.”

In additional remarks, Brent said “certain people” have been “not happy”, including: “I will say that there was an overwhelming amount of people that agreed with the decision.…

“You’re entitled to your opinion 1,000 p.c in this nation, and that’s one of the attractive issues about it.”

Addressing the pushback for their inclusion in the event, Barry Kerch, the band’s drummer, revealed to The Vinyl Road podcast last month that there had been “tons”, and the “knives have come out”, but noted Shinedown was an “apolitical” group.

He claimed that he “had no thought”, originally thinking it was a “cool” line-up, only to find out that it had “some political leaning to it”.

In a assertion to The Independent masking the Anderson cancellation, the festival famous that the event had been created to “unite people together through music”.

It said: “Rock the Country was created to unite people together through music. Our lineups and our crowds replicate that sentiment — a wide selection of voices, backgrounds, and tales that make up this nation.

“We’re truly disappointed we won’t be bringing the show to Anderson. Our fans work hard for their money, and we refuse to put on a show that doesn’t meet the standard they deserve.”

It added that the main target of the festival stays “where it’s always been”, highlighting the assist of artists, “honoring” followers, and offering “unforgettable nights” across the US.

It added: “The shows ahead represent the heart of what Rock the Country stands for: music, community, and pride in where we come from. Loving America isn’t political; it’s who we are.”