Kid Rock MAGA-friendly festival cancelled in South Carolina after artists drop out
Kid Rock‘s MAGA-friendly festival has been cancelled in South Carolina after several artists dropped out due to the political connotations of the event.
The festival was set to take place across eight US states, for two days each time, from May 1st to September 21st. However, the stop in Anderson, South Caroline, slated for July 25 and 26th, will no longer take place.
According to county administrator Rusty Burns, as per Fox Carolina, it will no longer make the journey Southeast.
Burns shared, “Anderson County has been proud to host Rock the Country for the past two years. The event was a huge success drawing tens of thousands of visitors, making a multi-million-dollar economic impact on the Upstate. An event of this caliber proved what a great venue and exceptional hospitality we have here in Anderson County. Of course, we are disappointed that Rock the Country will not return to Anderson this year.”
He added, “We are already planning additional major events and look forward to exciting announcements to come. Anderson County is committed to bringing high quality arts and entertainment to our community.”
The Anderson line-up originally featured headliners Jason Aldean and Kid Rock, plus Creed, Shinedown, Brantley Gilbert, Ludacris, Gretchen Wilson, Parmalee, Morgan Wade, Chase Matthew, and more.
Though it isn’t an outwardly political event, President Donald Trump did introduce Kid Rock’s set via video message in 2025
However, rock band Shinedown announced earlier this week that they would be pulling out of the Rock The Country festival, writing online, “Our band’s purpose is to unite, not divide. With that in mind, we have made the decision that we will not be playing.”
They nodded towards the political connotations of the event, sharing, “We do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”
Rapper Ludacris also dropped off the bill, though his representative shared that this was due to a “mix-up” and that “lines got crossed and he wasn’t supposed to be on there.”
Since then, Morgan Wade, Carter Faith, and Christian-inspired rock band Creed have all quietly dropped off the bill, without sharing why. Now, the festival will enjoy one less stop on the road.
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